Our Favourite Free Joomla Components

We've always insisted that our choice for choosing Joomla as a CMS of choice over others is the availability of a multitude of extensions which makes sure that any functionality your website requires is probably available out there. Having said this over and over again, we bring you the Top 10 Free Joomla Extensions.

1. Joomla Content Editor

One of the most annoying things I find in Joomla is the way that images are handled by the default content editor. The fact that you have to switch from writing an article to uploading an image, and back to the article bugs the hell out of me! JCE (Joomla Content Editor) addresses this issue very nicely. When you click the image button, you get a window which allows you to upload images on the fly. And once you upload and insert the image, you get a WYSIWYG view of the image. Also, the way you can quickly insert links to your Joomla content, is another great feature of JCE. There are loads of other features in JCE, but these are the two which I can't live without, and which once you try, you won't be able to live without either!

For: Great Image Management / Link Management 

Against: Install process should be made simpler? Installation should include both component and plugin, rather than seperate installations.

 2. JoomlaXplorer - easily edit Joomla files 

What is the first thing you do when you install your Joomla website? Well you start changing logos, footers, change some templates, in other words you need to play around with the Joomla files. And what better way to do that than using a component which works from within the Joomla administration backend? joomlaXplorer is a File- and FTP - Manager. It allows you to edit files, delete, copy, rename, archive and unpack files/directories directly on your server. You can - Browse Directories & Files - Edit, Copy, Move and Delete files - Search, Upload and Downloading files - Create new files and directories - Change file permissions (chmod) and much more. It is your first must have component.

 For: Easy file management of Joomla files from the Joomla backend

 Against: Lack of Joomla 1.5 native support

3. sh404SEF - create Search Engine Friendly Addresses

One of the things which makes a drastic difference to your ranking in search engines (provided you have good content), is search engine friendly (SEF) URLs. sh404SEF gives you complete control over your SEF URLs. The level of customization of this product is incredible. There are two modes, beginner and advanced, so you can have a basic SEF setup or you can tweak the settings to your liking. Supports a large number of the most popular Joomla components, and most 3rd party component developers ensure that their component is sh404SEF compatible. So do yourself a favour and make sure you have sh404SEF installed. 

For: Total Control over all SEF

Against: Some people have trouble setting it up.

4. Community Builder - create a Joomla community website

Do you know what the secret of a successful website is? A community - a user base which visits your site over and over again. Community Builder makes it easy for you to create a community in your Joomla website, with features such as extra fields in profile, enhanced registration workflows, user lists, connection paths between users, admin defined tabs and user profiles, image upload, front-end workflow management, integration with other components, like PMS, Newsletter, Forum, Galleries. You can build a community without CB, but your life will be much easier if you use Community Builder.

 For: Extends Joomla User Management, support from a large number of other 3rd party Joomla extensions, very extendable

 Against: Newbie users will definetely be overwhelmed with all the configuration options available

5. VirtueMart - setup an online shop

For: Once configured correctly, creates a very complete online shop on your website - for free!

Against: Support is limited, complex to setup, not very user-friendly

6. DOCMan - create a download area

Another common function of any website is to create a download area, which supports a different number of files over various categories. DOCMan is the most popular download component available out there. It is quite easy to setup and maintain, and has a good number of configurable options, including who to allow to download (registered vs all users), download statistics and various other functions to help support your download area. (Our download are is powered by DOCMan)

For: Quite easy to configure, good statistics and functionality

Against: As at time of writing, there is no native support for Joomla 1.5 (though available in Legacy mode)

7. JoomlaPack - backup and restore your website

One thing we preach over and over again here at DC, is the importance of taking backups. Unfortunately, with such an extended system as Joomla, it is inevitable that there might be problems, both in terms of security, or in terms of configuration. In case something happens to your website, you need to make sure you have a fully working site in the shortest time possible. JoomlaPack is a great backup and restore component, which easily and quickly allows you to create a Joomla backup, such that if something happens to your site you can restore your as soon as possible.

For: Easy to use, simple to setup, good support

Against: We've encountered a few issues when backing up very large sites

8. Joom!Fish - support the translation process of your site

If you want to create the widest possible audience for your website, you need to go multi-lingual. Although the core Joomla functions are translated into most languages, your content will not be automatically translated. Joom!Fish supports the translation of your content. It features several functions to make it easier for you to translate the dynamic content (articles, etc) of your site, and thus create a multi-lingual content website. 

For: Easy to setup and create website translations

Against: There seems to be some teething problems with the Joomla 1.5 version, though we believe the author makes a great effort to avoid these issues.

9. FireBoard - quickly setup a forum

Another popular function for a website is setting up a forum. A forum is very intuitive, especially for support issues and simple "chatting". FireBoard is a Joomla forum which plugs directly into your Joomla website, using registered users from your site. It is one of the few forums which has most required forums functions. The great thing about FireBoard is that you do not need to play around with files to create a link (bridge) to one of the other popular forums, like phpBB. Its just, install and go ... DART Creations Forums are powered by FireBoard

For: Quick and easy to setup, fully integrated with Joomla

Against: Might be missing some advanced forums functions. Also, has been pulled from the Joomla Extensions Directory recently.

10. Expose Flash Gallery - create an online picture gallery

Expose allows users to create flash online picture galleries. It is very neat, and the picture gallery created is very user friendly, with the simplest navigation ever. Also, being a flash based component, people will not be able to "save" your image, which is especially useful when you are using copyrighted images.

For: Very neat and friendly front end, very configurable.

Against: Heavy flash back end for uploading pictures which is not very intuitive. The large number of configuration options and lack of clear documentation might cause some frustration issues.

More components will be added here as we find time. Also, suggest components which you think should feature in this list in the comments below.

Always make sure to make backups when you install 3rd party components. Installing 3rd party extensions on your website creates inherent security issues.