The Future of MODX

Security-wise, is Modx a stable system going into the future?

@cwork What do you mean by this?

Do you mean is it a good choice to use MODX because it’s going to continue to be developed and maintained? We’re constantly working to improve security and closing even some of the most esoteric potential security reports outside those that require manager access with a sudo user (which can basically do anything inside of MODX or on the file system).

MODX has been around since 2005 and we are readying MODX Revolution 3 for beta release. Once beta release is done and we release MODX 3, we’ll be supporting MODX 2 and 3 while we consider the next MODX. We care deeply about making the most flexible, high-performing and secure CMS out there.

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This was indeed an issue before, but that has been addressed already. An HTTP header is set, which indicates that the site is powered by MODX:

Enabled by default, but you can disable it with a system setting:

Thanks for pointing that out. You’re right: different people, different preferences :slight_smile: I also use MIGX a lot, especially in combination with data from custom tables. It’s perfect for creating structure, but in my experience it falls short when it comes to presentation. Before ContentBlocks, I also had some responsive options built into templates and the RTE (TVs with content blocks or sidebar widgets, premade HTML snippets, etc), but that always felt limited and hacky. And although some clients are OK with MIGX, it’s a bit of an acquired taste. Try sorting items in MIGX:

You’d think you can move it up and down with those arrows, but you actually have to press an arrow in another row, to place the selected item before or after that item. Usability is terrible sometimes.

Compare that to ContentBlocks, where you can drag and drop everything, not just up and down, but also sideways between columns. Exactly how it’s positioned on a desktop display:

I think the confusion with ContentBlocks starts when you add the same kind of content on different pages. Then it becomes messy pretty quickly, where you don’t know anymore what you did on which page. Take a testimonial for example. You can create a ContentBlock where editors can enter some text, a picture, a link, etc, but then they become scattered across the website. For some people, that’s fine. But I also prefer to keep content in one place as much as possible. So I’d make a collection with testimonials, and then a ContentBlock for loading a selection of these testimonials (possibly with some filtering by tag / category) somewhere in the content. This also means it only takes 1 edit to change the content of the testimonial across the site. Same can be done with other reusable kinds of content, like team members, portfolio items, CTAs, etc.

It’s really up to the developer to set up ContentBlocks in a way that makes sense to the editors. My clients keep telling me that they would never want to have it any other way, even after trying many alternatives. So for us, ContentBlocks is that game changer, keeping us with MODX :slight_smile:

Yes, I always disable that, as I think other security-minded people probably do, so that hackers can’t easily see what’s powering my websites.

I use MODX to dish up pages securely without exposing my PHP code, and bootstrap to do the responsive stuff. I find the flexibility of MODX is it’s main asset. I use WordPress for my sites that are edited by others who don’t know code but I use MODX when I’m the only contributor.

I would hate to see MODX go in the direction of WordPress although I appreciate that to make it appeal to the masses it would need to be mouse driven. So long as the ability to upload static resources and snippets is still possible I will use it.

Being an old-school programmer I prefer and find it much faster to write code offline then upload it compared to having to click around in a GUI waiting for it to refresh all the time.
I also try to minimize using add-ons/plugins because they require you to keep checking for updates, and when you do update one it can break the site.

What I have read about the wonderful work that the MODX team are doing for MODX 3 seems to be focused a lot on the manager. Obviously I use the manager to get a site set up, but I mostly code offline then FTP files into static resources and snippets.

I’ve tried many Content Management Systems over the years and I can’t think of a single one I would like to switch to instead of MODX. I admit the learning curve can be steep sometimes, but if you reach for help, the support of the MODX family is incredible and I pay my huge respect to anyone driving this project. I will definitely stick around and keep building my new sites with MODX!

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Not sure what you mean here. You can drag and drop rows in MIGX.

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Also for MIGXdb there is a dragable grid

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I also worry about the future of modx sometimes, we need to get more people on board and using it I feel the commuinity is to small and to many people end up using other systems.I tried to mess with other systems such as october CMS, drupal, craft but I did not like certain things and always come back to modx. modx right now makes up basically all website builds I do.

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Hi @snowcreative and @bruno17. I wasn’t aware this can be done in MIGXdb grids as well. Sorry if I missed that!

I created a new topic for that: How to change position of items with drag&drop in MIGXdb grids?. Let’s not hijack this one.

Then you might be interested in this proposal / discussion:

Hey guys,
what are your thoughts about the future of modx in 2023?
Are we getting more users/developers on board?

