Joomla! Series, Versions & Patches: what's the difference?
This article will hopefully help you better understand the the difference between a Joomla! Series, a Joomla! Version and a Joomla! Patch.
You can learn more about The Joomla! Project's Development Strategy at the following link.
Read more: Joomla! Development Strategy
Joomla! Series
A Joomla! Series (example: Joomla! 5) commences with the release of a Major version of the Joomla! CMS.
Joomla! Versions & Patches
There are three types of version: Major, Minor and Patch.
Major Version
A major version is released when backward compatibility breaks are introduced in the Joomla! Development Cycle.
Example: Joomla! 5.
Minor Version
A minor version is released when new features are added but backward compatibility is not broken.
Example: Joomla! 5.3.
Patch Version
A patch version is released when bug fixes or security fixes are implemented.
These are also called patches.
Example: Joomla! 5.3.1.
What happens after the launch of a new Series?
The Joomla! Project commit to providing security support for the previous version of Joomla! CMS for a period of time after the launch of a new Series.
Joomla! 4.4 (the last minor version of the Joomla! 4 Series) will be supported by The Joomla! Project for a period of two years after the launch of the Joomla! 5 Series.
The Joomla! 5 Series was launched on 17 October 2023.
Joomla! Project support for Joomla! 4 is scheduled to end in October 2025.
If you need help migrating your website to the latest version and release, just ask.
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