With well over 500,000 installations, TYPO3 CMS is without doubt one of the most popular and powerful Content Management Systems in the world. Especially in the context of websites that have to take on more complex tasks and very extensive and multilingual constructs, the originally Danish CMS software TYPO3 is a popular choice. Further strong arguments for the CMS system are the always very good support and the regular supply with relevant updates as well as an open and helpful community. On July 23, 2019, TYPO3 CMS v10.0 was released and since then several sprint releases have been published, i.e. CMS versions that include the planned innovations step by step. These sprints were primarily of interest to developers - but on April 21, 2020, the launch of the end-user oriented LTS version of TYPO3 CMS v10.4 finally took place. This combines all previous updates and assures users of the so-called Long Term Support (LTS), which in fact means that customer service and updates are provided until at least October 2021. Until then, no new features will be added, but the existing ones will be constantly optimized. The source code will also be constantly expanded and improved until then.
When should I change to the TYPO3 v10 update?
Users of TYPO3 receive free support from the community for the current version in case of problems and other concerns of any kind. For the extension of the TYPO3 support versions or the safe service life of older TYPO3 versions, the developers offer a two-stage model, which is staggered as follows:
- Once the regular support phase has ended, high-priority bug fixes continue to follow.
- After this phase, the so-called Extended Long Term Support (ELTS) is available as a chargeable service - with a maximum duration of three years.
TYPO3 Roadmap
Until March 31, 2020, TYPO3 CMS v8 was in the bugfixes phase. Currently, there is no automatic support for this version. It is necessary to either use the paid ELTS, which is available up to and including March 31, 2023, or to perform an update. Without taking appropriate measures, users are dealing with a CMS system that is not secure, which can often lead to serious problems at various levels. In the meantime, there is also no standard support for TYPO3 CMS v9. It is currently in the bugfix phase. Although the ELTS does not begin until September 30, 2021, all users of this version should already be thinking about a change. Consequently, the currently frequently asked question of users of TYPO3 v8, "Upgrade TYPO3 CMS v9 or v10?", should clearly be directed in the direction of the TYPO3 CMS v10 update. Switching to TYPO3 v9 now would be unwise, if only because of the additional effort logically required by the intermediate step. As a rule, TYPO3 v10 cannot be bypassed by switching to TYPO3 v9 now. TYPO3 ROADMAP
The most important TYPO3 CMS v10 updates at a glance
In 2018, TYPO3 has launched the so-called initiatives. Within these, new concepts outside the typical development roadmap are created, evaluated and discussed. These ideas resulted in several of the current TYPO3 CMS v10 updates. The launch of a dashboard as a TYPO3 update for editors, as well as their workload reduction and new possibilities for optimizing multilingual websites, were hot topics. Corresponding developments have indeed made it into TYPO3 v10. In general, it is hoped that the findings of these initiatives will enable the Content Management System to be developed even more efficiently. It can be assumed that this approach will also be taken into account in subsequent versions.
TYPO3 CMS v9 already made it very easy to set up new websites or projects within a single installation of the CMS with the so-called Site Handling. Version 10 takes this usability plus further by allowing users to render an entire page as a Fluid Template. The Fluid Template Engine reads template files, processes them and determines variables or replaces specific tags with dynamic content. This opens up new ways to generate templates that can be reused multiple times. Old parts in the core of the content management system that use marker-based templates have now also been updated to Fluid Templates. All in all, these enhancements ensure significantly better usability and faster publishing times.
Another elementary innovation in the TYPO3 CMS v10 update concerns the strengthening of the Core API. In terms of interfaces , the focus here is on an optimized Extbase Plugin API and a new authentication API. In addition, there is a unified Dependency Injection path, which provides users with support for managing dependencies between objects. The goal is to decouple objects from each other, making them more flexible and extensible. Furthermore, the event dispatcher standardized in PSR-14 was integrated, which interrupts the program flow at defined points and makesit possible to execute own source code. This allows developers, for example, to extend extensions in certain areas.
The dashboard acts as an entry page for the TYPO3 CMS backend. It was introduced with the system extension Dashboard (EXT:dashboard) for TYPO3 CMS v10 and offers relevant information about the status, summarizes access figures as well as important tasks and/or keeps other data available at a glance. As of version 10.3, a corresponding feature is also available in TYPO3 for the first time. Furthermore, developers can quickly add individual widgets to the dashboard via an API.
Various standard widgets are of course already included in the core system. It is also possible to distribute widgets across several dashboards. This gives users the chance to generate thematically specific overviews.
The multilingual backend has been optimized by the TYPO3 CMS v10 update and the now available Crowdin default setting. This is a software-as-a-service solution (Saas), which should facilitate a translation of language elements in the backend, but also in extensions.
The translated terms are available for use in all areas of the CMS. Machine and automated translations, as a primary step, can boost the speed of the translation process. A glossary ensures that central system terms are translated identically in all places.
With the TYPO3 CMS v10 update, users now also have the option to create HTML templates for e-mails or to use ready-made templates. These templates are also based on the Fluid Templating Engine already mentioned above. They can be customized as desired, so that companies finally have the opportunity to integrate their corporate design or other individual features via the design update.
