Installation inventory
Joomla, PHP and database versions; every component, module, plugin, language and template; overrides, custom code, integrations and scheduled jobs; and the business owner of each.
Joomla migration & upgrades
Joomla migration and upgrades: Joomla 3, 4 and 5 to Joomla 6
Move a Joomla 3, 4 or 5 site to Joomla 6 with the route, the risks and the rollback known before anything changes on the live site. Every route is rehearsed on a separate copy, and a redirect plan protects search traffic, although no move can promise unchanged rankings. The handover is documented, with ownership set out in your agreement. The first step is an upgrade assessment.
Status for November 3, 2026
Joomla 3 since 2012 No fixes from the Joomla project
- Released
- Bug fixes end
- Security fixes end
- Paid extended support (eLTS) ended
Joomla 4 No fixes from the Joomla project
- Released
- Bug fixes end
- Security fixes end
Joomla 5 Security fixes only
- Released
- Bug fixes end
- Security fixes end
Joomla 6 Bug and security fixes
- Released
- Bug fixes end
- Security fixes end
Your Joomla version
Joomla 3
Joomla 4
Joomla 5
Joomla 6
The assessment answers three questions before anything changes on the live site: which route suits your site, what has to be replaced, and how to undo the change if launch checks fail.
In plain English: what an unsupported Joomla version means for your site
The Joomla project ends support for a version in two steps: first bug fixes stop and only security fixes continue, then security fixes stop too. A site keeps running after its security date, but security problems found after that date are no longer fixed by the Joomla project.
- Where versions stand: Joomla 3 and 4 no longer receive security fixes from the Joomla project, and Joomla 3’s paid extended support ended on February 17, 2025. Joomla 5 receives security fixes only from October 13, 2026 until October 12, 2027.
- A second deadline: the PHP version on your server has its own support dates. Joomla 6 requires PHP 8.3 or later, and PHP 8.2 security support ends on December 31, 2026.
- Your routes: upgrade the current site one major version at a time, move to a fresh Joomla 6 installation, build a new public website while editors keep working in Joomla, or rebuild on another platform.
- What we do first: an upgrade assessment of your installation, extensions and template, before anything changes on the live site.
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Explore Joomla migration & upgrades
Start with a Joomla upgrade assessment
The assessment answers three questions before anything changes on the live site: which route suits your site, what has to be replaced, and how to undo the change if launch checks fail. If the current installation is too fragile for a direct upgrade, we say so before committing to a route. The assessment produces five deliverables.
Compatibility report
For each extension and the template: a Joomla 6 version exists, a replacement is needed, it must be rebuilt, or it can be retired, together with the customer or editor task it supports.
Route options
Upgrade in place, a fresh Joomla 6 build, a new frontend on Joomla content, or a rebuild on another platform, compared on effort drivers, risk and what changes for editors and visitors.
Rehearsal and rollback plan
The step sequence to rehearse on a copy, the checks for each step, a tested backup restore, the rollback trigger and who makes that call.
URL inventory
Important URLs, the redirects any change would need and the launch checks that protect search traffic.
Where your Joomla version stands
Support dates set the deadline for your decision. Joomla 3 and 4 no longer receive security fixes from the Joomla project. Joomla 5 moves to security fixes only on October 13, 2026, and those end on October 12, 2027. Joomla 6 receives bug fixes until October 17, 2028 and requires PHP 8.3 or later.
| Version | Bug fixes end | Security fixes end | PHP requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joomla 6 | Oct 17, 2028 | Oct 16, 2029 | 8.3 or later |
| Joomla 5 | Oct 13, 2026 | Oct 12, 2027 | 8.1 or later |
| Joomla 4 | Oct 14, 2024 | Oct 14, 2025 | 7.2.5 or later |
| Joomla 3 | Aug 16, 2022 | Aug 17, 2023 | No newer than 8.1 |
The PHP project’s security support for PHP 8.2 ends on December 31, 2026, and its support for PHP 8.1 has already ended, so a Joomla 5 site on either version needs a PHP change as well. The Joomla 3 PHP limit applies to Joomla 3.10, the final official release. Last verified: October 3, 2026.
Source: Joomla project roadmap
Planning a Joomla 6 upgrade
The full support tables, PHP dates and the route from each starting version, with rules for upgrading in place or migrating.
