Migrate from Joomla to a modern stack
Joomla 3 is out of support, and Joomla 4 followed in 2025. Instead of another PHP upgrade, we rebuild your site in Astro or Next.js, move your articles and categories to Sanity or Payload, and keep every URL.
Yegparian PLLC (opens in a new tab)Signs it is time to leave Joomla
None of this is your team's fault. It is what a PHP server, a template and a stack of extensions from different vendors add up to.
Your version is out of support
Joomla 3 no longer gets security fixes, and Joomla 4 has reached the end of its security support too. Every new vulnerability stays open.
Extensions hold the upgrade back
K2, an old page builder or a URL extension never got a version for the next Joomla release. The whole site waits on the slowest vendor.
The developer pool keeps shrinking
Fewer agencies and freelancers work on Joomla every year. Small changes take longer to find someone for, and cost more when you do.
Menus, modules and positions to untangle
Where a page appears depends on a menu item, its module assignments and the template positions. Editors learn to avoid touching anything.
An admin address the whole internet knows
/administrator sits at the same place on every Joomla site, so bots try it on yours around the clock.
What happens to your extensions
Pick the extensions you run today. Each one becomes part of the site itself, or turns out not to be needed at all.
- Articles and categoriesSanity schemas or Payload collectionsArticles, categories, tags and custom fields are read from the Joomla database and moved by script, with images re-uploaded.
- K2A real content modelK2 items, categories and extra fields become typed, validated content that editors can reuse across pages.
- Menus and modulesNavigation and components in codeMenus become editable navigation in the CMS, and module positions become sections in a fixed page layout.
- SP Page Builder / other page buildersYour own component librarySections are built once in code and composed by editors from approved blocks, so every page stays on brand.
- sh404SEF / 4SEFRedirects and SEO fieldsEvery old URL is mapped to its new home in the hosting config, and titles and descriptions are edited next to the content.
- RSForm / Convert FormsA form built into the siteValidated on the server, filtered for spam and sent to your inbox, CRM or Slack. No extension to update.
- Akeeba BackupVersion historyEvery content change is kept in the CMS history and every code change in Git. Rolling back is a click, not a restore.
- Admin Tools / security extensionsNot needed on the siteWith no PHP and no admin login on your domain, a security extension has nothing to guard. The hosting firewall still filters traffic.
- Joomla multilingual / FalangBuilt-in localisationTranslations live per field or per document in Sanity or Payload, with their own URLs and hreflang.
- VirtueMart / HikaShopCommerce, scoped separatelyShops move to Shopify or another commerce platform behind the same front end. We scope this per project.
What changes when you leave Joomla
Astro and Next.js decide how pages are built. Sanity and Payload are where your team edits. We recommend a pair after the audit.
| Feature | Astro + Sanity | Next.js + Payload | Joomla |
|---|---|---|---|
| Security | |||
| No PHP on the server | |||
| No extensions to keep patched | |||
| Editor login off your public site | Separate /admin route | ||
| Performance | |||
| Pages served pre-built from a CDN | With a cache extension | ||
| Images resized and converted automatically | Extension | ||
| Ships only the JavaScript a page needs | Per route | ||
| Editing | |||
| Live preview while editing | |||
| Structured, reusable content | Custom fields or K2 | ||
| Content history and rollback | |||
| Multilingual content | |||
| Self-hosted, open-source CMS | Hosted by Sanity | ||
Sites we've already moved
Different stacks for different jobs: a law firm on Next.js and Payload, a residential launch and our own studio on Astro and Sanity.
Yegparian PLLC
WordPressNext.js + Payload
An Austin trial litigation firm. Practice areas, matters and insights are Payload collections, and every page is pre-rendered and served from the edge.
yegparianpllc.com (opens in a new tab)25 Cuba
WordPressAstro + Sanity
A new residential address in Canary Wharf. Apartments, amenities and galleries are edited in Sanity, and the site ships as static Astro pages.
25cuba.com (opens in a new tab)Celerart
WebflowAstro + Sanity
Our own studio site. Every one of the 164 old URLs was carried over or redirected, and all content is now edited in Sanity.
celerart.com (opens in a new tab)
How we move a Joomla site
Your Joomla site stays live until the new one is ready. The switch is a DNS change, not a weekend of downtime.
Audit
Audit
We crawl every URL, list every extension, menu, module and form, and export your rankings, so nothing is lost by accident.
Content model
Content model
Articles, categories, custom fields and K2 items become a clean schema in Sanity or Payload, shaped around how your team actually edits.
Content import
Content import
Articles, categories, tags, images and authors move by script from the Joomla database. Text is converted and internal links rewritten.
Front end
Front end
We rebuild the design in Astro or Next.js: the same look, or a refresh if one is due. Every template is checked against the old one.
Redirects and launch
Redirects and launch
Every old URL, including those from sh404SEF or 4SEF, gets a permanent redirect to its new address. Metadata and sitemaps are compared before the DNS switch.
Handover
Handover
Your team gets a walkthrough of the new editor. Then the Joomla server is switched off for good.
Questions about leaving Joomla
You can, and plenty of Joomla sites do. But WordPress is another PHP system with a plugin to update for every feature, so you trade one patch cycle for another. Astro or Next.js serves pre-built pages with no PHP on the server, and Sanity or Payload gives editors a cleaner admin than either.
Not if the move is planned. Every URL keeps its address or gets a permanent 301 redirect, including the ones sh404SEF or 4SEF generated. Titles, descriptions and sitemaps are carried over and checked before launch, and we watch Search Console for the weeks after the switch.
By script, straight from the Joomla database: articles, categories, tags, custom fields, K2 items, images and authors. Text becomes structured content in Sanity or Payload, and internal links are rewritten to the new URLs.
Yes. Sanity and Payload give editors live preview, drafts and version history, and pages are composed from approved blocks instead of menu items and module positions. Most teams find them simpler than the Joomla administrator.
We scope them one by one. Usually a dedicated service such as Shopify, Stripe or a booking tool takes over, connected to the new front end. The audit tells you what moves where.
It depends on the number of pages, extensions and integrations. After the audit you get a fixed scope and timeline, and the Joomla site stays live until launch day.
Keep it protected until launch: the latest Joomla release your extensions allow, every extension updated, the server and PHP patched by your host, a firewall in front and /administrator behind an extra password. The migration removes the risk; it does not cover the months before launch.
