Young developers looking for meaningful open source projects: this one’s for you! Dileep Adari contributed to Joomla through Google Summer of Code. He worked on enhancing content workflows in Joomla: "Matching my research with real-world impact, was exactly the kind of project I was looking for. It felt like: this is what I do, and this is where I can make a difference." 

Just another publishing tool. That’s how Dileep Adari saw Joomla, when he helped build a simple website for his advisor at the International Institute of Information Technology in Hyderabad, India. "To me, it felt like a system where you could dump some content, hit publish, and that was pretty much it. I assumed it had limited functionality." The website he built was an information page that needed frequent updates for conferences and events. Little did he know 🙂.

Once Dileep got accepted in Google’s Summer of Code to work on Joomla’s Workflow Enhancement project, his perspective completely changed: "I started to see how powerful Joomla really is, especially with workflows. They aren’t just about moving content from draft to published. You can actually design full processes with multiple review stages, conditions, and rules. Add to that Joomla’s permission system where different user groups can be given very specific rights at each stage or transition and you realize how flexible it is for real-world teams." So now he sees Joomla no longer as just a simple CMS: "It’s a full-fledged framework. It strikes this great balance between structure and flexibility, which makes it work just as well for a small personal site as for a large organization with complex roles. Being part of that helping improve usability has been very nice and happy."

Complexity ❤️ usability 

 The project Dileep got to work on was closely connected to his own research and interests. "I work on complex systems like ERPs and focus a lot on usability and HCI. I’m always motivated by the challenge of taking something that feels complicated and turning it into something people actually find easy and enjoyable to use. This project was a perfect example of that," he tells us. So it was an academic exercise? Not really: "The improvements we worked on had the potential to directly help thousands of administrators, editors, and developers who use Joomla every day. That combination - matching my research with real-world impact, was exactly the kind of project I was looking for. It felt like: this is what I do, and this is where I can make a difference."

Structured approach ❤️ flexibility

Dileep had worked with WordPress before he got to know Joomla. "What I really like about Joomla is the balance it strikes. It’s flexible and extensible, also at the same time, it has a cleaner architecture and a more structured approach than WordPress," he says. "For a developer, that structure makes a big difference. When I work with Joomla, things feel organized and logical, so building new features doesn’t feel messy. I actually prefer developing in Joomla now, because it gives me freedom without the usual headaches - and at the same time, it still stays simple enough for users."

The balance between structure and simplicity is rare, Dileep says: "On one side, Joomla is powerful and flexible for developers -  the architecture is clean, structured, and makes it enjoyable to build on. On the other hand, it doesn’t forget about the end users. Features like workflows, permissions, and categories make it possible to handle really complex setups, but they’re still presented in a way that’s usable. As a developer, I feel like I can build almost anything with Joomla, and as someone who cares about usability, I appreciate that it’s still friendly for the people managing the content every day. To me, that respect for both developers and users is what makes Joomla stand out."

The workflows feature was already there when Dileep joined the project. "It was very form-based and fragmented across multiple screens. The foundations were there, but usability was the bottleneck. My role was to step in and rethink the experience - turning abstract lists into a visual, interactive editor." That meant: dive in and learn. Even though Dileep understood how workflows work, the Joomla codebase was new to him. "With the support of my mentors, I was able to catch up and get comfortable contributing.

This project didn’t just help me grow as a developer - it also pushed me to think like a designer. I had to look at problems from different angles, consider usability, and come up with solutions that worked for both the code and the people using it. That shift in perspective has been one of the biggest skills I’ve gained from this experience."

Joomla’s power, balance between complexity and simplicity, was also one of the biggest challenges for Dileep: "Workflows in Joomla can be very small, but they can also grow to 20+ stages. Designing a graph-based editor that stayed clean, usable, and accessible in both cases was really tough. The positioning algorithm took a lot of time, as it should not look cluttered."

Tech ❤️ purpose and meaning

Dileep continues: "Another big challenge was making all of this work without breaking or replacing the old implementation. We had to build on top of what already existed, which meant being careful with every decision. It wasn’t easy, but with a lot of iteration and guidance from my mentors, I managed to pull it off." That’s where iteration and mentors came in: "We experimented with different layouts, interactions, and even accessibility features until the design felt natural. My mentors were amazing - guiding me through best practices, code reviews, and usability discussions. It was very much a team effort, with constant feedback loops. I have to say, the Joomla community is really amazing. Everyone is so friendly and helpful, it's just a great group of people to be a part of."

For Dileep, the learning curve was not just the technical part: "I learned Vue.js deeply, Joomla’s MVC patterns, php and how to integrate frontend and backend systems in a large-scale project. But the bigger lessons were about collaboration: how to write code that others can maintain, how to listen to user feedback, and how global communities make open source grow. The Joomla community is honestly one of the warmest I’ve ever been part of. From mentors to testers, everyone was approachable and always willing to help. I never felt like just a student - I felt like a real team member contributing to something meaningful.

The support came in so many ways: feedback on my work, testing features, sharing resources, pitching new ideas, and constant encouragement. That mix of guidance and trust made the whole experience really special for me."

Community ❤️ developers

His proudest moment was when he got positive feedback from people in the community: "There’s a special kind of happiness when you realize something you built is being used by real people and that it makes their work easier.

Hearing from users that they found the new workflow editor helpful and enjoyable gave me a huge sense of satisfaction. It’s one thing to write code, but it’s another to know that it’s genuinely improving people’s day-to-day experience. That’s what I’m most proud of."

This project helped Dileep grow, not only as a developer, but also as someone who now feels at home in a global developer community. He would recommend young people to follow in his footsteps and contribute to Joomla: "Joomla gives you the space to grow - technically and personally. You’re not just fixing small bugs; you’re building features that real people will use worldwide. Plus, you get to learn how open-source communities function, which is an invaluable skill in today’s software world. Mentors provide very good feedback on how we communicate and how we pitch which helps to improve your personality which is not taught in universities. I highly recommend everyone to experience this."

Opportunities ❤️ coders

Joomla has a lot to offer for young developers, says Dileep: "What stood out to me is the freedom and autonomy you get, you’re trusted to take initiative, explore ideas, and actually make them real. It’s not just about fixing small bugs; you can work on features that directly shape how people use Joomla."

The community makes that even better: "You’re not just coding in isolation, you get feedback, mentorship, and the chance to collaborate with people from all over the world. That combination of freedom, support, and impact makes Joomla a great space for young developers who want to grow their skills while contributing to something that really makes a difference."

Come and join us!

Are you a young developer interested in contributing to open source software that's used by millions of people all over the world? Then we'd love to meet you!

These are the steps you should take to join our community: 

• Head over to our Mattermost channel: joom.la/chat
• You'll be redirected to the Joomla Identity Portal, create an account and you'll get added to the Town Square channel on Mattermost
• Search for the channel called New to Joomla? Start here and join that as well (if you can't find it, ask in Town Square)
• Introduce yourself
• Join a New to the Joomla Community Session, they're on the 15th of each month
• We'll help you get settled in and find you a team / project to contribute to!