Read the guide: Planning a Joomla 6 upgradeUpgrade paths from Joomla 3, 4 and 5
Joomla’s official upgrade guides each cover one major version: 3.10 to 4, 4.4 to 5 and 5.4 to 6. An in-place upgrade follows that sequence. A migration to a fresh Joomla 6 site skips the intermediate versions.
| From | Route to Joomla 6 | Check first |
|---|---|---|
| 3.x | 3.10, then 4, 4.4, 5.4 and 6, or a fresh Joomla 6 build | The Protostar template and every extension without a Joomla 4 version |
| 4.0 to 4.3 | 4.4, then 5.4 and 6 | PHP 8.1 or later and, on MySQL, 8.0.13 or later for Joomla 5 |
| 4.4 | 5.4, then 6 | PHP 8.1 or later and, on MySQL, 8.0.13 or later for Joomla 5 |
| 5.0 to 5.3 | 5.4, then 6 | PHP 8.3 or later for Joomla 6 |
| 5.4 | 6 | Extensions that still need the old backward compatibility plugin |
Before the 5.4 to 6 step, Joomla requires the old “Behaviour - Backward Compatibility” plugin to be disabled and the new “Behaviour - Backward Compatibility 6” plugin to be enabled. An extension that breaks at that point gets an update, a replacement or a rebuild before the upgrade goes ahead.
Joomla does not support downgrades, so every step starts from a backup that has been restored successfully in a test.
Upgrade, go headless or rebuild?
Staying on Joomla is often the right choice when editors rely on it. When the business needs have changed, compare the alternatives on the same terms. The assessment weighs the business benefit against the cost of rebuilding behavior that Joomla provides today.
| Route | Fits when | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade and stay on Joomla 6 | Editors rely on Joomla’s workflows, critical extensions have Joomla 6 versions and the host can run PHP 8.3 | Template overrides, because Joomla’s compatibility policy does not cover rendered markup |
| Keep Joomla content, build a new frontend | You want a new public frontend, for example React, Next.js or Astro, while editors keep working in Joomla | The Joomla backend still needs a supported version; previews, media, search, forms, languages and publishing updates need a plan in the new frontend |
| Rebuild on another platform | The site now works like an application that suits a framework such as Django or Laravel, or your team prefers another CMS such as WordPress | Mapping content, users, permissions and URLs, and rebuilding features that extensions provide today |
Joomla’s built-in Web Services API exposes content such as articles and categories over HTTP with token authentication, which is what a separate frontend reads in the headless route.
React & Next.js development
A new frontend that reads content from Joomla or from another source.
View React & Next.js developmentWordPress development
A move from Joomla to WordPress, with content, users and URLs mapped before the build.
View WordPress developmentDjango development
A rebuild in Python for data-heavy workflows, with records, permissions and the operator interface designed together.
View Django developmentLaravel development
A rebuild in PHP for a custom application. Joomla extensions do not become Laravel features automatically, so each important behavior gets a replacement or a deliberate redesign.
View Laravel developmentWeb application development
For sites that have become applications: custom records, permissions and account journeys mapped explicitly, including how users regain access if passwords cannot move safely.
View Web application developmentJoomla to modern stack migration
Leaving Joomla entirely: an Astro or Next.js frontend, an API and PostgreSQL, automated feeds and newsletters, an optional AI chat agent, and a rehearsed cutover.
View Joomla to modern stack migrationWebsite redesign & migration
A platform move planned together with the redesign, content and redirects.
View Website redesign & migrationRehearse, cut over and keep a way back
Every route is rehearsed on a separate copy with representative data before the live site changes.
Rehearsal on a copy
Build a separate copy, run the chosen sequence and test publishing, forms, permissions, search, URLs and integrations, including an editor publishing content and a check of record counts. Each warning, fix and approved exception is recorded so the final run is repeatable.
Cutover
Agree the editing freeze, run the rehearsed steps, then check public pages, redirects and key journeys once traffic moves and again after launch. A failing journey is investigated before the old environment is retired.
Rollback
Joomla does not support downgrades, so rollback means restoring the backup taken just before the change. The trigger, the decision owner and the handling of records created after cutover are agreed in advance.
Extensions, templates and custom code
Each extension and template override gets an explicit decision: update, replace, rebuild or retire. You see the effect on user journeys, licensing, content and schedule before anything is removed.
Joomla’s pre-update check reports what extension developers have declared. It is a useful first pass; business-critical extensions are then confirmed with their vendors or tested on the copy.
Historical data cleanup, paid extension licenses and content rewrites are separate scope choices that you can add or leave out.
How pricing works
How engagements are scoped and estimated. For a Joomla upgrade, the estimate names extension replacement, content cleanup, user migration, integration work and the post-launch observation window.
