Adobe CQ
Adobe CQ is the former name of what is now Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). It began as CQ5, built by the Swiss company Day Software, which Adobe acquired in 2010. It is an enterprise Java CMS, licensed rather than open source, and is usually part of a wider Adobe marketing stack.
How it models content
- Content repository: everything lives in a Java Content Repository (JCR), a tree of nodes and properties rather than a set of relational tables
- Pages are nodes in that tree, built from components placed into templates
- Assets (DAM) hold images, video, and documents, with metadata and renditions
- Content Fragments are structured, presentation-free content that can be delivered headless
- Experience Fragments are reusable groups of components, such as a header or a promo block
- Under the hood it runs on Apache Sling and OSGi, so most behaviour is custom Java code
Adobe CQ and WordPress compared
| Adobe CQ / AEM | Closest in WordPress |
|---|---|
| Pages built from components | Pages built from blocks |
| Templates | Theme templates |
| DAM assets | Media library (much simpler) |
| Content Fragments | Custom post types with custom fields |
| Workflows and approvals | Editorial plugins |
| Custom Java components | No equivalent. Rebuilt as blocks or theme code |
What moving off it involves
- Export content from the JCR, usually as packages or through the content APIs, then transform it into the new platform’s format. There is no one-click route out.
- Inventory components and templates. Each one has to be rebuilt, because the Java code does not carry over.
- Move DAM assets with their metadata, and decide which renditions you still need.
- Map every old URL and set up 301 redirects. See 301 redirects in WordPress.
- Rebuild workflows, permissions, and any integrations with Adobe Analytics or Target.
Moving off CQ is a re-platforming project, not a content transfer. Text and images move; everything that made the site behave a certain way has to be rebuilt.
Current status
The CQ name is retired. The product continues as Adobe Experience Manager, now sold mainly as AEM as a Cloud Service. Older on-premise CQ5 installs are long out of support.