Difference between components, modules, extensions and plugins in Joomla

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Bryan picture Bryan · Sep 25, 2009 · Viewed 16.8k times · Source

What is the difference between Joomla components, modules, extensions and plugins?

Answer

Andrejs Cainikovs picture Andrejs Cainikovs · Sep 25, 2009

Plugins

Plugins enable you to execute code in response to certain events, either Joomla core events or custom events that are triggered from your own code. This is a powerful way of extending the basic Joomla functionality.

Components

Components are the main functional units that display in your template, like the content management system, contact forms, Web Links and the like. They are usually displayed in the center of the main content area of a template (depending on the template).

Modules

A more lightweight and flexible extension used for page rendering is a module. Modules are used for small bits of the page that are generally less complex and able to be seen across different components. Sometimes modules are linked to a component such as the core latest news module.

Extensions

Components, languages, modules, plugins and templates collectively known as Extensions.

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