TYPO3 is extremely flexible and can be extended without writing a single line of code. You can easily get started with TYPO3 extensions without requiring any technical knowledge about PHP, HTML, CSS, or any other programming language. The CMS is quite different from the other platforms because of its multilingual functionality and separation of content from code. So even if you’re not technically proficient, you can get started on it.
Like WordPress and other CMS platforms, TYPO3 is an open-source CMS best suited for enterprise applications. It is completely written in PHP and can be installed on several web servers like Apache and IIS. Moreover, it is also supported by almost every other LAMP-based hosting provider.
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What to Consider When Evaluating TYPO3 Plugins and Extensions
You need to keep certain factors in mind because the extension you choose can, quite literally, make or break your site. So make sure you:
- Have a clear idea of the functionality you need
- Check that the extension is up to date, has technical support, and is maintained by the dev team
- See the number of active installs and reviews because these two factors show how other users have been benefitting from the extension
The Typo3 Extensions Advantage
There are 2000+ Typo3 extensions available in the TYPO3 repository. These typo3 plugins and extensions can extend existing functionality or add something missing in your web application. Imagine you need to carry out SEO of your content, but aren’t sure how to go about it. In such cases, the specialized TYPO3 SEO extensions will help you perform these specific indexing operations. They are just like WordPress plugins.
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Our Hand-Picked Selection of the Best Typo3 Extensions for Businesses in 2022
To help you with the extension selection process, I’ve shortlisted the following Typo3 extensions, so you can extend the capabilities of your Typo3 powered projects:
Google Calendar
The extension me_google_calendar brings the jQuery Plugin FullCalendar to several TYPO3 versions and generates a skinable (bootstrap and simple) Calendar with different views (month, week, day, week list, day list) from one or more Google Calendar XML Feed(s).
Beside an independent color for each feed, a ics-download, a link to a location (Google Maps) or to the original Google calendar entry is possible. Everything is well configurable by using TypoScript or inside the plugin (Flexform).
Mask
Mask is a TYPO3 extension for creating and managing custom content elements with ease. It adds a backend module, which allows you to create elements intuitively by drag and drop. Since version 7, the whole backend module is implemented with the popular JavaScript framework VueJS, speeding up the workflow noticeably!
Mask does this all by using TYPO3 core features only. This means updates are super easy! The latest version is even already compatible with TYPO3 v11. Furthermore, it integrates seamlessly with workspaces, multi-language, multi-site and frontend restrictions. The configuration is stored in a central JSON file that you can add to your version control system.
Mask’s killer feature is probably its repeating element, which enables you to nest fields. Use it to create sliders, accordions or similar elements. Since version 6, you can even use palettes to group fields so they will be displayed next to each other when editing them.
Mask was originally kickstarted by Gernot Ploiner in 2015 by collecting enough funds to release the first version. Since then, the community has grown by leaps and bounds, and development has been recently picked up by Nikita Hovratov.
Resize images automatically
The extension image_autoresize helps to reduce the footprint of uploaded assets for your website. Administrators and integrators prefer assets to be as small as possible, as this speeds up the delivery of pages, reduces the memory load on the server and leads to smaller backups. Editors on the other hand should be able to concentrate on their writing job and not get hindered by technical considerations such as the size of a picture on disk, or how uploading their wonderful sunset pictures taken with a 20+ MP digital camera will slow down the time rendering of their 800×600-pixel photo gallery.
This Typo3 plugin comes in handy for all three categories of users. It automatically resizes down those gigantic images while uploading them to your TYPO3 website. You may set up rules that limit access to some directories, or make it so only certain users can store maximum resolution photos (e.g., press releases). Finally, metadata (EXIF/IPTC) can be safely preserved, or at least extracted prior to the resizing process to ensure they are still accessible afterwards.
