TYPO3 in Bremen
A TYPO3 website in Bremen needs a service provider for whatever is due next — and for everything that follows: a new build or relaunch, a maintenance contract, an extension that stopped working after the last update, or the move to TYPO3 v14. Sharpness Solutions GmbH has worked with TYPO3 since 2004 and handles all four — on our own projects and on systems another agency built. Our office is in Oldenburg, around 50 minutes from Bremen via the A28; we do not have one in Bremen. We arrange meetings with you in Bremen when they settle something and do the ongoing work remotely. New projects start on TYPO3 v14, the current long-term support (LTS) version since April 2026.
The reasons for looking for a TYPO3 agency do not depend on the postcode. In Bremen they are the same as in Oldenburg or Hanover: a system nobody maintains any more, a deadline, a relaunch, a requirement the existing set-up cannot meet. Six starting points come up again and again. What they share is that none of them gets smaller with time.
The developer in charge has moved on, tickets sit unanswered, access details are scattered across three inboxes. The website still runs; nobody knows who would bring it back up in an emergency. A takeover then starts with access and an audit, not with a contract.
Free support for TYPO3 v12 ended on 30 April 2026, for v11 on 31 October 2024. Since then, security fixes have only been available through paid ELTS (Extended Long Term Support) from TYPO3 GmbH. That buys time. It does not settle the question.
The page tree has grown for years; some content elements nobody uses any more, others are missing. Before a relaunch comes the decision on what is carried over, what is rebuilt and what is deleted. Skip it, and the old problems move into the new system.
A custom extension from years ago, or one from the TER, has no release for the next TYPO3 version. Until it is adapted, replaced or rebuilt, the whole installation is stuck at its level — security included.
Departments, institutes or branches maintain their own part of the website. Without clear permissions someone edits pages that are not theirs; without suitable content elements, content goes stale because editing is tedious. That is rarely TYPO3’s fault, usually the set-up’s.
Public bodies in the state of Bremen are covered by Bremen’s own state law on digital accessibility; companies with consumer offerings may fall under the BFSG, Germany’s Accessibility Strengthening Act, which implements the European Accessibility Act. The technical benchmark in both cases is EN 301 549. An outdated template can rarely be retrofitted sensibly.
TYPO3 pays off when a website is more complicated organisationally than technically: many pages, several languages, several sites in one installation, editorial teams with different permissions. In Bremen that describes a broad field — companies in ports and logistics, the food industry or aerospace with sites in several languages, universities and research institutes with many departments, chambers and associations with their own editorial teams. For a lean company website with one language and one editor, TYPO3 is too much; there we build with WordPress and a custom theme. If the website is meant to sell, we couple it with a Shopware shop rather than forcing a shop into the CMS. The right system is the one your editors will still be happy to use in three years.
We build a new TYPO3 website as a Composer installation on TYPO3 v14 LTS. Configuration lives in files and therefore in version control: site configuration and site sets, TypoScript, Fluid templates. Content elements are built with the Content Blocks extension or as custom data structures, tailored to what your editors actually maintain — not as a construction kit with forty options. Permissions are set per page tree, user group and file area, so that each department maintains its own part and nobody else’s. Work happens on a staging system you can reach at any time; the code sits in a Git repository that belongs to you. That way it stays traceable who changed what, and when.
A relaunch starts with an audit of the old site: pages, content elements, files, forms, interfaces and every address search engines know. From that comes a decision for each area — carry over, rebuild or drop — and a redirect list that is checked on the test system before go-live. We plan accessibility in from the start, because adding it later is expensive. M&S Armaturen shows what the result can look like: a multilingual corporate website in which products, sustainability, careers and service sit in one structure, maintained by the company’s own editors, with its Shopware shop connected. More on how we approach new builds and relaunches is on our TYPO3 agency page.
TYPO3 maintenance consists of four jobs: core updates, extension upkeep, keeping PHP and the database current, and answering questions from the editors. We check every TYPO3 security bulletin on the same working day for whether your installation is affected. Updates run on a staging copy first, where the backend, forms, search and email delivery are tested; only then does the deployment go live. On top come backups with regular restore tests, monitoring and a log of the work done — one you can put in front of your management or your data protection officer. What a maintenance contract covers in detail is on our TYPO3 maintenance page.
