As you might know, Joomla 5 is a great open-source CMS all by itself and it does so much in the core that you can truly build a great website with just what is built-in… too often, sadly, website developers will use either:

1. other well-known CMS solutions that don’t hold a candle to Joomla in terms of built-in capabilities and add to it a ton of plugins which creates updating, security and performance challenges or
   they will use Joomla 5 and a few extensions that could be avoided because the built-in capabilities are just unknown to them…
   
   
2. Moral of the story, make sure you spend a bit of time to discover all that Joomla delivers out of the box, you’ll probably be surprised at all it can do without having to add a single extension.

BUT what if you really need something that isn’t in the core and that you can’t easily build with custom fields and some workflows, and you don’t just know or have the time to build your own perfect component. Well, that’s where the beautifully powerful world of the official J.E.D. (Joomla Extensions Directory) comes to your rescue…

 The Joomla Extensions Directory

It is a place where more than 5450 approved extensions can be easily found…  and thanks to Algolia (the search technology) finding the right one for your needs is very fast!

That’s all well and good but let’s talk about what it takes to get an extension into the Directory, it’s good information to know for users and developers alike.

So, you are a developer, and you have built a great extension… but what are the correct steps to getting YOUR wonderful Joomla 5 extension into the J.E.D.? What is allowed, not allowed, recommendations, best practices, etc?

Here is a useful process for making sure that your extension gets published as smoothly and quickly as possible:

1. Prepare your extension:
   
   
   • Ensure your extension is built correctly and compatible with Joomla 5.
   • Make sure it meets all the submission requirements provided by the JED. 
     (see https://extensions.joomla.org/support/knowledgebase/ for JED docs.)
   • You can run JEDChecker for your extension prior to submission if you wish to save some time.
     
     
2. Register on the JED website:
   
   
   • If you don't have an account, register on the JED website.
   • You'll receive an email confirmation after registration.
     
     
3. Submit your extension:
   
   
   • Log in to your JED account.
   • Go to your profile page or click the "Profile" button at the top of the JED.
   • Click on the "Submit extension" button.
     
     
4. Complete the submission form:
   
   
   • Fill out the form thoroughly and accurately.
   • Provide all required information about your extension.
   • Include working links for your main website (remember: no Shortened URLs), documentation, support, and demos.
   • Upload a copy of your extension so that the JEDChecker can test it.
     
     
5. Review and submit:
   
   
   • Double-check all the information you've entered.
   • Click the "Save" button to submit your listing.
     
     
6. Wait for review:
   
   
   • Your submission will be added to the queue for the JED Team to review.
   • Be patient, as the review process may take some time.
     
     
7. Respond to feedback:
   
   
• If there are any issues with your listing, the JED Team will notify you.
  Address any concerns or requested changes promptly.
  
  
8. Publication:
   
   
• Once approved, your extension will be published in the JED.
  You'll receive a notification when your listing is live 🎉.

Here are some important things to remember to make sure that your application does not get rejected or delayed - adhere to JED's guidelines and principles, including but not limited to:

• Do not encode your extension with a PHP encoder like ionCube Encoder, NuCoder, SourceGuardian, PHTML Encoder, or Zend Guard - it is tempting to think that this provides you security but it goes against Joomla licensing and the essence of the open source mindset.
  
  
• Submitting only extensions you've created (not forked or created by others).
  
  
• Configuring update servers for your extension.
  
  
• Ensuring your extension doesn't require hacks or manual file copying to install.
  
  
• Do not submit core Joomla, templates, or language files hacks.

Some Final Thoughts and a call for Help

Finally be aware that the Joomla Extensions Directory has been in existence for a long time and is currently in the process of being rewritten entirely. If you’d like to help with the development, pop into Mattermost and talk to the current JED Team leader, Mark Fleeson.(This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)