What’s new in Umbraco 12?
Umbraco 12, the latest version of the popular CMS, brings a host of new features and improvements that make it an even more powerful tool for content management.
Table of Contents
Content Delivery API
One of the most significant additions in Umbraco 12 is the Content Delivery API. This feature provides headless capabilities out-of-the-box, meaning you can now manage content delivery without needing to develop a separate headless API or add an extension. This is a game-changer for businesses looking to deliver consistent content across multiple channels, such as websites, mobile apps, smartwatches, and voice assistants.
For instance, a retail business could use the Content Delivery API to ensure that product information and pricing are consistent across their website, mobile app, and in-store digital displays. Similarly, a news organization could use the API to deliver articles and updates to their website, mobile app, email subscribers, and social media channels simultaneously.
In addition to the flexibility it offers, the Content Delivery API also brings significant performance improvements. The API is designed to deliver content quickly and efficiently, ensuring that your users get the information they need without delay. Whether you’re serving content to a handful of users or millions, the Content Delivery API is built to handle the load, providing a smooth and responsive user experience across all channels.
Support for Entity Framework Core
A significant technical improvement in Umbraco 12 is the introduction of support for Entity Framework Core (EF Core). EF Core is a popular library that provides a high-level abstraction over the database, allowing developers to work with objects and entities rather than directly interacting with database queries. This eliminates the need for writing repetitive and boilerplate database access code, thereby boosting developer productivity.
This feature is particularly beneficial for Umbraco systems that have been customised with additional features beyond the basic CMS capabilities. For instance, if your Umbraco system includes integrations with third-party systems or automated processes based on user behaviours, EF Core can streamline the development and maintenance of these custom features.
Moreover, EF Core is a valuable tool for large businesses that require robust database management capabilities. It offers database schema version control, which is crucial for systems that are continuously evolving with new releases. This feature ensures that all structural changes to the database are tracked and managed effectively, reducing the risk of errors and data loss.
In essence, the support for EF Core in Umbraco 12 makes it easier for developers to create and maintain custom database tables and data in a performant way, with access to the Umbraco context and services required. This enhancement not only simplifies the development process but also contributes to the overall performance and reliability of your Umbraco system.
New version of ImageSharp
Umbraco 12 includes a new major version of ImageSharp, the cross-platform image processing library used in Umbraco. ImageSharp 3 supports the latest .NET 6 LTS framework, offering improved performance, new image decoding and encoding options, and security improvements.
One of the standout features of ImageSharp 3 is its ability to deliver high-quality images at faster loading times. This is particularly beneficial for websites that rely heavily on visual content. With ImageSharp 3, images can be loaded faster while maintaining high quality, enhancing the overall user experience.
Moreover, this improvement is not limited to static images alone. Even images rendered on the fly can benefit from the enhanced performance and quality offered by ImageSharp 3. This means that regardless of how your images are served, you can expect them to load quickly and display in high quality, contributing to a smoother, more visually appealing user experience.
The update also introduces powerful DecoderOptions for controlling image loading and achieves significant performance gains in alpha compositing and color adjustments. With these new features and improvements, ImageSharp 3 is set to take your Umbraco site’s image handling capabilities to the next level.
Updated Add-ons
Umbraco 12 introduces new versions of all add-ons, including Umbraco Forms, Deploy, and Workflow, ensuring full support for running on Umbraco 12.
Can I upgrade an existing installation to Umbraco 12?
The answer to this question depends on a couple of factors. If your website is hosted on Umbraco Cloud, the upgrade to Umbraco 12 will be automatic. However, if your Umbraco system is hosted by a third-party, the upgrade process can be a bit more complex.
While it’s certainly possible to upgrade third-party hosted Umbraco systems, the process can present more challenges if you’re working with an older version of Umbraco. It’s important to ensure that any custom packages or code you’re using are compatible with the latest version of Umbraco. You also need to make sure your custom code is valid with the new .NET Framework version.
If you’re unsure about any aspect of the upgrade process, it’s recommended to seek professional assistance. Upgrading to a new major version of a CMS is a significant task that can have a big impact on your website, so it’s important to get it right.