All In One TYPO3 Feedback extension
All In One TYPO3Feedback is an ultimate TYPO3 feedback extension that enables users to serve suggestions, bugs, and compliments, and collect feedback on individual TYPO3 page elements. It allows website administrators to add feedback and data collection forms to the site and get valuable insights from visitors. Administrators can choose between feedback forms such as
- Ratings feedback Form
- Quick Feedback Form
- Full Feedback Form
- Pop-up Feedback Form
The extension comes with a dedicated dashboard and is extremely customizable and flexible, with Ajax based features that make it swift and easy to use for both visitors and admins.
TYPO3 Console
A reliable and powerful command-line interface for TYPO3 CMS, TYPO3 Console will let you perform actions through CLI. It’s a powerful CLI that works for almost every operation.
StaticFileCache
StaticFileCache was started in 2006. The first extension key was „fl_staticfilecache“, the second one „nc_staticfilecache“ and now „staticfilecache“. There have been many technical changes in the past years, but the core concept of the extension was always the same: the extension detects pages that are completely „static cachable“ and store these pages in HTML files (though other formats are possible) physically on the server.
A well-thought-out mod_rewrite (htaccess) or NGINX routing allows the user to get this static file if the URL is called in the frontend. So this request doesn’t need any database or PHP interpreter. As a result, the delivery is super fast, and the server gets more time for non-cacheable pages.
Internally, the typo3 extension uses PSR-14 events to control the decision of which page is cacheable. The cache backend is based on the CachingFramework of the core. There are also options to create gzip or brotli versions of the output and there is a “boost mode“ (avoid removing all files here, in case the editor deletes the caches).
Site Crawler
You need a strong cache mechanism in place, and you’d also want to index web pages once the cache is clear. This is simple enough! Just install the Site Crawler extension and each time when you clear the cache, the site crawler will automatically index the page tree. There are also Crawler Libraries and scripts for crawling the TYPO3 page tree, and for re-caching, re-indexing, publishing applications etc.
Cookieman
Cookieman is a TYPO3 extension that enables asking for user consent before including “something” (see below) into HTML. The main intention is to defer loading of data protection (especially European GDPR) relevant objects until the user has consented to using them.
Cookieman uses the term “Tracking Objects”, which it understands as any HTML snippet that requires user consent. This commonly includes script and img tags for third party systems that process personal data and which do not identify as “legitimate reasons” as defined by EU regulations.
“Tracking Objects” are grouped together into “Groups”. After a user consents to a “Group”, the comprised “Tracking Objects” get included into HTML. This, for example, executes the respective JavaScript inside a script tag. This allows for a wide range of applications, including “consent”-walls for Youtube videos or Google Maps API usages.
If a user revokes consent of a previously consented group, configured HTML cookies will be removed from the browser.The configuration is done purely in TypoScript – heads up for those expecting a backend GUI – there is none!
There are many examples of tracking objects included, for example, for Google Analytics, Matomo, and Facebook. Tracking objects can include more information about themselves by translatable texts and their type (cookie, localstorage, etc.) The extension is fully translatable and includes a stable JavaScript API for accessing and setting consents.
It currently includes fully accessible default templates for Bootstrap 3, 4 and 5 in two different styles: popup (modal) and banner. It will support TYPO3 v8 until the current TYPO3 master Cookieman Extension is developed and supported by d-mind.
[clickstorm] SEO
Clickstorm SEO helps you to optimize your TYPO3 for search engines like Google or Bing. The features described here are just a few highlights.
On the one hand, cs_seo offers many tools for editors. The editor can see how the current page will look as a search result on Google (SERP), or add JSON-LD data. Furthermore the editor can analyse whether important on-page SEO aspects are fulfilled, like the recommended length of the meta description.
Two modules are also provided: one to easily manage the metadata of multiple pages, and the other to add alternative texts to images that are missing them. With these tools, editors can take care of Search Engine Optimization while working with TYPO3.
On the other hand, the extension also provides excellent features for developers. If you have a detail page that shows a single record, like a news entry or a job offer, cs_seo ensures that the correct metadata for this record is rendered. In addition, there will be fields belonging to SEO available in the TYPO3 backend for your editors, like the Open Graph Fields.