I have recently become more excited about using MODX, ever since I started using Tailwind, AlpineJS, GSAP and HTMX I simply can’t stop thinking about things that can be made with MODX that includes all the ‘cool stuff’ of modern times…

Slick animations, AJAX froms, page transitions, ecommerce (Thx MODMORE!) I truly feel I can provide this now in a very nicely configured MODX CMS that clients love (after some demo and explaining).

Do feel MODX needs a big marketing boost and badly needs to be more in the picture with web developers and designers. This is one of the lacking things now.

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I was an enthusiastic adopter of Modx Evolution and built a number of local government websites on the platform, and invested a few years into building sites on Revo. As years went by I began to lose out on lucrative web projects where bidding firms would pitch the merits of Wordpress, in particular. Revo had started to show some age at that point, and it became increasingly more difficult to convince prospective clients during my RFP presentations that Modx was a healthy, actively supported CMS when clearly updates were few and far between, and crucial plugins have not been updated in many months, years in some cases.

I’ve long since adopted Wordpress and have developed an expertise on the platform over the past several years. It was a gamble that paid off as it has a huge market share and there’s always work. But I miss Modx and wish it would have progressed more than it has.

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I completely understand where you’re coming from, and your experience with MODX Evolution and Revo resonates with my own sentiments. MODX has always had a special place for those of us who appreciate its flexibility and capabilities.

It’s true that MODX faced challenges over the years, especially when it comes to keeping up with the ever-evolving web development landscape. The rise of WordPress and its dominance in the market certainly made it difficult for MODX to compete on a commercial scale.

I’m glad to hear that you found success with WordPress, as it indeed has a massive user base and offers numerous opportunities for web professionals. However, it’s bittersweet to hear that you miss MODX and wish it had progressed further. Many of us who have worked with MODX share the same sentiment, as it truly had (and still has) a lot of potential.

While it might not be at the forefront of the industry anymore, MODX still has a loyal community of users and developers who continue to support and appreciate the platform’s unique strengths. Perhaps in the future, there will be a resurgence of interest in MODX, or new developments that rekindle its popularity.

In the meantime, your expertise in both MODX and WordPress gives you a valuable perspective and a diverse skill set. You never know when MODX might come back into the spotlight, or when your deep knowledge of both platforms will prove to be a significant asset in your career. Keep an eye on the MODX community, and who knows what opportunities may arise in the future.

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Thanks for the feedback! I have used WordPress in the past but never understood why it is so populair…

But still facts are facts, MODX is just a tiny fraction of the WordPress ecosystem, so I totally understand your sentiment. In the past I have had clients who asked for a WordPress site (without any technical know how) and I try to explain why I use MODX. And I have lost potential clients that wanted me to work in WordPress…

I would love it if MODX was more prominent in the web design world… Would make marketing a lot easier.

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We have also lost work to Wordpress but, for us, this is not a problem. A client who wants to dictate what technologies we use for a project is not a client we want to work with. A good client understands that they have hired us for our expertise in this area and should trust our judgement in such matters. A client who does not understand this will be a headache to work with and we’re happy to let them go.

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Now there are many in this thread who mention Wordpress as an alternative to Modx. But let’s face it: Wordpress is not a CMS but a blogging tool, primarily aimed at those who have nothing to say. The security is crap, even the developer behind it has admitted that the code behind it is unmanageable… Of course you can slap up a website with Wordpress and some extensions and a theme, but the output is still crap.
Drupal lacks so much in terms of usability.
But Modx has so many advantages: You have full control over what is outputted. Personally, I have e.g. made a website with approx. 80,000 pages where users can download PDFs where Illustrator files, with color management, have been inserted in 11 different languages including Chinese - which was the biggest problem. The design was determined, but the users had to enter something themselves.
That’s why you need to use a real CMS!
Having said that: Modx has a big problem with clarifying itself and advertising itself. And if Jason Coward (opengeek) quits for some reason, then we all have a very big problem. He will be hard to replace!

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The focus should absolutely not be on competition like WordPress, but only on get the MODX name and what is useful for known…

I just wish more marketing would be done somehow, not sure how to adress it.

I’m not a professional in that I don’t get paid for the sites I create. I use both MODX and Wordpress for my sites. MODX for the sites where I am the sole maintainer and WP for those where others make posts. The MODX sites are very rapid but the WP ones are horribly slow, even when hosted on the same server.

Is it even possible to create a MODX site and hand it over to folks who do not code? I don’t think MODX and WP have the same aims in that respect. That alone restricts use of MODX to coders.

What I love about MODX is the flexibility and speed, I would not want them to be sacrificed for the sake of ease of operation. Turning MODX into a direct competitor with WP would be massively hard to achieve and would not be likely to succeed.

MODX could do with better documentation but we all know how time consuming creating that can be, I should really offer to help rather that criticize.

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