Choosing the base of a bundle
This page is for bundlers deciding what their bundle starts from. Exponential 6 ships in two shapes: on its own
(the package se7enxweb/exponential), and inside the Exponential Platform distributions Legacy and Nexus,
which add a Symfony stack beside it. Each shape has its own installer, PHP range and update path, so the choice
shapes every later page of your bundle.
Contents
- The candidates
- The facts that decide it
- Decision table
- A note on Exponential Platform DXP
- Record your choice
The candidates
| Base | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Exponential 6 | The CMS kernel, its required extensions and designs; installed with the setup wizard, the kickstarter or exp:install | composer.json of se7enxweb/exponential; Exponential 6 as a base |
| Exponential Platform Legacy | "Dual Kernel Symfony CMS which also includes a full copy of Exponential 6" (README); lines 2.5.x to 5.0.x | Who is the Exponential Foundation? |
| Exponential Platform Nexus | A ready-made website project: Platform, Exponential Layouts, demo content; the 1.0.0.x to 1.2.0.x lines and the 2.5 tags carry the legacy kernel, the 1.3.0.x line (Platform v5) does not | Exponential Platform Nexus |
The facts that decide it
| Fact | Exponential 6 | Legacy | Nexus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exponential 6 kernel inside | yes | yes (se7enxweb/exponential and se7enxweb/legacy-bridge) | 1.0.0.x to 1.2.0.x and 2.5: yes; 1.3.0.x and the v5 starter: no |
| Symfony stack | no | yes | yes |
| Installer | setup wizard, kickstarter, exp:install | the distribution's own; see its README | exponential:install (types such as exponential-media) |
| PHP | 8.0 to 8.5 for 6.0.15 (composer.json) | per line, see its README | per line: 1.3.0.x needs PHP 8.4 or newer |
| Databases | SQLite 3 (default), PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, Oracle, MySQL | per line | the v5 starter: SQLite, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL |
| Layouts page builder | Exponential Layouts (required since 6.0.15) | per line | Exponential Layouts |
| Demo content | site packages with or without demo content | per line | the Nexus demo (exponential-media) |
Nexus facts: Exponential Platform Nexus. Exponential 6 facts: Database support, Chapter 2: Requirements.
Note
Always name a version when you install Nexus with Composer: composer create-project se7enxweb/exponential-platform-nexus without a version picks the upstream 3.1.6, which "is the upstream
netgen/media-site, not a Nexus release" (Nexus).
Decision table
| Your bundle | Base |
|---|---|
| A hosting one-click install, a container, a server image of "the CMS" | Exponential 6 |
| A bundle for shared hosting without a shell | Exponential 6 (the setup wizard needs only a browser) |
| A bundle that must run on PHP 8.0 to 8.3 | Exponential 6 (6.0.15 line), or a Legacy or Nexus line that supports that PHP |
| A bundle for teams that want Symfony and Twig beside Exponential 6 | Legacy |
| A complete demo website with layouts and content, for agencies | Nexus (choose the line by the platform generation you want) |
| A bundle for an existing Exponential site that must keep running | Exponential 6, or Legacy when Symfony is wanted next to it |
A note on Exponential Platform DXP
Exponential Platform DXP is a separate, Symfony-only product. It has no legacy kernel, no layouts editor, no approval workflow and no scheduler (Who is the Exponential Foundation?). The pages of this section are about bundles that carry Exponential 6; if you bundle DXP, take its facts from its own repository and do not apply these pages to it unchecked.
Record your choice
Base: Exponential 6 / Legacy <line> / Nexus <line>
Exact version: <tag>
PHP range we support: <from> to <to>
Database(s): <list>
Installer we call: exp:install / kickstarter / exponential:install
Why this base: <one sentence>Copy it into the Bundle worksheet.
Related pages
- Exponential 6 as a base
- Platform distributions as a base
- Versions, tags and pinning
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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