How to get started with Headless Adaptive Forms development using AEM (without a license yet)?

[devilzk83]

Hi community,

I'm new to Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) and I'm particularly interested in learning about headless adaptive forms especially developing with JSON Schema instead of GraphQL.

I don't yet have any AEM license, as I'd like to first understand and explore the platform before committing to a subscription.

I've read that it's possible to set up AEM locally and also the AEM as a Cloud Service SDK, for development and learning purposes. However, I haven't been able to find clear instructions or a direct download link - most resources redirect me to the enterprise page, which says my Adobe ID isn't linked to a subscription.

So, my questions are:

1. How can a new developer (without an enterprise account) start learning and building on AEM?
2. Is there any free developer sandbox or trial setup available for learning?
3. What's the recommended learning path to get started with hands-on development, evaluate features, and build skills before subscribing?

Thanks in advance for your help!

[giuseppebaglio · Accepted solution]

hi @devilzk83, 

A significant challenge in learning AEM has always been the requirement to already be employed by a company that uses AEM. Unfortunately, there is no legal way to download AEM and set up a working SDK instance unless you are an Adobe Partner or a customer of Adobe.

The most direct path is contacting Adobe through the Adobe Contact Page (https://www.adobe.com/about-adobe/contact.html) to request trial access. Mention specific use cases like learning headless adaptive forms to increase approval chances.

Headless adaptive forms are JSON structures (schemas) consisting of form fields and rules, rendered natively in front-end applications. I recommend beginning with this article: https://experienceleague.adobe.com/en/docs/experience-manager-headless-adaptive-forms/using/architec...