What is Joomla?
Joomla is a PHP-based, object-oriented, open-source content management system (CMS) used to build and manage websites and web apps. It uses MySQL, MySQLi, and PostgreSQL to store data.
If you want a more in-depth understanding of this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What can I build with Joomla?
You can build virtually any type of website you could think of with Joomla, including:
- Corporate websites (including intranets, extranets, and portals)
- E-commerce websites
- Booking websites
- Online newspapers, magazines, and publications
And once your website is up, you can use it easily manage content on your website, allowing you to add, edit, and remove anything you want.
Question #2: Is Joomla beginner-friendly?
Yes, it’s beginner-friendly. Not only does it have a wide selection of fully customizable premade website themes, it also provides its users with 100% free—just like the tool itself—video training.
This, however, does not at all mean that Joomla is designed for beginners and simple websites. Since it is both extremely extensible and flexible, advanced and professional users can use it to build complex, feature-rich websites. In fact, even companies such as Nintendo, IKEA, and Holiday Inn use it.
Question #3: Is it mobile-friendly?
Yes, Joomla is completely mobile-friendly. This means you can rest assured that your website will render correctly regardless of the device used to access it.
Question #4: What are the benefits of using Joomla?
There are a lot of benefits to using Joomla, including:
- Not having to pay to use the tool
- Being able to add functionality when you need to
- Having access to top-notch security
- Having access to top-notch multi-language content management
- Having access to WYSIWYG content management
- Having access to world-class support
Let us go over each one in more detail:
First, since its is 100% open-source, it is also 100% free to use. It does not matter what kind of website you want to build, Joomla will not charge you a single cent. The only things you will have to pay for are any paid templates and third-party extensions you might need to use—which brings us to the next point:
You can use this build anything from a simple resume website to something as complex as a flight booking website or online store, thanks to its wide selection of advanced extensions and support for third-party alternatives.
Third, aside from its robust code, built-in two-factor authentication, and access controls, the Joomla Security Strike Team (JSST) is constantly on the lookout for bugs, exploits, and vulnerabilities, fixing them before they are known to the general public.
Fourth, thanks to Joomla’s 70+ translation packs, you can use it to easily create a multilingual website. This is particularly useful if you serve customers from different parts of the globe.
Fifth, as expected of any decent CMS tool, it is designed to make content creation, publishing, and management extremely easy, thanks to its WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editor.
Finally, aside from the Joomla wiki and the tool’s built-in contextual help system, it also gives you access to a global community of top-notch developers and expert business consultants who are happy to help you out for free. And if you need to hire a professional to help you build and manage your Joomla website, gives you access to world-class professional service providers too.
Question #5: What are the downsides when using it?
Despite its many advantages, however, there are still a couple of downsides to using Joomla, including:
- Sluggish built-in performance
- Limited access to useful free plugins
- Limited access to powerful extensions (at least compared to WordPress and Drupal)
- Plugin incompatibility issues
At the end of the day, however, just like with all other CMS platforms you can use, the idea is to weigh Joomla’s disadvantages against its advantages so you can decide whether or not it is the right tool for you.