Multi-Site Manager (MSM) is the core AEM feature designed for managing multiple websites that share common content. It allows for the creation of a ‘blueprint’ site (global/master) that can be rolled out to ‘live copy’ sites (regional/local). MSM manages the inheritance and synchronization of this content, enabling local teams to override specific content where needed while maintaining global consistency, which perfectly fits the described scenario.

In AEM, for a template to be available for use when creating a page, it must be enabled for the specific content path (or tenant in a multi-tenant setup) where the author is trying to create the page. This is controlled via the template’s ‘Allowed Paths’ property or tenant-specific configurations. The other options are related to template structure or functionality, but would not prevent the template from simply appearing in the selection list.

Client Context (often used interchangeably with or as part of ContextHub in later versions) is the AEM framework that provides a configurable, in-memory store of user session data. It can track attributes like visit count, profile data, and segment membership in real-time. This user session data is the foundation for creating personalization rules in the Targeting mode of the AEM editor, allowing components like the banner to change based on conditions such as ‘is first-time visitor’.

The recommended and modern pattern in AEM development is to use Sling Models. A Sling Model is a POJO (Plain Old Java Object) annotated with `@Model` that adapts from a Sling object (like a resource or request). It encapsulates all the business logic, data retrieval (e.g., from the JCR, external APIs), and calculations. The HTL file then simply references the model to access its methods and properties, resulting in clean, maintainable, and testable code that separates logic from presentation.

For content to flow from author to publish, a replication agent on the author instance must be configured to target the publish instance. The most critical check is that this agent’s ‘Transport’ tab is correctly configured (usually with the publish instance’s URL and credentials) and that the ‘Test Connection’ button confirms a successful connection. If the transport fails, no replication can occur. While a cleared Dispatcher cache is necessary for seeing changes, it’s irrelevant if the content never reaches the publish instance in the first place.

The Pathfield dialog widget (`granite/ui/components/coral/foundation/form/pathfield`) is specifically designed for this purpose. It provides a browser-like interface for authors to navigate the AEM content tree (JCR) and select a specific page or asset. It stores the path to the selected resource (e.g., `/content/mysite/en/articles/article-one`). A Multifield is for repeating sets of fields, a Textfield is for plain text, and an RTE is for formatted text—none offer the built-in page browsing functionality.

Asset Workflows, specifically the ‘DAM Update Asset’ workflow, are the core mechanism for processing assets upon upload or modification. This workflow contains steps that generate standardized renditions (like `cq5dam.web.1280.1280.jpg`) and a web-optimized rendition. By ensuring this workflow runs on asset ingestion, you create smaller, cached-friendly versions for web delivery, preventing the system from needing to dynamically process and serve the massive original files, which is the root cause of the slowdown.

The AEM as a Cloud Service deployment model strictly enforces the separation of immutable code and mutable content. Code and certain immutable configurations are packaged into a single, versioned ‘all’ artifact (the application code). This artifact is deployed to the runtime environment in an immutable way. Author-created content and configurations live separately in the repositories. This model is a core best practice for Cloud Service and is strongly recommended for modern AEM projects (6.5+) to ensure reliability, rollback capability, and clear lifecycle management.

Editable Templates (introduced in AEM 6.2) are the feature that enables this. They allow template authors to define ‘policies’ for components within the template’s structure. A policy configures design aspects (allowed components, styling via the Style System, etc.). When a page is created from such a template, its components initially inherit this policy. The status icon shows when a page author has later modified that policy locally for that specific page/component instance, providing a visual cue for governance and consistency.

Multi-Site Manager (MSM) is the core AEM feature designed for managing multiple websites that share common content. It allows for the creation of a ‘blueprint’ site (global/master) that can be rolled out to ‘live copy’ sites (regional/local). MSM manages the inheritance and synchronization of this content, enabling local teams to override specific content where needed while maintaining global consistency, which perfectly fits the described scenario.0