View how pricing worksProtect search traffic during the move
Search continuity is planned with the same care as the code. Many existing addresses can be preserved, even when the site moves to a new platform. Important URLs, including article routes, menu aliases, category pages, language URLs and downloads, are inventoried before the change, every address that must move gets a permanent server-side redirect to its closest replacement, and redirects, canonical tags, navigation and the sitemap are checked at launch.
Google recommends permanent server-side redirects such as 301 or 308 for moved URLs, keeping them for at least a year, and expecting temporary ranking fluctuation while it recrawls the site. Plan the cutover with that in mind, away from your busiest season.
SEO for website migrations
Redirect mapping, launch checks and monitoring for moves that change URLs.
View SEO for website migrationsWebsite migration SEO checklist
The checks to run before, during and after a move.
Read the guide: Website migration SEO checklistAfter the upgrade
The handover lists the provider accounts, source files and installed components, and ownership of each is set out in your agreement. It also records the new baseline, known exceptions and who is responsible for each update. Continuing maintenance, hosting and provider subscriptions are agreed separately.
Website maintenance
Agreed ownership of Joomla, extension and PHP updates after launch, with security updates prioritized and backups tested.
View Website maintenanceSome of the teams we have worked with.
Across talent, fitness, mobility, payments and local commerce.RandstadClassPassVeezuRushpaySupport Black Owned
Questions before we start.
Can we upgrade directly from Joomla 3 or 4 to Joomla 6?
Joomla’s official upgrade guides cover one major version at a time, from 3.10 to 4, 4.4 to 5 and 5.4 to 6, and none describes a direct jump. An in-place upgrade therefore moves through each step, rehearsed on a copy. A migration to a fresh Joomla 6 installation avoids the intermediate versions, but the template is rebuilt and content, users and URLs are moved.
Will our extensions and template work on Joomla 6?
It depends on each vendor, and the assessment tells you which ones will. Joomla’s pre-update check lists what extension developers have declared; business-critical extensions are confirmed with the vendor or tested on a copy. Template overrides need a visual check, because Joomla’s compatibility policy does not cover rendered markup.
Will the upgrade hurt our search rankings?
It can if URLs change, although many existing addresses can be preserved. Important URLs are inventoried, every address that must change gets a permanent server-side redirect to its closest replacement, and redirects, canonical tags and the sitemap are checked at launch. Google notes that rankings can fluctuate temporarily while it recrawls a moved site, and no one can guarantee rankings through a site change.
What determines how long a Joomla upgrade takes?
Mainly the number of major versions to cross, extensions without a Joomla 6 version, template overrides and custom code, the number of languages and integrations, whether the host must change PHP or database versions, and how quickly decisions and content freezes can be agreed. The assessment turns these into a schedule for your site.
What PHP version do we need?
Joomla 6 requires PHP 8.3 or later and recommends 8.4. If your host cannot provide it, the hosting change becomes the first step. PHP 8.2 receives security fixes only until December 31, 2026.
Can we stay on Joomla 5 for now?
For a planned period, yes. Joomla 5 receives security fixes until October 12, 2027, but no bug fixes after October 13, 2026. Staying is reasonable while PHP and extensions are on supported versions; use the time to rehearse the move to Joomla 6 rather than running into the deadline.
What do you need from us to start an assessment?
A recent full backup or a staging copy, the hosting details including PHP and database versions, the extensions you know about, and the tasks visitors and editors must be able to complete after the change.
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Continue exploring
Guide
Planning a Joomla 6 upgrade
Reach Joomla 6 by upgrading one major version at a time on a tested copy, or by migrating to a fresh installation when the extensions and template would need rebuilding anyway. Joomla 6 requires PHP 8.3 or later, so check your hosting first.
Read the guide: Planning a Joomla 6 upgradeServiceWebsite redesign & migration
Website redesign and migration with content, URLs and business continuity planned together. Improve the experience while protecting the journeys people and search engines already use. For Joomla and WordPress sites, we compare the upgrade and modernization routes before choosing one.
View Website redesign & migrationPlatform serviceJoomla development
Build, upgrade and maintain the Joomla sites your team relies on. Joomla 6 is the current major version, with bug fixes until October 17, 2028, and it requires PHP 8.3 or later; Joomla 3 and 4 no longer receive security fixes from the Joomla project. Work starts with a review of your installation before deciding what to extend, upgrade or replace.
View Joomla developmentA DIRECT CONVERSATION
Bring us the problem. We’ll work through the next step.
Share what exists today and what you want to change. We can discuss the scope, dependencies and a practical way forward.