You set the response time in the service level agreement, in three tiers: 24, 8 or 4 hours, as a flat monthly fee, net. Without an SLA we deal with requests in order of arrival, within 48 hours during our business hours, Mon–Thu 9:00–16:00, Fri 9:00–13:00 (CET). On-call cover outside those hours exists only with an SLA. Ongoing maintenance does not include major upgrades such as the move from v12 to v14, new features or redesigns; we deliver those as separate projects with their own quote. We name the monthly fee after looking at the installation. A price without that look would be an average you end up paying for.
Many TYPO3 installations that come to us were built by someone else. Who that was matters little for a takeover. We need backend access with administrator rights, SSH access to the server, the Git repository and ideally control of the domain and DNS; if the predecessor does not respond, we request access ourselves. Before we commit, we look at the core version, extensions, custom code and hosting and record the starting state in writing. If we find traces of a compromise, we first rebuild the system cleanly. The Bünting Group’s corporate website shows that an existing system can be developed further: Sharpness raised the existing TYPO3 site to BFSG level, with skip links, a contrast mode, adjustable text sizes and full keyboard operation.
For many needs the TYPO3 Extension Repository, or TER, has a ready-made extension, and where it is maintained and fits, building your own would be waste. We build where your process departs from the usual: records that come from another system, imports that run overnight via the scheduler, a backend module for one department, a search across data that does not live in pages. Every extension, whether from the TER or custom-built, is an item that has to be checked with every update. So before we build one, we ask whether it is needed. An extension that is not installed cannot hold up an upgrade.
Technically, we create an extension as a Composer package with its own composer.json: Extbase and Fluid for logic and output, TCA for the data structures, writes through the DataHandler so that permissions, versioning and history apply. It hooks in through the intended routes — PSR-14 events, PSR-15 middlewares, Symfony dependency injection, Symfony Console commands for anything that should run without a browser — never through changes to the core. That pays off at the next upgrade: the Extension Scanner finds outdated calls, and TYPO3 Rector handles a good share of the changes automatically. Like every TYPO3 extension, the code is licensed under the GPL, and it lives in your repository.
Two projects with vehicle stock show what this looks like in practice. At Autohaus Brüggemann — six locations from Rheine to Rostock, eight franchise brands, stock in the four-digit range — the TYPO3 website brings all vehicles together in one shared search, fed from the dealer management system rather than by the editors. At Eschen Nutzfahrzeuge, the stock of used lorries and commercial vehicles is held as structured records, maintainable by the editors and usable on mobile. Extensions written by other agencies we adapt, take into our maintenance or replace where that is cheaper. More on this is on our extension development page.
TYPO3 v14 has been the current LTS version since 21 April 2026 and receives free support until 30 June 2029. TYPO3 v13, the previous LTS, keeps receiving security updates until 31 December 2027. Free support for v12 ended on 30 April 2026, for v11 on 31 October 2024; security fixes for those are only available through paid ELTS from TYPO3 GmbH. For v9 and older there are no security updates at all, not even for a fee. Updates within an LTS line belong to maintenance; the move between major versions is a project. That distinction decides whether something fits into a maintenance window or needs a budget of its own.
An upgrade starts with an audit of the installation and its extensions: which version is running, which extensions have a v14 release, which custom code uses APIs that have since been removed? The Extension Scanner finds such places in your own code, TYPO3 Rector handles a good share of the adaptation automatically, and the rest is manual work. In v14 the main casualties are plugins still registered via list_type — that field no longer exists, and plugins are now registered as a content type of their own — and custom ViewHelpers, for which Fluid 5 requires strict types. Work happens on a test instance, step by step across the LTS versions rather than in one jump. Your website stays live until the switch.
Not every upgrade really is one. From TYPO3 v8 or v9, the way to v14 is technically a rebuild with data migration: content, page structure, files and URLs come across, the code is new. If the front end is outdated anyway, the rebuild often costs less than the rescue attempt. ELTS makes sense as a bridge when a relaunch is already scheduled — as a permanent solution it is expensive. And v13 as an interim target is only worth it if a business-critical extension is not yet available for v14. Which route fits your case is set down in writing after the audit; deadlines, details and the process are on our TYPO3 update page. The decision rests on figures, not on gut feeling.
