Introducing individual extensions is one thing – experiencing them working together is quite another. That is precisely why we created the Webconsulting TYPO3 Lab: a DDEV-based feature environment where modern TYPO3 v14 components run together – from visual editing and workspaces to search, themes, and AI integration.
As such, this article also serves as the common thread linking our series of extensions: everything we have introduced individually can be experienced here in unison.
Table of Contents
Overview
What the lab is – and how it came about.
What is included
The components working together.
Installation
Ready to go in just a few DDEV commands.
How it has evolved
From a demo setup to a feature lab.
Overview
The TYPO3 Lab is a DDEV-based playground for TYPO3 14.3. It includes the Visual Editor, workspace editing, API-driven content workflows, Desiderio theme rendering, custom record list views, Solr search, and a companion News API Studio application. The goal is not to deliver a finished product, but rather a reproducible environment where features can be realistically tested and combined.
The lab originated from the Visual Editor DDEV demo setup by Kanti (anders und sehr). We used this setup and gradually expanded the environment into a broader feature lab.
The lab consistently targets TYPO3 v14.3 LTS. The included site package is versioned as 14.0.0 and exclusively supports TYPO3 v14. DDEV (Docker/OrbStack) is used as the local development environment.
What is Included
The real appeal of the lab lies in how everything works together. The following components interlock – each highly useful on its own, and together forming a modern TYPO3 stack.
The components of the lab – from editing and frontend to search and API/AI.
| Component | Role in the Lab |
|---|---|
| Visual Editor | Frontend page editing directly within the preview. |
| Workspaces & Easy Workspace | Drafting, approval, and one-click publishing. |
| Desiderio + Camino | shadcn/ui-based theme and a classic demo theme. |
| Records List Types/Examples | Grid, teaser, catalogue, and timeline views in the backend. |
| Apache Solr | Enterprise search with numbered pagination. |
| sg-apicore, MCP, WorkOS | API layer, AI tool integration, and authentication. |
| News API Studio | Next.js/Electron client for editing EXT:news via the API. |
Key integrations in detail: Frontend editing is handled by the Visual Editor. Search is powered by Apache Solr for TYPO3 (EXT:solr), preconfigured in the lab with numbered pagination. For API-based editorial workflows, the lab demonstrates a WorkOS-backed login as well as MCP tooling, which makes the TYPO3 backend context accessible to AI assistants.
We present the corresponding extensions in detail in their own dedicated articles:
Records List Types
Grid, compact, and teaser views for the record list module. → To article
Records List Examples
Six ready-to-use views as an extension. → To article
Desiderio
shadcn/ui design as a native TYPO3 theme. → To article
Easy Workspace
Publish content with a single click. → To article
Installation
The lab runs as a DDEV project. Prerequisites are an installed DDEV environment and a running instance of Docker or OrbStack.
cp config/system/settings.php.example config/system/settings.php
ddev start
ddev composer install
ddev import-db --file=dump.sql.gz
mkdir -p .tarballs
curl -L -o .tarballs/fileadmin.tar.gz \
https://curt.at/downloads/typo3-lab/fileadmin-v1.2.0.tar.gz
ddev import-files --source=.tarballs/fileadmin.tar.gz
ddev typo3 extension:setup
ddev typo3 cache:flushThe database dump (dump.sql.gz) is located in the GitHub repository. The fileadmin archive (~120 MB, containing demo media and FAL assets) is provided by curt.at.
Afterwards, ddev launch /typo3/module/web/edit opens the TYPO3 backend. The lab comes with several demo sites – including a Camino theme, blog demos, and topic-specific sample pages – which can be accessed via local DDEV URLs.
The file config/system/settings.php is – just like .ddev/config.local.yaml – gitignored for good reason: secrets such as API keys and encryption keys do not belong in the repository, but should instead be loaded via getenv() calls or stored in local, non-versioned configuration files.
How It Has Evolved
The starting point was Kanti's Visual Editor DDEV demo. From this, a significantly broader environment has grown – without sacrificing the original goal of simple reproducibility.
Visual Editor DDEV Demo (Kanti)
Shared Site Package
Theme & Search
Backend Views & API
News API Studio
Frequently Asked Questions
Conclusion
The TYPO3 Lab demonstrates how modern components – visual editing, workspaces, a token-based theme, enterprise search, and AI integration – fit together to form a consistent TYPO3 v14 stack. For us, it serves as both a workshop and a showcase; for interested parties, it provides a reproducible starting point to experience the extensions presented here in context.
Our thanks go to Kanti (anders und sehr) for the excellent Visual Editor DDEV setup. We build upon this setup and have added the site package, Desiderio, Solr, record list views, API/MCP tooling, WorkOS login, and News API Studio. The core of the demo setup was created by Kanti; dkd (Apache Solr for TYPO3) and the TYPO3 Core Team provide further key technical components. The lab is licensed under the GPL-2.0.