DocumentationExperience Cloud KCS

Dynamic Media asset cache invalidation not taking effect

Last update: July 1, 2026

Dynamic Media assets continue serving outdated content even after updates or unpublishing due to CDN caching. This issue occurs with Adobe-managed CDNs, Smart Imaging domains, or customer-managed CDNs such as Akamai and CloudFront. Identify the CDN layer, use the appropriate invalidation method, and verify that cache entries are refreshed to ensure updated assets are served.

Description description

Environments

  • Adobe Experience Manager as a Cloud Service
  • AEM Dynamic Media
  • AEM Assets Essentials
  • Smart Imaging or Scene7 CDN domains
  • Customer-managed CDN such as Akamai or CloudFront

Issue/Symptoms

  • Updated assets do not appear in delivery URLs.
  • Unpublished assets remain visible for several hours.
  • CDN invalidation completes but stale content persists.
  • SmartCrop or variant renditions do not refresh.
  • Assets served through external CDNs remain outdated.

Cause

Dynamic Media caches assets at multiple CDN layers. Smart Imaging domains support base URL invalidation that clears all variants, whereas standard Scene7 domains require invalidation of each full URL. If customer-managed CDNs such as Akamai or CloudFront are used, cache invalidation must also occur on those CDNs. Incorrect invalidation requests or missing CDN configuration prevent updated assets from being served.

How to confirm

  • Runcurl -I <asset URL> and review the response headers.
  • Determine whether the asset is served through Smart Imaging, Scene7 CDN, or an external CDN.
  • Review cache-related headers and timestamps.
  • Test the asset again by appending a cache-busting parameter.

Resolution resolution

Follow these steps to resolve the issue

  1. Run curl -I and identify which CDN layer serves the asset.
  2. Invalidate the asset using the Dynamic Media CDN invalidation tool.
  3. For Dynamic Media Classic environments, submit invalidation requests through the DM Classic application.
  4. Use the CDN Cache Invalidation API for bulk or automated invalidation.
  5. For Smart Imaging domains, invalidate the base URL to clear all variants.
  6. For Scene7 domains, invalidate each complete asset URL.
  7. If SmartCrop renditions are used, include the SmartCrop modifier in the invalidation request.
  8. If a customer-managed CDN such as Akamai or CloudFront is used, purge the cache directly from the CDN portal.
  9. Verify the asset again using curl -I and confirm that cache headers or timestamps change.
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