Sharpness is based in Oldenburg, not in Bremen, and does not pretend otherwise. The distance is short: around 50 minutes via the A28. We arrange meetings in Bremen where they add something — the kick-off of a new build, a conversation about taking over an installation, acceptance before go-live when several departments need a say. The ongoing work on a TYPO3 installation does not happen in a meeting room anyway, but in the repository, on the staging system and in the ticket. That is why we work remotely with clients across Germany, with video calls and fixed contacts. For you, that means meetings when they are useful, and progress without having to travel for it.
You can reach us Mon–Thu 9:00–16:00, Fri 9:00–13:00 (CET) on +49 441 21 21 63 0, and the phone is answered by someone who knows your system — not a call centre passing on a ticket, not a shared inbox. Sharpness Solutions GmbH was founded in 1999, has completed more than 250 projects since then and has used TYPO3 since 2004. That speaks less for size than for continuity: whoever looks after a TYPO3 installation across several major versions needs to know why something was built a certain way five years ago. Projects from north-west Germany show what that means in practice: the Diakonisches Werk Oldenburg with its facilities, services and counselling centres under one roof, the Bünting Group from Leer, Autohaus Brüggemann.
Our standard is hosting and maintenance from a single source. Your installation runs on our own servers: a Proxmox VE cluster in Hetzner’s data centre in Falkenstein, Germany, with each client environment kept separate and a data processing agreement in place. Whoever runs the server also maintains the application — in an incident, nobody has to mediate between a host and an agency. When we take over a system from another host, we first look after it where it runs and move it to our servers after the audit. The domain is always registered in your name, and the source code belongs to you. If a Shopware shop is on the table in Bremen as well as TYPO3, our Bremen page covers both. Either way, the same team stays responsible.
Process
Send us your website’s address and a few sentences about what you need: a new build, maintenance, a takeover, an extension or an upgrade. You get an initial assessment — which version is running, what comes first and what the effort depends on. Phone +49 441 21 21 63 0, Mon–Thu 9:00–16:00, Fri 9:00–13:00 (CET). We arrange meetings in Bremen by agreement and do the ongoing work remotely.
You describe what you need: a new build, maintenance, a takeover, an extension or an upgrade, along with the version, hosting and who looks after the system today. We talk by phone, by video or, by arrangement, at your office in Bremen. If TYPO3 does not suit your project, we say so here — and which system we would use instead.
For existing systems we look at the core version, extensions, custom code, hosting and backups; if access is missing, we request it from the predecessor. For a new build we clarify structure, languages, permissions and interfaces. The result is a written assessment.
You receive the effort in person-days, with separate items for concept, implementation, extensions, data migration and testing. Clearly defined parts we offer at a fixed price. For hosting and maintenance we name the monthly fee for each SLA tier.
New builds, upgrades and extensions are developed on a test system you can reach at any time; your current website stays live. The code sits in a Git repository that belongs to you. Approvals happen on the running system, not on screenshots.
You test against an acceptance checklist: forms, search, interfaces, redirects, editorial workflow. Acceptance can take place at your office in Bremen. The switch happens in the agreed window, with a full backup immediately beforehand.
After that we host and maintain the website on our servers at the agreed SLA tier: assessing bulletins, rolling out updates via staging, checking backups, answering editors’ questions. You reach the same contact as in the first conversation.
Projects on this system
A selection — not the full client list.
Yes, by arrangement — our office in Oldenburg is around 50 minutes away via the A28. A meeting on site makes most sense for the kick-off of a new build, for discussing the takeover of an existing installation, and for acceptance before go-live when several departments need a say. Ongoing development, maintenance and coordination we handle remotely, by phone, video and ticket, with a fixed contact. We do not have an office in Bremen, and we do not claim to.
Yes; who built the installation makes no difference to a takeover — an agency in Bremen, a freelancer or your own IT department. We need backend access with administrator rights, SSH access, the Git repository and ideally control of the domain and DNS; if the predecessor does not respond, we request access ourselves. Before we commit there is an audit with a written assessment. If we find traces of a compromise, we first rebuild the system cleanly. Details are on our TYPO3 maintenance page.
Because with TYPO3 work, experience with the system counts for more than the postcode: updates, extensions and upgrades happen in the repository and on the staging system, not in a meeting room. Sharpness has worked with TYPO3 since 2004, runs its own servers in Germany and covers new builds, extensions, upgrades, hosting and maintenance from a single source. For meetings where several departments should sit at one table, we come to Bremen; around 50 minutes via the A28 is no obstacle. By phone, Mon–Thu 9:00–16:00, Fri 9:00–13:00 (CET), you reach someone who knows your system.
