With the arrival of Joomla 5.4, the CMS takes a big step towards user-friendliness as well as security. One of the most striking innovations: automatic core updates. In this article, I explain what this feature entails, how it works and why it is important for you as a Joomla user.

What are automatic updates?

Until now, as a Joomla administrator, you always had to perform updates manually. This means: log into your website, check if there is a new version, and then start the update yourself. From Joomla 5.4 onwards, this process can be fully automatic. Thanks to a new client-server structure, your website can now download and install updates itself and keep you informed about the result.

In short: your Joomla site keeps itself up-to-date, without you having to do anything.

Note:

1) Automated updates are only available for websites that are publicly accessible via the internet. If your site is behind a firewall or not publicly accessible, such as a local test environment, you will need to update manually.

2) Automated updates are only supported for the "default" channel and with "Minimum Stability" set to "Stable".

3) These automated updates are only performed on Joomla itself. Extensions are not included in these updates.

How exactly does it work?

The automatic update function is cleverly built with security and reliability in mind:

Reliable update information via TUF (The Update Framework) which was introduced in Joomla 5.1 - The update information is not 'pushed' by a central server, but your site retrieves this information itself.

Known update method - Downloading, checking and unpacking updates is done via the existing Joomla Update component.

Secure communication - Your site registers with the update server with a unique authentication token. Only that server can trigger updates.

Notifications by e-mail - After an update, you as administrator will receive an e-mail.

What do you need to do to use it?

When you upgrade to Joomla 5.4 soon, you will get a notification that automatic updates are available. With this important feature also come the following changes to Joomla.

• A guided tour to enable automatic updates.
• A quick icon on the dashboard that lets you check the status of automatic updates.
• New email templates for notifications.
• CLI commands to register or unregister your site with the update server.
• A post-install message alerting existing users to this new feature.

You only need to register your site with the update server once. You do this via System > Joomla updates > Options > Automatic updates.

Would you rather keep control yourself? No problem. You can disable automatic updates at any time.

Why is this important?

Security is crucial for any website. Many Joomla sites stay running on outdated versions for too long, posing risks. By automating updates: Always keeps your website protected against the latest vulnerabilities.

What are possible disadvantages of automatic updates?

While automatic updates are convenient and time-saving, there are also drawbacks.

A common risk is that an update causes unexpected problems with existing functionalities or customisations. Think, for instance, of plug-ins or extensions that are no longer compatible after an update, or themes that suddenly show errors.

Moreover, with automatic updates, you have less control over the moment of installation; an update may occur at a time when you are just not waiting for it, such as during peak hours or just before an important launch.

This makes it increasingly important that you also make automatic backups (prior to an update) and that extensions are regularly updated to avoid problems.