aem-eds-kit / Document Authoring vs Universal Editor
Authoring modelsDocument Authoring vs Universal Editor
AEM Edge Delivery Services (EDS) has two authoring models. Document Authoring edits content as documents (Google Docs, SharePoint/Word, or DA at da.live); Universal Editor edits it in-context in AEM, component by component. Both render the same fast EDS front end - the difference is where and how authors work, and what infrastructure you need.
Side by side
| Document Authoring | Universal Editor | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you author | Google Docs / SharePoint / DA (da.live) | In-context WYSIWYG in AEM |
| Where content lives | The document source (Drive / SharePoint / DA) | AEM as a Cloud Service |
| Infrastructure | None of your own (docs + GitHub) | AEM as a Cloud Service |
| Authoring style | Write a document; blocks are tables | Click a component, edit its fields |
| Structured fields | Via block tables + metadata | Component models (17 field types) |
| Templates | Starter documents (initial content) | AEM editable templates + component library |
| Governance / workflow | Lightweight | AEM roles, versioning, policies |
| Best for | Content/marketing sites, fast start, non-technical authors | Complex sites, structured content, existing AEM investment |
When to choose which
▤ Document Authoring
- You want the fastest start with no AEM instance to run.
- Authors are comfortable in Google Docs or Word.
- Content is mostly editorial (pages, articles, landing pages).
- DA (da.live) is the quickest document path and has an API, so tools can push content programmatically.
◆ Universal Editor
- You need in-context WYSIWYG editing of the real page.
- Content is highly structured (component fields, references, tags).
- You need AEM governance: roles, workflows, versioning, editable templates.
- You already run AEM as a Cloud Service.
Set up either with aem-eds-kit
The same toolkit targets both - the authoring model is the first step of eds init:
$ eds init --authoring da # or gdrive / sharepoint / ue
For Universal Editor you also need the component library, which the CLI scaffolds, and every generated block ships its UE model by default:
$ eds scaffold ue # component-definition / -models / -filters $ eds block from-design # block + Universal Editor model $ eds model add hero teaser # compose UE fields from partials
Initial content works for both: eds template new pushes a page to DA for document models, or registers the blocks and points at the editable template for Universal Editor.
FAQ
Can I use both Document Authoring and Universal Editor?
Yes - some projects mix them, and a single block can even take content from both. aem-eds-kit lets you pick the content source (document, ue, cf, or mixed) when generating a block.
Do I need AEM for Document Authoring?
No. Document Authoring uses Google Docs, SharePoint, or DA (da.live) plus a GitHub repo - you don't run your own AEM. Universal Editor requires AEM as a Cloud Service.
Does Universal Editor need component models?
Yes. Each block needs its Universal Editor model (the field definitions). aem-eds-kit generates these by default with every block it creates or migrates, and eds scaffold ue sets up the shared component library.
Is one faster on the front end?
No. Both render the same Edge Delivery front end, so Core Web Vitals are identical; the choice is about authoring and infrastructure, not performance.