What It Does

The Component Update URL setting in JCB inserts Joomla-compliant update server information into your component's manifest during compilation. This enables Joomla to:

• Check for newer versions of your component
• Download and install updates automatically
• Trust the source using your defined metadata

Where It Lives

In JCB, you'll find the "Update Server URL" field within the Component Settings panel. Here you can:

• Enter one or more update URLs
• Choose the version compatibility (e.g. only for J4+, J5+, etc.)
• Define the release type (e.g. stable, testing, dev)
• Set the update server as default or optional

How It Works

During compile:

• JCB injects <updateservers> into your component's XML manifest
• This includes all the URLs, types, and attributes you defined in the GUI
• Joomla reads this when installing or updating the component
• Joomla polls that URL on the update schedule (daily or manually)

When a new version is found:

• Joomla displays the update in the Extension Manager → Update tab
• Clicking "Update" downloads and installs the latest release automatically

Use Cases

• 🌍 Remote Package Delivery
  Host your updates on a private Git repo, CDN, or your own update server.
• 🧪 Multiple Channels
  Provide different update paths (e.g. Stable, Beta, Nightly) with version tags and filtering.
• 🔐 Controlled Rollouts
  Deliver updates only to customers or sites with access to specific update servers.
• 🎛️ Dynamic Integration
  Combine this feature with JCB’s Git sync and packaging system to automate end-to-end delivery.

Benefits

• ✅ No need to manually edit manifest XML
• ✅ Fine-grained version and release control
• ✅ GUI-driven, with safe compile-time validation
• ✅ Seamless Joomla integration using core update logic
• ✅ Works with both J4 and J5 extensions

Best Practices

• Use separate update URLs for different environments (e.g. dev, prod)
• Host an XML update manifest that points to the actual ZIP downloads
• Include a changelog and hash in the update metadata for trust
• Test the update server response using Joomla’s built-in "Find Updates"

Example XML Added to Manifest

<updateservers>
  <server type="extension" name="JCB Update Server">https://yourdomain.com/updates/extension.xml</server>
</updateservers>

Conclusion

By managing your update URLs directly from the JCB interface, you make it easy to distribute, track, and manage updates for your Joomla components — whether open-source, internal, or commercial. It’s the professional way to deliver long-term value with minimal friction.

Summary

Easily manage Joomla update server URLs for your components directly from the JCB GUI. This feature allows you to define where Joomla should look for future updates of the compiled extension — without having to write XML or edit update server files manually.