There’s No Hub Like Content Hub: Making Adobe’s Content Hub Feel Like Home
Authored by: Christine Anthony & Samantha Fitch, AEM Architects
Adobe Experience Manager Assets has long been a leader in digital asset management (DAM). Few platforms rival its ability to manage, organize, and govern images, videos, and documents at scale. However, not every organization requires the full suite of AEM’s features. For many users, the main goal is to simply search, view, and download assets—without navigating extra complexity.
Historically, Adobe offered two primary options for extending asset access: Brand Portal or Asset Share Commons, a community-driven solution. Now, there is a new alternative: Content Hub—a streamlined, configurable way to share AEM Assets with a broader audience.
If navigating asset management sometimes feels like a trip to Oz, don’t worry. Here are eight key insights to help Content Hub feel more like home and make the most of its capabilities.
1) Set Realistic Expectations—Content Hub is Finding its Heart
Content Hub is a relatively new offering designed to make assets easy to view, download, and, when permitted, perform light edits. The interface prioritizes simplicity, focusing on clear display and filtering with limited configuration options. As of now, you can link-share assets, collections, and even renditions. As the platform continues to mature over time, patience is key.
2) Content Hub: A Distinct Experience
While it’s natural to compare Content Hub to Brand Portal, the two have marked differences. Content Hub is not a stand-alone product; it works in tandem with AEM Assets. However, it is managed as a separate instance with the suffix <env>-delivery, i.e. prod-delivery. It’s currently available for production environments, but may support additional environments in the future.
User access is managed via the Admin Console by assigning users and groups specifically to the Content Hub instance. Content Hub maintains its own user groups and permissions, independent of those in AEM. While the two systems share assets and metadata, administrative controls remain distinct.
3) Metadata is the Foundation
Content Hub organizes assets entirely through metadata– there are no folders. Instead, assets are categorized using attributes and tags, allowing single assets to belong to multiple categories and campaigns without duplication. This flexible, metadata-driven approach can make content more discoverable and easier to reuse.
For teams who have invested significant effort in building traditional folder hierarchies in AEM (or for teams who do not have a robust metadata schema) shifting to this new metadata-forward mindset may require adjustment. However, it is important to note that the needs of the typical Content Hub user will be different than those of a “power user” within AEM. Content Hub is designed for end users who primarily need to search, view, and download assets – not for those managing and organizing content on the backend. As such, Content Hub offers a streamlined experience that simplifies asset discovery.
4) Tags: Your Yellow Brick Road to Discovering Assets
Because Content Hub relies on metadata, a comprehensive tagging strategy is essential. Instead of organizing assets by folders and years, tags allow for dynamic filtering. For example, “show me all BrandX images from September 2025.” The key is aligning your tagging strategy in AEM with Content Hub’s filter logic to enhance asset discoverability.
5) Permissions: Growing and Improving
As opposed to AEM’s Access Control List (ACL)-based permissions where asset access is given by folder, Content Hub uses Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC). ABAC permissions are granted based on properties, tags, or user groups—not folder location. For example, a “Marketing” user group might only see assets tagged “2025” and with a metadata of “BrandX.”
Currently, permissions are configured by submitting requirements to Adobe’s support team. Admin-controlled ABAC is expected in the future.
6) Integrating Rainbows with Adobe Express
Previously, basic edits to assets may have required a designer and/or tools like Photoshop or InDesign. Now, with Adobe Express enterprise plans, users can make quick updates directly within Content Hub.
The integration between Content Hub and Express offers a more accessible editing experience, enabling users with appropriate permissions to update assets without navigating the full AEM interface.
7) Designed for Simplicity
Content Hub is intended for straightforward asset consumption—not for advanced use cases like workflows, content fragments, or custom asset structures, which remain the domain of AEM. Think of Content Hub as a companion portal, complementing AEM by providing a user-friendly way to share assets with the right audience.
Our recommendation is to use Content Hub as a side-by-side partner with AEM to deliver your assets to the appropriate audience.
8) New Munchkins Follow a One Way Road
Assets remain synchronized between Content Hub and AEM, but metadata updates can only occur in AEM. Metadata can be added during upload in Content Hub, but further editing requires access to AEM.
Newly uploaded assets are placed in a “hydrated-assets” folder in AEM, from which DAM librarians can process and organize them as needed. This approach maintains order and ensures assets are properly categorized for future use.
Teams expecting a clear hierarchy should plan an efficient process for triaging and redistributing new assets.
Wrapping Up: There’s No Hub Like Home
Content Hub represents a shift from folder-based navigation to metadata-driven discovery. For users who need a straightforward way to search, view, and download assets, Content Hub offers an intuitive and efficient portal—while the robust capabilities of AEM remain available as needed.
Though some features, such as permissions management, are still evolving, Adobe’s development roadmap is promising. The best approach is to start small, onboarding users who need basic access, and expand as new features are introduced.
With Content Hub, sharing assets becomes easier than ever—helping teams focus on what matters most while keeping AEM as the central home for your digital content.
After all, your assets may travel the yellow brick road into Content Hub, but there’s truly no place like home (AEM).
