Umbraco 12 and beyond: Insights from our Lead Developer

In the ever-evolving world of web development, staying abreast of the latest technologies and frameworks is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge. Umbraco, one of our favourite open-source content management systems (CMSs), recently released its latest version, Umbraco 12. Keep reading to find out our thoughts on Umbraco 12 and its future roadmap.  

So what new features can we expect from Umbraco 12?

• The introduction of an all-new headless Content Delivery API  
• Support for Entity Framework Core  
• Built on .NET 7 + ASP.NET Core 7  
• Improved performance  

This version is classed as 'short-term support', so if you do not require headless capabilities or have a need to create custom database tables then there may not be a good reason to upgrade at this time. Every fourth major version (so every 2 years) will be a long-term supported (LTS) version and is aligned with LTS versions of the underlying .NET framework, so you might want to consider waiting for Umbraco 13 which is currently tracking for a release date of December 14^th 2023.   

Headless CMS capabilities

The first of two exciting additions in Umbraco 12 is its improved headless CMS capabilities. The headless CMS allows developers to separate the content management backend from the frontend presentation layer, enabling greater flexibility and scalability when building applications. Whether you are looking to build a website, mobile app, smartwatch, voice assistant, or integrating content with any other platform or service, the same content can be delivered consistently.   

Support for Entity Framework Core  

Umbraco 12 also introduces support for the popular EF Core (Entity Framework Core) library. The EF Core support added in Umbraco 12 is focused on making 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.  

The future roadmap  

Looking ahead, Umbraco has an exciting roadmap of features that they are planning to adopt in further releases from Umbraco 13 onwards. Here’s some of the features we’re most looking forward to:

Modernised User Interface 

Umbraco is working on a new back-office, adopting a more modern and intuitive design. The interface enhancements make it easier for content editors and developers to navigate the CMS, reducing the learning curve and increasing overall productivity.  

Enhanced multilingual support 

Umbraco recognises the growing need for multilingual content management and aims to strengthen its multilingual capabilities. Future updates will focus on providing seamless translation workflows, language-specific content variations, and improved localisation tools.  

Further performance improvements 

Umbraco's developers are always looking for ways to further improve the performance of both the delivery of content and the content management administration area. Performance improvements to look forward to are support for lazy-loaded content cache as well as the latest .NET core versions.  

Embracing new technologies 

Umbraco has always been at the forefront of embracing modern technologies, and the future roadmap reflects this commitment. The inclusion of upcoming features like support for .NET 8, improved cloud integration, and increased accessibility compliance are particularly exciting prospects.  

Umbraco 12 along with its future roadmap presents a compelling vision for companies wishing to adopt this CMS with the current and future versions offering an even more seamless, efficient and secure experience. We fully expect Umbraco to continue evolving, staying at the forefront of web technology whilst at the same time delivering solutions that empower businesses.  

26 is proud to be an Umbraco Gold Partner delivering innovative, user-friendly websites to suit businesses of all shapes and sizes. For a friendly chat about anything we’ve raised in this article and how we might help your organisation to build its digital future (Umbraco-based or not), why not get in touch?