Joomla in Faces. Interview with Ariadne Pinheiro (DevOps)

Published: 20 December 2025
Last modified: 31 December 2025

Ariadne

Eugene

For over two decades, Ariadne Pinheiro has been at the intersection of technology and human-centric design. A systems analyst and digital business consultant with an MBA in IT Management, she brings a unique perspective to DevOps and community building. Beyond her professional expertise, Ariadne is a passionate voice in the Joomla community as a Portuguese forum moderator and a frequent speaker at tech events across Brazil. Today, we sit down with her to explore her journey and insights with Joomla.

1. Please tell us a few words about yourself

I am Ariadne Pinheiro, a systems analyst with 22 years of experience. I hold a degree in Computer Systems from the Federal Fluminense University (UFF) and an MBA in IT Management, Projects, and Services from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). As a digital business consultant, I specialize in technology analysis that prioritizes the human experience. I am also a mother and a technology enthusiast based in Brazil.

2. Your first encounter with Joomla: how did it happen?

As a technology enthusiast since my youth (back in the early 2000s), I discovered Joomla while researching tools to support my work as a web designer. I stopped using tools like Dreamweaver in 2007 when I felt ready to use Joomla and its supporting ecosystem (such as themes and extensions) maturely and professionally.

3. How do you contribute to the Joomla community?

I've had the opportunity to organize a regional event (two days, at a university) in my hometown of Rio de Janeiro.

Tim

I actively participate in technology events in Brazil as a speaker and workshop facilitator, offering hands-on practice for beginners, enthusiasts, and public servants who maintain government portals that officially use Joomla. I've had the opportunity to organize a regional event (two days, at a university) in my hometown of Rio de Janeiro.

I've also been the lead translator for the Brazilian Portuguese version and am currently a moderator of the Joomla Forum in Brazilian Portuguese.

4. What motivates you to do this?

I am motivated by the desire to reciprocate the support I received early in my career. I enjoy assisting colleagues who use Joomla as a professional or personal solution.

5. Joomla in Brazil has a strong community. Is it centralized, or are there various teams and places for discussion, like groups on Facebook and Telegram?

We are very proud of the extensive network of enthusiasts and professionals who remain involved in various discussion spaces (such as the Brazilian Portuguese communities on Facebook and Telegram groups), sharing knowledge, tutorials, translating support materials, and keeping the flame of collaboration alive, especially among newcomers to the tool.

On photo: Ariadne Pinheiro

6. As a moderator of the Joomla Forum in Portuguese, how would you describe the average user now compared to 15 years ago? Are the questions more developer-oriented or for beginners? It would be interesting to understand how mature the Joomla ecosystem is after a decade and what users typically ask about.

The average user on the Brazilian Portuguese Joomla Forum is more likely a prospective developer seeking solutions to specific errors rather than a beginner struggling with basic issues like the software installation process. This maturity is achieved thanks to free, high-quality Portuguese content created by Brazilians proficient in the tool, like practical tutorials and video lessons on platforms like YouTube.

7. As a DevOps and Systems Analyst, how would you evaluate Joomla as a solution for high-load projects and sites with high traffic?

As a DevOps and Systems Analyst, I consider Joomla a robust CMS capable of supporting high-traffic websites when integrated into a well-planned architecture.

Ariadne

As a DevOps and Systems Analyst, I consider Joomla a robust CMS capable of supporting high-traffic websites when integrated into a well-planned architecture. The core of the latest versions is lightweight, compatible with modern PHP, and performance-focused, which helps with responsiveness under load. For high-load projects, the critical point is not just Joomla itself, but its combination with good infrastructure practices: multi-layered caching, CDN, load balancing, and an optimized database. It is also essential to control the use of extensions and plugins, prioritizing well-maintained solutions and avoiding unnecessary overload on the core. Finally, I see the tool as a mature platform suitable for large volumes of access when combined with a modern stack and good DevOps practices.

8. What key advantages of Joomla would you highlight?

I highlight three key advantages that I believe set Joomla apart, making it a versatile platform for projects that require structure, security, and content scalability:

Native multilingual support, which allows you to create and maintain websites in multiple languages without relying on extra extensions. For corporate and governmental projects with international operations, this is a distinct advantage;
Advanced user and permissions management (ACL), which allows you to configure very granular roles and access levels. This feature is ideal for intranets, member portals, and collaborative environments with many different profiles;
The flexibility of the ecosystem of extensions, modules, and components, which allows you to adapt the CMS to very varied scenarios. The template system is also very robust, facilitating deep customizations of layout and visual identity.

9. What do you think needs to be improved in Joomla's infrastructure to make it even better?

I suggest three areas for improvement in the Joomla infrastructure:

Stronger standardization of the hosting environments, encouraging the use of recommended PHP and database versions, as well as minimum performance configurations. This would reduce performance and compatibility issues that often stem from poorly configured servers;
More mature native tools for automation and DevOps, such as a more complete CLI, easier integration with containers, and official examples of CI/CD pipelines. This would greatly help with repeatable deployments, secure rollback, and dependency management in larger projects;
Official performance and security guides, with clear recommendations for caching, CDN, server and database tuning for different traffic levels. Reference architecture models (from low to high traffic) would give technical teams a more concrete direction to grow safely and stably.

10. Joomla is turning 20. What are your thoughts on this milestone?

This is an impressive milestone of longevity and maturity in such a competitive CMS ecosystem. Since the Mambo fork in 2005, it has evolved into a robust platform with millions of downloads and a presence on global government, corporate, and educational websites. This longevity reflects a dedicated community, consistent updates (such as Joomla 4 and 5, focusing on performance and security), and the ability to adapt to modern technologies like PHP 8+.

While many CMSs come and go, Joomla maintains relevance due to its flexibility, native multilingual support, and advanced ACL. At 20 years old, it is not only a survivor but a strategic choice for complex projects that need structure without sacrificing scalability.