Using Content Driven Development

Content-driven development for AEM enforces designing your content model and authoring experience before writing block code. Start by defining how authors will structure and interact with content, create test content to validate that model, then implement decoration logic—this approach reduces rework and ensures intuitive author experiences from the start.

Designing content models first identifies author needs early, preventing complex rework later. This content-first approach prioritizes authoring experience over code convenience, resulting in simpler content structures and fewer iterations when blocks enter production use.

Test content generation in this workflow creates realistic sample data that validates your content model and serves as PR validation links and living documentation. This integrated approach streamlines both development cycles and review processes for Edge Delivery Services blocks.

Yes, content-driven development applies to all AEM development tasks: new blocks, modifications to existing blocks, core decoration changes, bug fixes, and test-content validation. Reassess the authoring experience even when extending or fixing existing functionality.

Content modeling defines the author-facing structure and interaction patterns, while block implementation handles the decoration logic to render that content. By modeling first, you ensure the implementation layer supports an intuitive authoring experience rather than forcing authors to adapt to code-driven constraints.

Yes, this workflow is specifically designed for AEM Edge Delivery Services projects. It integrates with related skills like content modeling, block building, block testing, and block collection to enforce content availability and coordinate validation across the entire development lifecycle.