"A (Joomla!) component is a kind of Joomla! extension.
Components are the main functional units of Joomla!; they can be seen as mini-applications.
An easy analogy would be that Joomla! is the operating system and the components are desktop applications.
Each component has one or more views that control how content is displayed.
Source: Official Joomla! Documentation
Core Supported Joomla! Components
The Joomla! CMS includes a diverse set of useful Components.
Here are a few examples.
The Banners component permits display of banners in your website.
You are able to manage banners by client and to track the number of times a banner image is viewed and clicked.
Banner Modules can display banners almost anywhere in your website.
The Contacts component enables you to provide contact information, including contact forms, for your website visitors.
It will also enable you to create a complex directory that you may find useful for a wide range of purposes other than managing contacts.
The Media component lets you upload and insert images into content throughout your site.
The Menus component lets you create the menus you see displayed on your site.
The News Feeds component enables you to present information from another website on your own website.
You an use menus to present a single feed, a list of news feeds in a category, or a list of all news feed categories.
The Redirects component enables you to fix broken links.
You can use it to redirect broken links to specific pages in your website.
It will also help you manage migration related URL changes and so avoid adverse impact on your search engine ranking if you change the domain name.
The Smart Search Component enables the creation of search filters.
In this way you can provide your website visitors with a specific set of results in response to their search query.
Decoupled Core Supported Joomla! Components
When Joomla! 3.4 was launched, the Joomla! Project announced that it planned over time to move toward a 'lighter version' of Joomla! CMS.
The future Core Joomla! CMS would include fewer Core Supported Extensions.
'De-coupled' extensions would thereafter be offered as optional extras via a separate category of the Joomla! Extensions Directory (JED) called 'JED Official Extensions'.
Read more: JED Official Extensions Category
At the time of writing - 16 October 2024 - the JED Official Extensions Category at the above link lists only two such extensions:
- Weblinks,
- Ridiculously Responsive Social Sharing Buttons for Joomla.
We use the Web Links decouple core-supported extension in our JOOMLERS.UK website.
Visit the following link to learn more about using the Web Links extension.
3rd Party Components
A 3rd Party Component is one created by a developer, and which does not form part of the core Joomla! CMS.
The installation and uninstallation process is the same for all 3rd Party extensions including Components.
Read more: How to install an Extension.
Read more: How to uninstall an Extension.
Read more: How to update an Extension.
You can see the diverse range of available 3rd Party Components in the Joomla! Extensions Directory.
Visit: Joomla! Extensions Directory
See which are installed and ready for use
Select the Components link in the sidebar of your website's Dashboard to see which Components are installed and enabled ready for use.
All but one are Core Components.
JCE Editor is a 3rd party component.
Make Joomla! CMS Security your #1 Priority
We offer Joomla! coaching, help and support to businesses and organisations across Cheshire, Manchester, Merseyside, North West England & the UK.
Your personal data is nobody's business.