Joomla 5.0.0

6 November 2023

Joomla version 5.0.0 is now available (major release).

What's New in Joomla 5.0.0

• Joomla advises you to first test a Joomla 4.x to 5.x update on a copy of your website before performing it on the live site.
  
• You cannot update from Joomla 1.x, 2.x, or 3.x directly to 5.x: you must first migrate to the latest 4.x release and then update that application to 5.x.
  
• Joomla 4.4.x will be supported for two more years.
  

• Dark Mode in Administrator: Joomla 5 boasts a more refined dark mode, not just for users but also for administrators.
  
• Web Assets and Caching: Many improvements to the web asset caching
  
• Schema.org Integration: Automatic activation of Schema.org data for organisation and site names enhances search engine optimisation.
  
• Code Optimisation: Speed advancements are noticed due to automatic source code optimisation through the phpcs fixer.
  
• PHP & Bootstrap Updates: Improved compatibility with PHP 8+ and an update to Bootstrap 5.3.2 ensures that the platform remains contemporary.
  
• User Interface: Enhancements in dark mode for the Atum administrator template and the new Joomla modal window for select buttons promise a smoother user experience.
  
• Tools & Plugins: The TinyMCE editor gets an update to 6.7 with added image alignment features. Several scheduled tasks have been moved to scheduler plugins, enhancing system performance.
  
• Media Management: AVIF support in the media manager and the ability to exclude archived content from smart search indexing improve media handling capabilities.
  
• Menu sorting: Allowing you to sort the menu in the way you want it.
  
• Enhanced Security: Events have been migrated to their classes, and the removal of no longer functional Recaptcha plugins boosts security.
  
• Modern Technologies: Internal code restructuring focuses on utilising more modern APIs. There's added JS Import map support for Web Asset Manager and deprecated fixes for php 8.2.
  
• Extensions & Compatibility: Joomla 5 introduces Fontawesome 6.4, Codemirror 6, and has updated its Webauthn Library. Notably, Joomla now requires PHP 8.1, MySQL 8.0.13+, MariaDB 10.4+, and PostgreSQL 12+ for optimal performance.
  
• Cleaner Code Base: Joomla 5 places a strong emphasis on code cleanliness. The transition from older APIs, removal of es5 support, and other heavily coded cleanups ensure the CMS runs efficiently.