For more detailed information on upgrading your Umbraco installation, you can refer to this guide on the Umbraco website.
Umbraco FAQs
Umbraco is a tried and tested CMS solution that has been around for many years. It’s professionally maintained and regularly updated by it’s dedicated team. If you’re looking for an alternative option to WordPress that offers more enterprise-level features, then this could be your solution. Here are some helpful Q&As to help you understand what else Umbraco has to offer.
Why choose Umbraco?
Umbraco is a robust Content Management System (CMS) that has been serving businesses for many years. It’s a mature platform with a proven track record, trusted by thousands of developers and businesses worldwide.
One of the key strengths of Umbraco is its high level of support. The platform is backed by a vibrant and active community that’s always ready to help. This means that if you run into any issues or need advice, there’s a good chance you’ll find the answers you need from the community. In addition, Umbraco has a dedicated team that continuously works on updates and improvements, ensuring the platform stays up-to-date with the latest web technologies and best practices.
Umbraco is also a great alternative to other popular CMS platforms like WordPress, especially when an enterprise-level solution is needed. While WordPress is a fantastic platform for many websites, there are situations where a more robust feature set is required. This is where Umbraco shines. It offers a host of advanced features and capabilities that make it a powerful tool for managing complex websites and applications.
For example, with Umbraco, you can easily manage and deliver content across multiple channels, thanks to its new Content Delivery API. It also supports Entity Framework Core, a popular library that simplifies database access and boosts developer productivity. These are just a few examples of the advanced features that Umbraco offers.
Is Umbraco Easy to use?
Absolutely! Umbraco is designed with a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for anyone to manage pages and blog posts. It’s not just developers who find it easy to use; content editors, marketers, and other non-technical users can easily navigate its intuitive interface.
One of the standout features of Umbraco is its robust support for translations out of the box. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses that operate in multiple languages or have a global audience. You can easily manage and publish content in different languages, ensuring a seamless experience for all your users.
Umbraco also provides different levels of user editor permissions. This means you can control who has access to what within your system, enhancing security and ensuring users can only access the areas and functions they need to. Whether you’re a small team or a large organization, you can tailor the permissions to suit your needs.
But what truly sets Umbraco apart is its extensibility. It’s not just a CMS; it’s a platform that can be developed to include additional custom areas to support specific business processes. This means you can tailor Umbraco to fit your unique needs, whether that’s integrating with other systems, adding custom workflows, or building bespoke functionality.
Is Umbraco a good choice for a business website?
Absolutely! Umbraco is not only a popular choice for many businesses, but it is also our top recommendation, especially for larger business websites that require customized features. This powerful CMS offers many enterprise-level aspects right out of the box, making it an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes.
One of the key strengths of Umbraco is its robustness and reliability, making it an ideal choice for business-critical systems. It’s designed to handle high traffic loads and complex content structures, ensuring your website remains stable and performs well even under heavy load.
Moreover, Umbraco’s flexibility allows for extensive customization, enabling businesses to tailor the CMS to their specific needs. Whether you need to integrate with third-party systems, add custom functionality, or create a unique user experience, Umbraco makes it possible.
In addition, Umbraco’s focus on security ensures that your business website is protected against potential threats. Regular security updates keep your website safe and adhere to the best practices in web security.
Finally, with the release of Umbraco 12, the CMS has become even more powerful. New features like the Content Delivery API and support for Entity Framework Core make it even easier to manage your content and deliver it across multiple channels.
Alpha Labs, Umbraco Partner for over 10 years
We specialize in providing Umbraco maintenance and support services. Our expert team focuses on key areas such as security updates, uptime monitoring, error diagnosis, and performance monitoring, creating a comprehensive support structure for your site. We offer monthly plans tailored to your needs, ensuring your Umbraco system stays up-to-date, secure, and efficient. If you need professional Umbraco support and maintenance we’d love to hear from you
In conclusion, Umbraco 12 is a significant upgrade that brings a host of new features and improvements. Whether you’re new to Umbraco or an existing user, upgrading to Umbraco 12 can bring significant benefits to your business. And with Alpha Labs as your partner, you can be sure your Umbraco system is in good hands.
