The Joomla Project is pleased to announce the availability of Joomla 4.0 Alpha 1 for download.
What’s new in Joomla 4.0 so far?
- Removal of deprecated functions from Joomla 3.x
- Reworked installer for a quicker and more intuitive user experience
- New templates using Bootstrap 4
- Reworked Application for Consoles
- Integration of Joomla Framework packages
What is this release for?
There is one goal for this release: to allow advance testing of custom extensions so that extension developers can report any problems well before the final release.
This release includes most of the Joomla Core library changes that will be included with version 4.0.0. Some of these changes will require small changes to extensions.
For a complete list of known backward compatibility issues for version 4.0, please see Potential backward compatibility issues in Joomla 4.0 in the documentation site.
Joomla 4.0 is known to not be mobile compatible nor upgradable from Joomla 3.9 at this point.
For the full known issues with the 4.0 alpha-1 release, please see the version 4.0 Alpha-1 FAQ in the documentation site.
What is this release NOT for?
This alpha version of Joomla 4.0 is not suitable for production sites. It is for testing ONLY.
When is the final release due?
At this moment, Joomla 4 is still being actively developed. We are working towards a summer timeline with regular alpha releases on a roughly monthly basis.
Please note that the date of releases depends on availability of volunteers and circumstances beyond our control. You can join the testing and reporting to help ensure a solid, timely delivery (see “How can you help…” below).
Should I plan to upgrade to Joomla 4.0?
Joomla 4.0 will be Joomla’s new major version. Joomla 3.9 will be released alongside Joomla 4 as the last minor release of Joomla 3. Joomla 3.9 will continue to be supported for 2 years giving you plenty of time to plan your migration to Joomla 4 and update your extensions to Joomla 4 compatible versions.
How do I upgrade to Joomla 4.0?
Depending on the extensions you have installed, it may not be possible to update your site from 3.x to 4.0 until your extensions have version 4.0-compatible updates available.
In Joomla 3.9 you can view the compatibility information of your extensions in the Joomla Update interface. More information on that will be available before 3.9 is released.
You will need to have your Joomla Site on the latest 3.x version before upgrading to Joomla 4.
Related information
If you are an extension developer, please make sure you subscribe to the general developer mailing list. This is a place where you can discuss extension development. News that may affect custom development will be posted here from time to time.
Following is a list of sites of interest:
How can you help Joomla development?
The great news is you don’t have to be a developer to help build Joomla. The Joomla Bug Squad is one of the most active teams in the Joomla development process and is always looking for people (not just developers) that can help with sorting bug reports, coding patches and testing solutions. It’s a great way for increasing your working knowledge of Joomla, and also a great way to meet knew people from all around the world.
You can also help Joomla development by thanking those involved in the many areas of the process. In the past year, for example, hundreds of bugs have been fixed by the Bug Squad.
The project also wants to thank all of the people that have taken the time to prepare and submit work to be included in Joomla 4.0, and to those that have worked very hard on the Joomla Platform project.
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.
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