Joomla: Open Source With a Fixed Release Rhythm

What Joomla is

The Joomla project describes Joomla as "a free and open-source content management system (CMS) for publishing web content", and says it is "free, open, and available to anyone under the GPL license." Like WordPress and Drupal, you install it on your own hosting and own every file.

Joomla's core includes features that other systems add through plugins: user groups and access levels, multilingual content, categories with nested structure and a menu system that controls which content appears where. Extensions, many of them free under the GPL according to the project, add shops, forms, directories and more.

Versions and support

Joomla's developer manual sets out its release cycle. A new major version is planned every two years, in October of an odd-numbered year. Each major has four planned minor releases; the last one (x.4) is a "bridge" release with no new features, and upgrades to the next major start from it. Bug fixes continue for a year after the x.4.0 release, followed by a further year of security fixes only.

The documentation page we read did not list end dates for Joomla 5. Applying the published policy to the 5.4 release in October 2025 suggests bug fixes into late 2026 and security fixes into late 2027, but that is our reading of the policy rather than a stated date, so check Joomla's own version pages before you plan around it.

What running Joomla involves

Running Joomla looks much like running self-hosted WordPress: a host that meets the technical requirements for your version, regular updates to core and extensions, backups and an eye on security announcements. Before you commit, check two things: that every extension you need supports the Joomla version you will run, and that you have someone lined up who can maintain a Joomla site.

Major version upgrades deserve a calendar entry. With a new major every two years, a site built today will face at least one bridge-and-upgrade cycle within its likely lifetime. Extensions need to support the new version before you move.

Editing and structure

Editors work with articles grouped into categories, and menus decide how those articles reach visitors. That model is flexible but takes some learning; it is less intuitive at first than WordPress's pages-and-posts approach. Access levels make it easy to show some content only to logged-in members or specific groups, which suits community and membership sites.

Setting up a Joomla site, step by step

A typical first build follows this order, and knowing it helps you judge a quote or plan the work yourself:

1. Choose hosting that meets the technical requirements for the Joomla version you will install, and confirm the host offers backups you can restore yourself.
2. Install Joomla through the host's installer or by uploading the package, and secure the administrator account with a strong, unique password and two-factor authentication.
3. Plan categories and menus before writing content. Because menus decide which articles appear where, sketching the structure on paper first saves rework later.
4. Pick a template that supports your Joomla version and check it on a phone before committing.
5. Add extensions one at a time, checking each against your version and testing after every install.
6. Set up user groups and access levels if some content is for members only.
7. Write a short maintenance note: who applies updates, where backups go and when the next major version is due.

Before hiring a Joomla developer

Two questions tell you most of what you need. First, which Joomla version will the site run, and when will it move to the next major release? With a new major planned every two years, a developer should already have an answer. Second, are any extensions bought under the developer's own account? If they are, ask for them to be moved to yours, so updates keep arriving if you part ways.

Joomla compared with WordPress and Drupal

In broad terms, WordPress is the easiest of the three for a single editor publishing pages and posts, Drupal suits large sites with complex content models and a development team, and Joomla sits between them with built-in user groups, access levels and multilingual support. All three are free open-source software you host yourself. The deciding factors are the people available to maintain the site and whether Joomla's built-in membership and language features save you from adding extensions elsewhere.

Strengths and limits

Strengths. Free GPL software with no license fee; built-in user groups, access levels and multilingual support; full ownership of code and data; a predictable release cycle.

Limits. The categories-and-menus model takes longer for editors to learn; each extension must support your version; major upgrades every two years need planning; a developer or confident site owner is needed for upkeep.

Who Joomla tends to fit

In our reading, Joomla fits membership sites, community portals and multilingual sites built and maintained by someone comfortable with its extension system. For a simple business site, WordPress or a hosted builder asks less; for very complex content models with many editors, Drupal is worth comparing.

Sources for this page

1. Joomla project: Joomla project's About page. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
2. Joomla documentation: Joomla documentation: list of CMS versions and support dates. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
3. Joomla developer manual: Software Release Cycle. Official source, read November 4, 2026.
4. Joomla project (October 14, 2025): Joomla release news announcing Joomla 6.0 and Joomla 5.4. Official source, read November 4, 2026.