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Joomla is a popular open-source content management system (CMS) that is also used to create websites. It is very versatile and scalable such that it can be used to build anything from simple personal websites to sophisticated company-wide intranets. It has an extensive (and expanding) library of plug-ins that enables it to expand the functionality of Joomla-based websites to limitless possibilities. It is scalable enough for a company to start with a small website and expand by adding plug-ins along the way with very little fuss. It is a common feature in the development of school websites, church websites, real estate websites, e-commerce, small business websites, corporate intranets, hotel and tourism websites, non-profit organization websites, government office websites, and community portals.

Joomla is free for download, and most of its plug-ins, themes, templates and other features are also free. Development services are therefore very low-cost. For those who wish to create their own websites, the learning curve is not too steep. There are many free learning materials and video clips available online. Joomla's community of users are also very accommodating when answering any kind of Joomla-related questions. It will not take a lot of time to get the hang of things, although professional developers generally create more cohesive and sophisticated-looking websites.

Joomla's community of enthusiasts and developers is one of the most active IT-related communities, with 200,000 members regularly participating in their online forums and creating and contributing not only plug-ins, but themes, templates and other features as well. This active development of extensions results in tremendous possibilities for Joomla-based websites. These extensions number by the thousands, and this is where Joomla beats its rivals, including Drupal and WordPress. Many of the extensions are available at the official Joomla extensions website http://extensions.joomla.org/, although independent developers also publish their own creations. Though most are free, some are available for a small fee. Once downloaded, they are can be reused anyway.

Joomla's rivals have much fewer capabilities that are readily available. Another great Joomla feature that surpass its rivals are its security and administration levels. It has in-built user management, search, template management, polls and integrated help capabilities. Additionally Joomla websites can be reconfigured to be more SEO-friendly by installing extensions.

Joomla, together with its extensions, makes it a worthwhile alternative to web development using full-on web development languages and framework which tends to lean on the pricier side. With Joomla, owners will not only get websites that are stylish, but also full-featured and "functionalitively" extensive, thanks to its vast library of extensions. These extensions are as almost robust and powerful as web apps, and most of them are able to interface readily with other systems. This is particularly useful to businesses which require various back-end systems, such as point-of-sale, payment and finance, to integrate and submit information to each other. Web developers will not require a lot of time and money to implement any changes. Website owners, consequently, will get their results in a quick and budget-friendly manner.

With Joomla development, good things indeed come in small packages through its extensions.