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MeasurableBusinessResults
MeasurableBusinessResults
Level 3
February 2, 2026
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Forms frameworks in AEM cloud

  • February 2, 2026
  • 4 replies
  • 56 views

We are on AEM in the cloud and have a requirement to send a simple contact form that the user fills out to a backend email address. E.g. no emails being sent to users, no attachments, no data storage, just take the simple form POST request and send an email.

AEM has two frameworks out of the box, the older “Foundation Forms” Components and the new “Core Adaptive Forms”.

I understand the Foundations Forms are kind of deprecated and Adaptive ones are encouraged, and I understand the new framework has more features, etc.


but we already have implemented our custom designs (corporate styleguide) - but for Foundation Form elements only! (buttons etc.)

My main question is: can I still use Foundation Forms to send an email (e.g. by building a servlet or in another way), or is it not possible at all in the cloud?
If still possible but highly discouraged - what’s the Adobe roadmap for supporting such an approach?

Also: is there a way to send the email using an Edge service (e.g. not hitting AEM Publishers at all with a POST request)

Best answer by lukasz-m

Hi ​@MeasurableBusinessResults,

As far as I know Foundation Forms, are still available in AEMaaCS, so you can use them.

Especially that there is still no full functional parity between Foundation Forms and Adaptive Forms Core Components.

However you should plan migration to Adaptive Forms Core Components anyway, as a long term solution.

Last but not least, base on your use case, I think that using WCM Core Components instead of AEM Forms suggested by ​@arunpatidar, could be the best solution. Of course this will require additional job, to style them. But using AEM Forms for such a simple case could be a bit overengineered approach.

4 replies

arunpatidar
Community Advisor
arunpatidarCommunity Advisor
Community Advisor
February 2, 2026

Hi ​@MeasurableBusinessResults 
You can check https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-core-components/using/introduction#form-components

Arun Patidar
    lukasz-m
    Community Advisor
    lukasz-mCommunity AdvisorAccepted solution
    Community Advisor
    February 3, 2026

    Hi ​@MeasurableBusinessResults,

    As far as I know Foundation Forms, are still available in AEMaaCS, so you can use them.

    Especially that there is still no full functional parity between Foundation Forms and Adaptive Forms Core Components.

    However you should plan migration to Adaptive Forms Core Components anyway, as a long term solution.

    Last but not least, base on your use case, I think that using WCM Core Components instead of AEM Forms suggested by ​@arunpatidar, could be the best solution. Of course this will require additional job, to style them. But using AEM Forms for such a simple case could be a bit overengineered approach.

      Vishal_Anand
      Vishal_Anand
      Level 5
      February 4, 2026

      ​@MeasurableBusinessResults  Yes. You can keep using Foundation Forms in AEM as a Cloud Service and build a custom handler to send form contents as an email, but prefer using an external HTTP email API or serverless endpoint rather than direct SMTP on the publisher. Adaptive Forms are the recommended direction long-term.
       

      Recommended approaches:

      • Custom Sling servlet (Foundation Forms) — Implement a servlet that receives the form POST, performs validation/CSRF checks, does NOT persist the data, and calls a transactional email API (SendGrid, SES, Microsoft Graph, etc.) over HTTPS. Use a service user, proper ACLs, and minimal logging.
      • Direct POST to external endpoint — Point the form action to an external serverless/email endpoint (Adobe I/O Runtime, AWS Lambda, Azure Function) that sends the email. This avoids touching AEM publishers entirely.
      • Edge/service worker option — Use a serverless edge/runtime (Adobe I/O Runtime or your CDN/edge functions) to accept the POST and call the email service — same benefits as above, lower publisher load and surface area.
      • Avoid SMTP on AEM publishers — AEMaaCS environments typically restrict arbitrary outbound SMTP and it’s not recommended; use HTTPS-based transactional email APIs instead.

      Key implementation notes:

      • Do not store submissions in the repository if requirement is no storage — ensure servlet/endpoint does not persist data.
      • Secure the endpoint: CSRF protection, input validation, rate limiting, auth to email API, and minimal logs (PII considerations).
      • Use service user mapping and OSGi HTTP client configs for outbound calls.
      • Test for CORS if posting directly from browser to external endpoint.
      • Migration note: Foundation Forms are deprecated; no guaranteed removal date but plan migration to Adaptive Forms for long-term support.

      https://experienceleague.adobe.com/docs/experience-manager-forms/adaptive-forms/overview.html?lang=en

       

      ​@kautuk_sahni 

       

        kautuk_sahni
        Community Manager
        kautuk_sahniCommunity Manager
        Community Manager
        February 17, 2026

        ​@MeasurableBusinessResults I wanted to follow up and see if your issue has been resolved. If you were able to find a solution—either from the responses above or on your own—we’d appreciate it if you could share the details for the benefit of others. Additionally, if any reply was helpful, marking it as accepted helps future members quickly identify effective solutions. Thank you for helping improve the community experience.

        Kautuk Sahni
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