Documentation AEM as a Cloud Service User Guide

Configure your content source in one click for Edge Delivery Services

Last update: May 22, 2025

Applies to:
Experience Manager as a Cloud Service

CREATED FOR:

Admin
Developer

IMPORTANT

Helix is the internal name for the underlying architecture powering AEM Sites with document-based authoring. It is not a feature or product name. In this article, Helix refers to the architecture version used by your Edge Delivery Sites. Helix 5 is the current version of the underlying architecture; Helix 4 is the previous version.

Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) Edge Delivery Services allows content delivery from multiple sources such as Google Drive, SharePoint, or AEM itself, using a fast, globally distributed edge network.

The content source configuration differs between the two architecture versions in the following way:

Version	Content source configuration method
Helix 4	YAML file (`fstab.yaml`)
Helix 5	Configuration Service API (no `fstab.yaml`)

This article provides comprehensive configuration steps, examples, and validation instructions for both versions.

Before you start

If you use one click Edge Delivery in Cloud Manager, your site is using Helix 5 with a single repository. Follow the Helix 5 instructions and use the provided Helix 4 YAML version of the instructions as a fallback.

Determine your Helix version

Helix 4 - Your project includes an fstab.yaml file.
Helix 5 - Your project does not use fstab.yaml and was set up through Cloud Manager using the guided wizard or the API.

Confirm through repository metadata or consult your administrator if you are still uncertain.

Configure the content source for Helix 4

In Helix 4, the fstab.yaml file defines the content source for your site. Located at the root of your GitHub repository, this file maps URL path prefixes (called mountpoints) to external content sources. A typical example looks like the following:

mountpoints:
  /: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/your-folder-id

The example above is for illustration only. The actual URL should point to your content source, such as a Google Drive folder, SharePoint directory, or AEM path.

To configure the content source for Helix 4:

Steps vary by the source system that you use.

Google Drive
1. Create a Google Drive folder.
2. Share the folder with helix@adobe.com.
3. Get the shareable folder link.
4. Update your fstab.yaml as shown in the following:
  mountpoints: /: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/<folder-id>
5. Commit and push changes to GitHub.
SharePoint
1. Create a SharePoint folder or document library.
2. Share access with helix@adobe.com.
3. Obtain the folder URL.
4. Update your fstab.yaml as shown in the following:
  mountpoints: /: https://<tenant>.sharepoint.com/sites/<site>/Shared%20Documents/<folder>
5. Commit and push changes to GitHub.
AEM
1. Identify your AEM content path.
2. Use the AEM content export URL as shown in the following:
  mountpoints: /: https://author.<your-aem-instance>.com/bin/franklin.delivery/<org>/<repo>/main
3. Commit and push changes to GitHub.

Validation

Using the AEM Sidekick Chrome Extension, click Preview > Publish > Test the live site.
Validate URL: https://main--<repo>--<org>.hlx.page/

Configure the content source for Helix 5

Helix 5 is repoless, does not use fstab.yaml, and supports multiple sites sharing the same directory. Configuration is managed through the Configuration Service API or the Edge Delivery Sites user interface. Configuration is site-level (not repository-level).

Conceptual differences are the following:

Aspect

Helix 4

Helix 5

Configuration

Done through fstab.yaml

Done through the API or UI instead of YAML.

Mountpoints

Defined in fstab.yaml.

Not required. The root is implicitly understood.

To configure the content source for Helix 5:

Using the Configuration Service API, authenticate through an API key or access token.

Make the following PUT API call:

PUT /api/{program}/{programId}/site/{siteId}
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "sitename": "my-site",
  "branchName": "main",
  "version": "v5",
  "repo": "my-content-repo-link"
}

Validate response (expected: HTTP 200 OK).

Validation

Using the AEM Sidekick Chrome Extension, click Preview > Publish > Test the live site.
Validate URL: https://main--<repo>--<org>.aem.page/
(Optional) Inspect current configuration through the following GET API call:
GET /api/{program}/{programId}/site/{siteId}

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