And we’ve finally arrived at the end of Joomla. Joomla 3 that is. You find a system that works, you get to know it like the back of your hand, and then – bang! – it’s time to say goodbye. That’s what’s happening with Joomla 3, which is set to reach its End of Life (EOL) on August 17th, 2023. But don’t fret, because here at Fule.net are here to guide you through it.
Consequences of Delaying Your Upgrade
Look, we get it. Change can be tough. But, here’s the thing. The longer you delay the upgrade, the more you risk facing security vulnerabilities and software compatibility issues. And believe us, you don’t want to have a customer call you up only to tell you that your website now has a Viagra website on it. And that wouldn’t be the first time we’ve seen that happen; or the second 🙂
Upgrading Joomla 3 to Joomla 4:
There are quite a few aspects of Joomla that need to be updated and most of the time, it’s not just as simple as going through the integrated Joomla 3 to Joomla 4 upgrade. Here’s a list of the most common items that need to be upgraded from Jooma 3 to v4:
- Joomla CMS itself
- Joomla Template – this is where things can go wrong. Some template providers no longer support updates of their templates from J3 to J4. So you could be without a template during the upgrade. Meaning that you will have to select a new template and redesign your site. Some template providers like Rockettheme and Yootheme have done a really good job of upgrading their templates to J4. However, they only upgrade some of their templates and not all of them.
- Joomla Components – most of the well known components have a system for upgrading to J4 (like Akeeba Backup, JCE, jEvents, Easyblog Etc), however there are some components that say that the are compatible with J4, but not the latest version of Joomla 4.3. So that’s something to watch out for.
- Joomla modules & Plugins – similarly to templates and components, you will have to go through each module to see if they are compatible. Most of the time the module’s parent software, template or component, will be compatible, but there are individual custom modules that you will have to check for compatibility.
With all of that being said, updating Joomla 3 to Joomla 4 can be VERY time consuming. If you’d like a hand, we’d love to help you out.
Let Fule.net Assist with Your Joomla Upgrade
We know how daunting upgrading to a new system can be. But guess what? You don’t have to do it alone. Our experienced team offers comprehensive Joomla 3 to Joomla 4. We’re a locally owned web development company here in Fort Collins, Colorado. With that, we offer Joomla 3 to Joomla 4 update service.
Let’s Chat. Give us a call (970) 639-0777 or contact us here: https://www.fule.net/contact/
So, What’s Joomla 3?
Joomla 3 has been a really good CMS since its release back in 2012. It’s an open-source content management system (CMS) that’s helped countless web designers build responsive websites with ease. It’s user-friendly, extendable, multilingual, accessible, and search engine optimized – pretty cool, huh? Yet, like all good things, its lifecycle must come to an end, and it’s time to embrace the new and improved Joomla 4.
Why is it updating? Well, primarily because of the code base that is uses: PHP. PHP has been updated quite a bit since 2012 and the library of code that makes up Joomla 3 isn’t compatible with the newest versions of PHP 8. Matter of fact, Joomla 3 isn’t compatible with PHP 8.1 at all. You website will break if you try to update your PHP version to 8.1.
And What About Joomla 4?
Now, Joomla 4, that’s where the excitement is at!
It’s a more advanced, more user-friendly, and even more powerful version of its predecessor. With a brand new, intuitive admin interface, improved SEO features, enhanced security, and a leaner, faster engine underneath, Joomla 4 is designed to take your web experience to new heights. It’s the future of Joomla, and the future is bright!
Benefits of Joomla 3 and Joomla 4
Joomla 3 has served us well, with its excellent content management capabilities, extension versatility, and robust security features. However, as it nears EOL, these benefits will gradually fade away due to the cessation of official support and updates.
Enter Joomla 4! Not only does it offer the good old features we loved in Joomla 3, but it also comes with a slew of new perks. For instance, there’s a brand new workflow feature that gives you more control over your content, an email template system that makes customizing system emails a breeze, and a new front-end template that provides a modern, clean aesthetic for your site.
