Sulu 3.0 launched!

At the end of November 2025, Sulu launched version 3.0, the most significant technical overhaul since version 2.0. The team behind this open-source CMS took a completely different approach to the platform. They rebuilt how content is stored and managed, brought key components up to modern standards, and made working with the system considerably more pleasant for developers.

The numbers speak for themselves: 153,471 lines of new code added, 265,104 lines removed. The result is a faster, more accessible system that's easier to debug and extend. This major release lays the foundation for the next generation of features and creates room for more ambitious projects.

What does this update mean for your organization? We'll walk you through the most important improvements.

Faster loading, better performance

The foundation of Sulu has been completely renewed. Where the platform previously used a specific technology for storing content (PHPCR), it now works with a more modern approach that's much more widely supported. Think of the difference between a unique, complex system that only specialists understand and a standard approach that most developers already know.

What does this mean in practice? The new version is twice as fast and processes content with half the latency. For your website visitors, this means faster loading times and a smoother experience. For your organization, this translates into higher engagement, more conversions, and influence on better ranking in Google and AI-driven search results (Generative Engine Optimization).

Less code, fewer headaches

A surprising detail that says a lot about the quality of this update: the Sulu team added over 153,000 lines of new code, but simultaneously removed more than 265,000 lines of old code. The end result is a system that's lighter, clearer, and easier to maintain.

Less code means less chance of errors, faster intervention when something goes wrong, and lower maintenance costs. For you as an organization, this translates into less technical debt and more focus on what truly matters: your content and your users.

The way the system now works has also become more logical. Think of a filing system where you previously had to click through dozens of nested folders to find a document. Now everything is clearly organized with clear labels. This makes working with the CMS not only faster, but also more pleasant.

Freedom in where you store your content

A practical advantage that's often overlooked is where you store your media files. With Sulu 3.0, you get complete freedom. Locally on your own server, in the cloud with AWS, Azure or Google, or even via FTP, Dropbox or OneDrive. This flexibility gives you the space to make choices that fit your infrastructure and budget, without technical limitations.

A more intuitive management environment

The admin interface you work with daily has also received a thorough update. The new version is faster, clearer, and follows modern web standards. This makes managing your content considerably more pleasant and efficient. Less frustration, even more focus on your work!

The way you can filter, select, and reuse content has also been improved. This saves time when composing pages and ensures you can respond more quickly to current events or campaigns.

Built for growth

The renewed foundation of Sulu 3.0 isn't just better now, but also lays the groundwork for future innovations. The platform can be more easily extended with new functionalities and scales better as your organization grows or your content needs change.

Whether you manage a corporate website, knowledge platform, or content-driven application, Sulu offers the flexibility and stability you need to keep growing without running into technical limitations.

Did you know... you can activate smart AI features on demand?

With Sulu.ai, Sulu 3.0 also gets a smart AI layer that you can enable entirely according to your own preferences. Think of automatically generated SEO metadata, image descriptions and alt texts, or even complete page translations while preserving formatting. Thanks to multilingual metadata management, all content remains neatly synchronized across different languages.

What's special about this approach is the flexibility. The AI architecture is completely free from fixed dependencies, allowing you to choose between various AI models. This means you can also use privacy-friendly European alternatives if that better suits your organization or compliance requirements.

These powerful features aren't included by default in the system's core, but are available modularly via Sulu.ai or optional extensions. This way you only activate what you really need and keep the platform light and efficient. A pragmatic approach that suits organizations that want to consciously choose which technology they deploy.

The Sulu team has invested significantly in a smooth upgrade path. Tools are available to automatically migrate your existing content to the new structure, with detailed reporting on where manual work may be needed. The community is ready to help via Slack and GitHub if you get stuck.

It's important to know that with the release of Sulu 3.0, support for Sulu 1.6 ends definitively. This version will no longer receive updates or security patches. If your organization is still running on version 1.6, it's time to take action.

Need more time? Sulu 2.6 remains available as an LTS version (Long-term Support). This gives you sufficient breathing room to carefully plan the upgrade to 3.0, while still running on a safe and supported version.

At PHPro, we believe in platforms that enable sustainable growth. Sulu combines technical quality with flexibility and long-term maintainability. The focus on modern web standards, a clear architecture, and an active open-source community aligns perfectly with our approach.

We consciously choose tools that adapt to your needs, not the other way around. Sulu 3.0 offers exactly that: a CMS that makes content management pleasant for everyone who works with it, from marketer to developer.