For new projects, TYPO3 v14 — the current LTS version since 21 April 2026, with free support until 30 June 2029. TYPO3 v13, the previous LTS, receives security updates until 31 December 2027 and is a solid interim step for existing systems if an important extension is not yet available for v14. Free support for v12 ended on 30 April 2026, for v11 back in 2024. If you are on one of those, plan the upgrade now; deadlines and routes are explained on our TYPO3 update page.
As a bridge, yes; as a permanent solution, no. Since 30 April 2026, security fixes for v12 have only been available through paid ELTS from TYPO3 GmbH; since April 2026 a single licence has cost 3,200 euros per year and instance before discounts. ELTS delivers security and compatibility patches, not features, and it does not cover the PHP version on your server. It makes sense when a relaunch or upgrade is already scheduled. Otherwise you end up in the same place when it expires, only further away from the current version.
There is no package price, because the effort depends on things that can be checked: number of pages and structure, languages, permissions, interfaces and custom development for a new build; starting version and extensions for an upgrade. We calculate in person-days with separate items, so you can see what you are paying for. Clearly defined parts we offer at a fixed price after the audit. As a rough order of magnitude, an upgrade from v12 to v14 is a project of weeks, a rebuild from v9 one of months. Our hourly rate is available on request.
It includes the assessment of every TYPO3 security bulletin, security and bugfix updates after testing on staging, extension upkeep, keeping PHP and the database current, backups with restore tests, monitoring and a log of the work. Short questions from editors we answer without a quotation process. Major upgrades between versions, new features and redesigns we deliver as separate projects. The SLA sets the response time: 24, 8 or 4 hours, as a flat monthly fee, net; without an SLA we handle requests within 48 hours during business hours.
Then on-call cover applies, provided it is agreed in the SLA — without that agreement there is no cover outside Mon–Thu 9:00–16:00, Fri 9:00–13:00 (CET). That is deliberate: on-call duty ties up people, so it belongs in a contract, not in a promise. In the SLA we distinguish response time, meaning when someone starts working on the problem, from restoration time, meaning when the system is running again. Without on-call cover, a bulletin published on a Friday evening is assessed on Monday. The 4-hour tier is meant for systems where every hour counts.
Yes, we develop extensions for features that the core and the TER do not provide in a suitable form — imports from other systems, custom data structures, backend modules, searches across data. They are built with Extbase, Fluid and TCA and hooked in via PSR-14 events and Symfony dependency injection, never through changes to the core. The code sits in a Git repository that belongs to you; like every TYPO3 extension, it is licensed under the GPL. Existing extensions from other agencies we adapt or replace. More on this is on our extension development page.
Not to get started: we also take over TYPO3 on your existing server, as long as there is SSH access, a clean deployment route and supported PHP and database versions. Support gives the most, though, when combined with hosting on our servers, a Proxmox VE cluster in Hetzner’s data centre in Falkenstein, Germany. Server, updates, backups and monitoring are then in one pair of hands, and in an incident nobody has to work out who is responsible. If the existing server lacks the prerequisites, moving to us is the cheaper route in any case.
That depends on who you are and whom your offering addresses. Public bodies in the state of Bremen are covered by Bremen’s state law on digital accessibility. Companies selling to consumers online may, since 28 June 2025, fall under the BFSG, Germany’s implementation of the European Accessibility Act; purely B2B offerings generally do not, and micro-enterprises providing services are exempt. The binding classification is a matter for legal advice. Technically we implement to EN 301 549 — for the Bünting Group, for example, with skip links, a contrast mode, text sizes and full keyboard operation.
TYPO3 fits when many pages, several languages, several sites or editorial teams with different permissions come together. For a lean company website with one language and a few editors it is oversized; there we build with WordPress and a custom theme. If the website is meant to sell, we couple TYPO3 with Shopware rather than building a shop into the CMS. The question is more organisational than technical: how many people maintain the website, and are they allowed to do different things? We settle that in the first conversation — and then build with the system that fits.
Enquiry
A few sentences are enough: what you are planning, which version is running, who looks after the website today. We come back with questions and an initial assessment — and, if you would like to meet in Bremen, with a suggested date.