With the user module, which is located in the backend of the CMS, administrators can now get a new, more comprehensive overview of basic user data or perform corresponding organizational work more easily. In addition to names and email addresses, it is also possible to set and clearly view groups, subgroups, specific permissions and more.
The TYPO3 CMS v10 update was originally supposed to specify the presence of version 5.7 as a minimum requirement when using the MySQL database server. Those who do not use a modern database version can now rejoice, because the LTS version is actually compatible even with version 5.5. Furthermore, official support for the PostgreSQL, MariaDB and SQLite systems is assured.
Even before version 10, TYPO3 had a feature with the frontend login system extension (EXT:felogin) that allowed website end users to log in via the frontend, for example to access a protected customer area. This extension uses templates that are very difficult to change. Unlike other system extensions, they were not based on the Fluid Templating Engine.
With the TYPO3 CMS v10 update, the templates have been fully implemented with the Fluid Templating Engine and the templates are now much easier to change. Furthermore, e-mails based on HTML can be created, which are used for password recovery, and in general password restrictions can be configured more easily.
The TYPO3 FormFramework (EXT:form) has undergone several improvements. Users working in the backend now benefit from an extended wizard that allows them to create more functional forms without having to modify the corresponding configuration files. This makes it possible to get to previous steps in a very practical way and to use descriptive expressions like "Start" or "Finish". In addition, there is an optimized setup and also an extended configuration structure has been introduced.
In the backend of TYPO3 it is now possible to navigate quickly in the page tree with the keyboard. This feature brings especially admins a big plus in comfort when managing and configuring many (similar) pages.
With the TYPO3 CMS v10 update, the title of the respective website is also defined via the site configuration module. This means for multilingual constructs a very easy customization of the title per language. In return, the title field in the template has been set to "deprecated". So it is "deprecated" - and as of TYPO3 v11 it will eventually no longer exist at all.
The TYPO3 link validator (EXT:linkvalidator) can be used to identify broken links in the system. The feature was extended with the TYPO3 CMS v10 update and now supports pages, files and also external links. It is also possible to validate external links on-the-fly. This is one of the most SEO-relevant new features of TYPO3 10.
Starting with the TYPO3 CMS v10 Update, or more precisely Version 10.2, the software supports both Symfony Version 5.0 and, for the first time, PHP Version 7.4, both of which provide developers with entirely new possibilities and give website operators even more opportunities to distinguish themselves impressively or functionally from their competitors and to be prepared for future updates.
If an administrator or developer wants to set up a TYPO3 site from scratch, they have to go through numerous steps. With the TYPO3 CMS v10 update, this process is now significantly simplified: If a page is created at root level, TYPO3 immediately configures it by default. This not only saves experienced users a lot of time when starting a project, but also makes it much easier for beginners to use the content management system.
If you are looking for extensive concrete SEO innovations in TYPO3 version 10, you won't find them. The detection of problematic redirects of the new TYPO3 offers SEO-specific advantages. Among other things, it is possible to avoid that search engines are misled by corresponding redirects.
In Version 9, the backend module for redirects was included for the first time as a system extension (EXT:redirects) in the TYPO3 CMS core. It helps TYPO3 users to add, configure and organize redirects. Sometimes it happens that for example a redirect has the same name as a page URL. Starting with the TYPO3 CMS v10 update, this is prevented by a function which - if a problematic redirect exists - displays a list of conflicts. This can be automated by command line commands.
Changing URL paths in TYPO3 is quite simple and quick. However, it can be problematic if users then no longer reach the corresponding subpages via their old path. With the TYPO3 CMS v10 update, this will be avoided in the future. The relevant slugs for all subpages will be updated automatically. In addition, redirects are set, which redirect the old URL to the new one. Admins are always informed about the changes by the CMS. They, in turn, have the chance to intervene at any time and, for example, undo the adjustments. The only requirement for the automatic updating of URLs is the use of the Redirects system extension (EXT:redirects).
By default, TYPO3 uses the respective database as cache memory. However, according to TYPO3 managers, various tests have shown that this setting is not always recommended. Especially when it comes to the performance of the entire website construct, disadvantages can arise here.
Since, among other things, page loading times are affected, and these are now among Google's most important ranking factors, the manual setting of the cache storage, now possible with the CMS, can certainly also be counted among the SEO innovations in TYPO3 Version 10. De facto, a cache is sometimes significantly faster if the storage is done in the file system.
We are happy to support you in making your online presence competitive and future-oriented:
- How does your website compare to your strongest competitors? We would be happy to conduct a free TYPO3 upgrade check for you and define a success-oriented target alignment together with you.
- In this context, we will advise you with our extensive know-how on the topics of user experience and user guidance on your website and help you to deliver an optimal experience to your customers.
- Our experienced web developers will be happy to implement your individual wishes - be it the development of extensions, responsive websites, apps orinterface connections.
- Need a new website? No problem. Together we will find the right content management system for you and start from scratch.
- Our support team is always available for technical and editorial support as well as regular training.
For a successful and comprehensive online strategy, we are also happy to advise you on the following topics:
Oliver Parrizas will be happy to answer any questions you may have on the subject. 
+49-800-911-91-91
