As a TYPO3 Freelancer, I have a duty to always check the latest version of the software I am working with, and to update existing websites. The latest TYPO3 Version 9.5 LTS, which was released in October 2018, has some major changes, but there are also little traps and minor bugs.
Recent experiences
Here is an overview of my recent experiences with the current version. At the end of the article, I will give a conclusion and a recommendation on whether the 9 version of the Enterprise CMS TYPO3 is really ready for live use or not. The idea for the article came through a customer request about upgrade existing complex TYPO3 projects.
Most interesting changes of TYPO3 9
The best innovations in my opinion are the following:
- Switching to PHP 7.2
- Integration of readable URLs in the core
- Integration of SEO functions
- SEO redirects management
- Improved install tool with new features
- Admins can now also be managed as a "system administrator"
Of course, there are a lot more new features, but due to the short time, I have not been able to thoroughly test everything. This will be made up over the next few months and there may be an updated article.
Installation of a new instance
The installation of TYPO3 Version 9 works in the same way as before with the previous versions. You unpack the source files on the web server, create symlinks and then install and configure with the install tool. The only difference: As of TYPO3 Version 9, PHP 7.2 is required. My preferred web hosts like All-Inkl, Mittwald or JWeiland already offer these versions, some others still have to follow.
It is therefore important to make sure PHP 7.2 is installed on the server
Ugrading from Version 8.7
The upgrade from version 8 to 9 went smoothly in my previous projects, but also because few or no third-party extensions were installed. Basically, at the present time of this article, not all important extensions are compatible for the 9 version.
It is important to check if the installed extensions are compatible with version 9
So far, I've found that almost every attempt to upgrade the system while several third-party extensions from the repository are installed, the result is a complete backend and frontend crash. Here I also see a real drawback, because the module "Check for broken extensions" in the new TYPO3 9 install tool, does not really seem to recognize all the bugs. So far I was not able to remove an extension that has destroyed the entire system via the install tool. This must be done manually in most cases. I think the version 8 worked better, or it did not always crash the whole backend.
Use of the new site manager and SEO features
The new site manager works fine. The tool is easy to understand and so far I could not find any bugs or problems. It is very quick and easy to create and manage basic configurations for sites. After saving a site configuration, TYPO3 creates a folder in the "typo3conf/sites/" directory. The folder will have the name that you've entered before in the field "Site Identifier". Here you will find your config.yaml file for future configuration settings.
Creating a static URL for the robots.txt and also the XML sitemap works perfectly. At least my current projects do not have very complex requirements. For a small to medium sized website, with no special extensions or features, I think it's fully operational.
The use of readable URLs from the core
Here we have a real sticking point. The long-awaited feature of being able to use readable URLs without a third-party extension was long overdue. While other CM systems have been integrating this feature for years, as a TYPO3 developer you have had to deal with complicated realURL configuration or other extensions.
Although the new feature basically works, there are the following disadvantages to consider:
- Integration of own extensions seems to be possible, but the documentation is not very clear yet
- URLs can only be output without slash at the end, because of a known bug: https://forge.typo3.org/issues/86557
- When operating in the backend, minor errors occur
Basically, there is still to be expected a further development and I am confident. But I also think that this feature was released too soon, because many websites use third-party extensions with custom URLs.
Important to note about readable URLs in TYPO3
- A website that uses readable URLs for Custom Extensions can - at this time - not be upgraded to version 9 without interfering with the Core itself, or integrate the not yet fully documented "routeEnhancers" configuration.
- The extensions realURL and Cooluri do not work with the version 9 anymore
- They probably will not be further developed, as some developers have already published
Usability and new backend capabilities
The new backend seems to me basically faster. But there are some new features in the user interface, which I find impractical again.
When moving a page in the page tree, a confirmation message now appears. This may be new because many editors have accidentally moved pages by drag and drop. This has already happened to me too, of course. But if you want to quickly create a page structure, this is now quite time consuming, because you have to confirm each action with one click.
The button "Save and close" seems to have disappeared. Instead, you have to click twice now.
Note: Whether these features can be configured has not been tested until now!
General Performance
The performance of the new TYPO3 is very good. Here I have the impression that TYPO3 is getting better and better. With versions 7 and 8 it was already possible to create fast websites, with corresponding server hardware. Version 9 adds a lot. Both the backend and the frontend appear very fast when compression is enabled and the live configuration is correctly set.
Previous experiences with my favorite webhosters
My longtime partners for TYPO3 hosting are Mittwald, All-Inkl. and A2 Hosting from the USA. For all 3 I have successfully installed TYPO3 9. There are according to the current state, however, a few little things to note.
The automatic installation at All-Inkl failed several times, and both backend and frontend could not be invoked. A manual installation, on the other hand, worked.
The tool for creating a temporary administrator in the Mittwald Customer Center places an incorrectly encrypted password in the database so that the new user can not log in. An error message regarding password encryption appears. I have already passed this and it is to be reckoned with a correction.
At A2 Hosting I have only made a manual installation of TYPO3 9 so far. Here TYPO3 runs flawlessly, and the web host is well known for good performance.
Basically, the web hosts are catching up faster with this TYPO3 release than before, which of course is positive. The small bugs will probably be done soon, but are still to be considered.
Concluding conclusion and recommendation
- Readable URLs for your own extensions are quite difficult to implement yet, because of the lack of documentation. Some users say they managed it, but there is not working example. If yoiu have enough budget, you can invest the time for trial and error. This is currently the biggest obstacle in my view.
- The system reacts very sensitively to faulty extensions. A layman should be quickly overwhelmed here, in restoring a non-functioning backend or frontend. In most cases, there is no other option than manually deleting files directly in the file system.
- The install tool hangs occasionally, and requires significantly more clicks than before to get to a specific area. Likewise, I personally find the naming of the labels and the layout of the modules not very suitable and you can hardly get used to it.
TYPO3 Version 9 recommended for small websites with little functionality / need of extensions with readable URLs
At the moment I recommend using TYPO3 Version 9 only for smaller websites where the above mentioned points are not of high relevance. In particular, when it comes to existing projects, where OnPage SEO is in use, or high visitor traffic is given, one should be careful. It may be better to use the 8th LTS version and consider upgrading in the next 12 months.
If you liked the article, I would be very happy about the personal feedback! Do you have other experiences, do you already know more? Let us discuss.