The Joomla! Project is proud to announce the release of Joomla! 3.8, the latest in the Joomla! 3 series. This new release features over 300 improvements to the popular CMS, with two primary major features aimed at developers: the new routing system and the beginning of a forward compatibility layer with Joomla! 4.0. Additionally, two security issues have been resolved.

And now, the big question is, what is new in Joomla! 3.8?

Here are some of the new features …

• New Routing System - The new routing system gives users more control over their URL structure, including the often requested ability to remove IDs from URLs
• Joomla! 4 Compatibility Layer - The development of Joomla! 4 has made some changes in how the core code is structured by migrating classes to use PHP namespaces. Joomla! 3.8 includes a mapping layer to allow developers to use the older class names while being able to take advantage of the new class name structure.
• Improved Sample Data Installation - It is now possible to install sample data within your site backend after finishing the installation process, allows users to create their own generic data sets or extension developers to provide easy-to-install sample data for their extensions
• Sodium Encryption Support - PHP 7.2 introduces the new sodium extension for processing encrypted data, through a polyfill of this library Joomla! 3.8 makes this new API available for all of our users even before they upgrade to PHP 7.2
• Visit the Joomla! 3.8 site to learn more about this release.

Is your website ready for Joomla! 3.8?

Joomla! 3.8 is a one-click update just like previous 3.x versions.
Before upgrading, it is important to update all of your third party extensions and also to take and test a full backup of your site.
This is also a great time to connect with your hosting company and check your PHP and database versions. We recommend upgrading to PHP 7 or 7.1 as it will bring a considerable speed boost to your site. Further system requirements can be found on the technical requirements page.
As always with new features affecting the structure of your website, we strongly encourage you to test thoroughly in a staging environment and put redirections in place before enabling the modern router on your existing sites.

Security Issues Fixed

• Core - Information Disclosure in LDAP Authentication Plugin (affecting Joomla 1.5.0 - 3.7.5) More information »
• Core - Information Disclosure in com_content Archived Articles Model (affecting Joomla 3.7.0 - 3.7.5) More information »

Visit the Security Centre for more information.

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A huge Thank You to our volunteers!

A big thank you goes out to everyone that contributed to the Joomla! 3.8 release! Find a list of developers who helped out on the Thank You page.
Thank you also to the 3.8 marketing, imagery and translation teams!

Spread the Joomla! Love

Has Joomla! helped you do your job better, saved you money, allowed you to do more with your web site? You can help others experience the same results and find out about this great Open Source Content Management System by telling others.

Share the news!

Visit the Joomla! 3.8 Landing Page (already available in 30 languages!) to get an overview of the new features, download our a wide range of imagery available for sharing in blog posts, via social media, or in banners on your site. They can be found on the Joomla! 3.8 Imagery page. And if you want to translate them, you can find the source files here.
We would love you to spread the Joomla! love and get the word out to your network.

Are you a journalist, blogger or evangelist?

Please feel free to get in touch with the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for interviews and other content.

Make the next Joomla! release even better

Joomla! 3.9 and 4.0 are already in the works. If you would like to help improve them you can make a direct difference.

Join the Joomla! Volunteer community and contribute your skills and time to help Joomla! grow even more.

• Become a tester - no special skills required, but able to install test releases, and follow reporting instructions
• Help us translate - for those who speak English and any other language
• Document new features - for those who can write tutorials and technical documentation
• Other areas - find one that fits your skills and interests.

Stay updated on the latest project news and important announcements by subscribing to the Joomla! Newsletter as well as the Developer Newsletter.