Deploy Joomla with DeployHQ

Prerequisites:

• PHP 8.1+ with required extensions
• MySQL, MariaDB, or PostgreSQL
• SSH or SFTP access to your server
• A DeployHQ account

What is Joomla?

Joomla is a mature, open-source CMS that powers millions of websites worldwide. It sits between WordPress (simpler) and Drupal (more complex) in terms of capability and learning curve. Joomla excels at multi-language sites, complex content hierarchies, and access control.

Project Structure

joomla/
├── administrator/       # Admin panel
│   ├── components/
│   ├── modules/
│   └── templates/
├── components/          # Frontend components
├── modules/             # Frontend modules
├── plugins/             # System plugins
├── templates/           # Frontend templates
│   └── my-template/
├── media/               # CSS, JS, images
│   └── plg_*/           # Plugin media (auto-generated)
├── cache/               # ⚠️ Exclude
├── tmp/                 # ⚠️ Exclude
├── configuration.php    # ⚠️ Environment-specific, exclude
├── .htaccess
└── web.config

Version Control Options

Option A: Full Joomla in Git (Small Sites)

Track the entire installation. Exclude environment-specific files:

.gitignore: gitignore configuration.php cache/ tmp/ logs/ media/plg_* administrator/cache/

Option B: Template/Extension Only (Recommended)

Track only your custom template or extension in Git:

my-joomla-template/
├── css/
├── js/
├── html/           # Template overrides
├── images/
├── index.php
├── templateDetails.xml
└── error.php

Deployment path: /var/www/html/templates/my-joomla-template/

Deploy with DeployHQ

Full Site Deployment

• Deployment Path: /var/www/html/
• Excluded Files: configuration.php
• Shared Paths: configuration.php, images/ (user uploads), cache/, tmp/, logs/

Template-Only Deployment

• Deployment Path: /var/www/html/templates/my-template/
• No exclusions needed — the template directory is self-contained

Build Commands (If Using Asset Compilation)

cd %path% && npm ci && npm run build

Most Joomla templates don't require build tools, but modern templates may use SCSS or Tailwind CSS.

Post-Deployment

Clear Joomla's cache: bash rm -rf /var/www/html/cache/* /var/www/html/administrator/cache/*

Or via Joomla CLI: bash php /var/www/html/cli/joomla.php cache:clean

Multi-Environment Setup

Keep configuration.php on each server and exclude it from deployment.

Troubleshooting

Extension Conflicts After Deployment

If deploying third-party extensions alongside custom code, Joomla's update system may conflict. Best practice: manage third-party extensions through Joomla's admin panel, deploy only custom code through DeployHQ.

Database Schema Updates

Joomla extensions define database changes in their XML manifest. After deploying a new extension version, run the extension's installer through the admin panel to apply schema changes:

System → Extensions → Discover → Install

.htaccess Overwritten

If your deployment includes .htaccess but the server needs custom rules, either: - Include the server-specific rules in your Git .htaccess - Exclude .htaccess from deployment and manage it on the server

Conclusion

Joomla's PHP-based architecture deploys cleanly via SFTP or SSH. Whether you're deploying a full installation or just a custom template, DeployHQ handles the file transfer and keeps your configuration.php safe.

Sign up for DeployHQ — free for one project.

Questions? Contact support@deployhq.com or on Twitter/X.