What is the Joomla Framework, and how can you use it?

When most people hear “Joomla,” they think of the Joomla CMS (Content Management System), a great tool to build websites. But Joomla is more than that! Behind the CMS, there’s something else: the Joomla Framework.

This is a set of small tools, written in PHP, that help developers build custom apps and scripts — not just websites. You don’t need to use Joomla CMS to use these tools. You can use them in other PHP projects too.

What’s Inside the Joomla Framework?

The Joomla Framework is modular. That means it’s made of many small “packages,” and each one does one thing.

Database – Connect to and work with a database
HTTP – Handle web requests and responses
Files – Work with files on the server
Events – Manage event-based actions

You can use any one of these on its own. No need to install Joomla CMS.

How to Use Them?

You can find these packages on Packagist.org. Use Composer to install them.

composer require joomla/http

Then in your PHP file:

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';

PHP Libraries: Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

When writing PHP code, you don’t need to build everything yourself. For example, if you want to create a PDF file, you can use a library that’s already made. Use Composer to add it to your project. Easy and efficient.

Joomla Also Uses Libraries

Joomla itself uses these libraries, stored in /libraries/vendor/
Important: Don’t update or change them yourself. Joomla updates them during its own updates.

Want to Use Extra Libraries in Your Own Extension?

You can! Just don’t put them in Joomla’s main library folder. Instead, put them in your extension folder:

/components/com_mycomponent/vendor/

This avoids conflicts and keeps things safe during updates.

Use Joomla Framework Without Joomla CMS?

Yes, you can! For small projects, you can just use a Joomla Framework package by itself. Example:

composer require joomla/registry

require __DIR__ . '/vendor/autoload.php';
use Joomla\Registry\Registry;
$registry = new Registry;
$registry->set('welcome', 'Hello Joomla world!');
echo $registry->get('welcome');

Real-Life Example: Show Joomla Articles Without Joomla CMS

I created a small app that shows Joomla articles without installing Joomla CMS.
You can find it on GitHub: github.com/pe7er/db8-joomla-framework-example

Features:

No Joomla CMS required
Uses Joomla Framework packages only
Displays articles from Joomla database
Styled with Bootstrap 5
Easy to configure

Requirements:

PHP 8.1 or newer
Composer
A Joomla 4 or 5 database
Web server with access to index.php

How To Install:

git clone This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.:pe7er/db8-joomla-framework-example.git
cd db8-joomla-framework-example
composer install

Configure:

Copy .env.example to .env and enter your database settings.

Run the App:

php -S localhost:8000

Then visit http://localhost:8000 in your browser. You’ll see a list of Joomla articles.

Where to Learn More

In Short

The Joomla Framework is powerful and flexible. You can use it with Joomla — or on its own. Great for saving time and writing cleaner code.
All you need is Composer… and a bit of curiosity.