Joomla 3.8.1 has been released just a few days ago. Joomla is certainly moving forward to its big update Joomla 4. Step by step Joomla 4 is coming into shape and we all are very much excited about it. Also, you must be curious how Joomla 4 is evolving, what are the things coming along with Joomla 4, things supposed to be in Joomla 4 or what more you can expect from Joomla 4. Well, we will try to discuss all these and satisfy your curiosity.
Roadmap
The march towards Joomla 4 has started from the release of Joomla 3.8. The stage will be set in the release of 3.9. Both of these major updates have some significant features and improvements to smoothen the journey to Joomla 4.
Joomla 3.8
Big thanks to Michael Babker and the team of volunteers, Joomla 3.8 has been released on 19 September 2017. Joomla 3.8 comes with a Joomla 4 compatibility layer to make things easy for the extension developers while making things compatible with Joomla 4.
Joomla 3.9
Joomla 3.9 will be released in the preparation of Joomla 4. Joomla 3.9 will initially be released containing all the backports of API changes from the development branches of Joomla 4.0 to make an easy transition. The major feature of 3.9 is Joomla 4 compatibility layer like Joomla 3.8.
George Wilson is the release lead of Joomla 3.9 and also the release lead of Joomla 4.
Main features of Joomla 4
These are some of the core features of Joomla 4.
- New improved core UI, based on Bootstrap 4.
- Use of more Joomla Framework packages.
- Refactored event management system.
- Introduction of a service container for global dependency management/injection.
- Removing Mootools from the codebase. JQuery will still be available but not in the core.
- Introduction of framework agnostic web components.
- Faster page loading times.
- New media manager.
- MVC layer improvements.
- Frontend template Aurora.
- Backend template Atum.
(Source: Official Joomla website)
Joomla 4 looks so far
Joomla 4 development is running fast and continuously big changes are coming. So we are going to introduce you to some of the early looks of Joomla 4 so far.
New login page
Figure: The new login page of Joomla 4.
New backend admin dashboard
Figure: The new admin dashboard of Joomla 4.
Notification panel
Figure: New notification panel of Joomla 4.
Brand new media manager
Figure: Brand new media manager of Joomla 4.
Article editing interface
Figure: Article editing interface of Joomla 4.
Modules page
Figure: New module page of Joomla 4.
Global configuration page
Figure: Global configuration page Joomla 4.
First look at Aurora: the Joomla 4 frontend template
Figure: Aurora, the Joomla 4 frontend template.
Some questions
There may be some questions that can pop into your mind about your sites’ compatibility and many other issues. So now let's find out answers to some of your probable questions.
What if I can’t upgrade my site?
As mentioned before, Joomla 4’s arrival stage is prepared from the release of Joomla 3.8. The process of easy transition and compatibility is the main focus point in Joomla 4. Also Joomla 3.9 will be supported for two years. Assuming Joomla 4 will be released in 2018, so you will get almost two years to run your sites in Joomla 3.x series. But at the end, it is crucial to gradually update your sites to the latest version to be with the supported latest technologies.
Why adopting to PHP 7, why not stay in the comfort zone?
According to user statistics, the number of websites running on PHP 7 is on the rise. And the number of sites running on PHP 5.5 or earlier versions is decreasing rapidly. Moreover, Joomla 4 is our future, our next generation. So it is always a great idea to adopt the best technologies to ensure the best experience.
So, why wait. Let's lay hand to the future.
This is almost the basic view on Joomla 4. The team of Joomla 4 is continuously introducing exciting developments. So, like me, I know you are also restless to get a grip on the amazing Joomla 4. Meanwhile, let's hope for a stable and matured release.
Oh yes, what are you thinking about Joomla 4?
Thx for this great blog
Can't wait for Joomla 4!
So now lets also wait for Helix 4
Is there already info about a release for Helix 4? (Alpha, Beta, RC, Stable or a roadmap)?
Thx for you great work
Thanks
:(;):D
Thank you
I am looking for the Frontend template called Aurora. There is a default template called cassiopeia, with a picture of protostar.
Joomla 4 looks promissing for a nice future. Are you allready testing the pagebuilder or the templates on Joomla 4?
Are you opening a forum for the joomla 4 research?
I can not wait :-)
Regards