The extension also takes care of your canonical and href-lang tags. It checks if you are on a detail page of a record and if a translation of your record is available. Most importantly, only allowed parameters are added to your canonical and href-lang tags. Spam URLs can be indexed.
News System
The extension News System covers one of the most needed use cases of a website – displaying organized content in chronological order. The first official release already dates back nearly 10 years (September 2011). Since then, the extension has been maintained and further developed by Georg Ringer, TYPO3 developer and TYPO3 core team member, located in Linz, Austria.
However, providing and rendering articles is only one part of its extensive set of features, which also includes:
- Administration backend module for editors
- Categories & tags to structure articles
- Plugins to filter articles by various attributes
- Support for SEO & Social sharing
Apart from the functionalities, the extension is used by many other developers for guidance and as a best practice regarding the implementation of extensions.
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Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO Premium for TYPO3 makes it really easy to create the kind of killer content that search engines love. Yoast is a powerful SEO plugin that offers various features to optimize your website SEO for Google and other search engines. It provides all the technical SEO features you need, making it a complete platform for website on-page optimization.
Heise Shariff
The Shariff extension for TYPO3 is an integration of the popular Shariff library for GDPR compliant integration of Social Media Sharing links into a website. The extension allows you to conveniently add the sharing links to any page by using the provided plugin. Moreover, it allows for simple integration with any Fluid template by using the provided Viewhelper.
It can be configured using the usual methods for TYPO3. Depending on your needs, the Shariff extension offers various ways to incorporate the sharing buttons into the website, with or without jQuery or Font Awesome icons. Of course, the Shariff TYPO3 extension also lets you show the “like counter” for each service (if provided by the service). Enabling this feature is just a matter of setting a few configuration options.
Shariff is currently compatible with all officially supported TYPO3 versions.
Maps2
The maps2 extension allows you to display various maps on a website. It can show maps from Google Maps or from Open Street Maps (or even a mix). A GDPR feature can be switched on as well, where the request is only sent to the Google/OSM servers after a visitor has agreed to it.
POIs (points of interest) can be added as markers, lines (e.g. a trail), circles (e.g. evacuation radius) or areas (e.g. commercial zones in a city). Different markers can be used for each category, so you can create a map with hotels, restaurants, public transportation, etc.
Each marker can display data in a small pop-up window when clicked.
The editor typically only enters an address or place name to set a marker. If the marker is not shown at the exact location, it can be dragged around.
The extension can be used either as a stand-alone or in conjunction with other extensions. Records from the tt_address extension can be shown, as well as the location of events when using the events2 extension.
The extension is actively maintained and is available for all TYPO3 versions.
FEMANAGER
The Extension femanager (aka „Frontend User Manager“) provides various features that optimize a frontend user registration. Editors can easily select fields that should be shown during user registration. The product owner Stefan Busemann recommends taking a closer look that the TypoScript configuration. Most settings can be highly customized by using TS.
User Registrations can be setup as “simple registrations”, “double opt in”, “admin confirmation”, “invitation” and also a user is able to edit its own profile.
The extension is available since 2013 and maintained by in2code. Currently, it supports TYPO3 8, 9 and 10 – support for TYPO3 11 is in development.
How to Install TYPO3 Extensions
Installing TYPO3 extensions is quite easy.
1- Download the Extension Zip file.
2- Login to the backend of TYPO3.
3- Open the extension manager module from the left panel.
4- Hit upload from the top bar.
5- Select and upload the zip file and install the extension.
The Bottom Line
By using the right Typo3 extensions for your web applications, you can start to increase engagement, performance and security, and deliver a better experience at your website. Apart from that, if you want to experience the extraordinary performance for your Typo3 website, give managed Typo3 hosting a shot.
We would love to hear if you are using a typo3 extension that we missed out on. Let us know how your experience was in the comments section below!
Shahzeb Ahmed
Shahzeb is a Digital Marketer with a Software Engineering background, works as a Community Manager — PHP Community at Cloudways. He is growth ambitious and aims to learn & share information about PHP & Laravel Development through practice and experimentation. He loves to travel and explore new ideas whenever he finds time. Get in touch with him at [email protected]
