Umbraco Codegarden 2025: New AI Integrations, Content Hubs, & Umbraco 17

Our team had the pleasure of attending Umbraco Codegarden 2025, the flagship annual conference for the Umbraco community. Held in Odense, Denmark, it’s where developers, marketers, and digital leaders gather to explore what’s next for the open-source CMS, and by extension, how we as agencies and our clients can deliver better digital experiences. 

This year marked Codegarden’s 20th anniversary, and the energy was palpable, with a perfect mix of nostalgia and forward momentum. The event showcased product launches, keynote talks, technical deep-dives, and practical case studies that made it clear: Umbraco is evolving into a more intelligent, flexible, and future-ready platform than ever before. 

Here’s our round-up of what stood out, especially highlighting the features and ideas that we think will impact our clients in the months ahead.

 

1. AI Comes to Umbraco: Introducing the MCP Server 

One of the biggest talking points from Codegarden 2025 was the unveiling of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) Server, a cutting-edge integration that integrates generative AI tools directly into your Umbraco project. 

In short, MCP lets tools like ChatGPT, Claude, or GitHub Copilot securely interact with your Umbraco back office. That means AI agents can: 

• Read and interpret your site structure and content models
• Assist with code generation or refactoring
• Automate admin tasks, such as bulk content creation or updates
• Perform accessibility or SEO audits on the fly 

We saw live demos where AI was used to update hundreds of product pages, generate FAQs based on support ticket data, and even assist in onboarding new editors. For clients, it signals the start of AI-assisted CMS operations, helping reduce manual tasks and speed up delivery without compromising governance or security.

2. Say Hello to Umbraco Compose: A New Content Orchestration Layer 

Another major upcoming launch was Umbraco Compose, a new core product that could be a game-changer for content-heavy organisations with multiple business system integrations. 

Compose acts as a central ‘hub’ that pulls structured content and data from multiple business systems (think PIM, DAM, CRM, ERP, or even another CMS) and serves it back to your website or other digital channels via a clean, consistent API. 

In practical terms, it means: 

• No more copy-pasting between platforms
• One unified place to model, manage, and deliver content
• Easier rollout of omnichannel experiences 

For clients running campaigns across multiple channels, or for organisations juggling product data, event listings, or service information from various internal tools, this could dramatically streamline content operations and reduce integration headaches. 

A private beta is launching this summer, with general availability expected in early 2026. But the groundwork is already being laid, and we’re excited about how this will support scalable, composable architecture for our clients. 

3. The CMS Core Just Got Smarter, Faster, and More Flexible 

While big new products got the spotlight, the core Umbraco CMS itself received some serious upgrades, many of which will deliver immediate performance and usability benefits. 

Here are a few of the updates we’re most excited about: 

Block-level Variants: Editors can now create multilingual content faster by sharing layout but varying copy per language - especially useful for clients managing global websites. 

Lazy-Loaded Content Cache: This backend enhancement improves page speed under high traffic. In early tests, load times improved by up to 70%, which is great news for SEO and user experience. 

New Rich Text Editor (TipTap-based): The new editor is far more flexible and extendable. Want to add embedded media, tables, or custom buttons? It’s now easier than ever to tailor the editing experience to your team’s needs. 

Improved Back Office UI: The redesigned interface is more intuitive and modern, improving usability for marketing and content teams. 

Official Docker Support & Load Balancing: For enterprise-level clients or those with DevOps requirements, these infrastructure updates make Umbraco even more robust and deployment-friendly. 

Together, these changes show Umbraco’s ongoing commitment to balancing technical flexibility with editor-first usability, a balance that matters when your team is working in the CMS every day.

4. Looking Ahead: Umbraco 17 LTS and the New XLTS Programme 

Long-Term Support (LTS) releases are important to clients, especially when stability, predictability, and budgeting are key. 

At Codegarden, Umbraco confirmed that Umbraco 17 will be the next LTS version, set to launch in November 2025. Even more impactful, they introduced a new Extended LTS (XLTS) programme, stretching security and bug support from three to five years. 

This longer window gives IT and digital teams more breathing room between major upgrades, which means: 

• Lower long-term maintenance costs
• Easier compliance with internal security policies
• More predictable planning for replatforming or feature rollouts 

Umbraco 17 will also lay the groundwork for future enhancements like collaborative editing, reusable content blocks, and pluggable search engines, further boosting productivity and adaptability.

5. Search and Personalisation Just Got More Accessible 

One of the consistent client pain points we hear is: ‘We want to personalise content and optimise journeys, but we don’t have a big data team.’ Umbraco has clearly been listening. 

The integration of Umbraco Engage directly into the CMS means that features like: 

• A/B testing
• Visitor segmentation
• Targeted messaging 

…can now be handled by content editors and marketers, no custom dev work required. 

Engage 2.0, revealed at Codegarden, adds behavioural tracking and persona iteration, opening the door to smarter personalisation for all. 

In parallel, Umbraco is also rethinking search. A new search framework is on the way, enabling things like faceted filters, semantic search, and engine flexibility (Elastic, Azure, etc.), all with lower implementation overhead. That’s especially relevant for clients running complex catalogues or knowledge bases. 

6. Cloud, DevOps, and Enterprise Improvements 

While less visible on the surface, Umbraco Cloud is undergoing quiet but meaningful improvements that will benefit enterprise and IT-conscious clients. 

New and upcoming features include: 

• On-demand Environments: Spin up testing and preview sites faster
• Hostname Monitoring: Get notified if something goes down or breaks
• Active Directory Integration: Easier SSO and identity management
• Planned Support for Dedicated Databases: More control over performance and compliance 

These improvements align with how modern organisations want to build and deploy -fast, securely, and without friction between marketing and IT teams. 

 

A Platform That’s Growing with You 

Codegarden 2025 wasn’t just about new features, it was a reaffirmation of Umbraco’s vision. From AI integrations to content orchestration, from developer speed to editorial power, everything announced this year is focused on one goal: 

Helping organisations create smarter, faster, and more engaging digital experiences, without sacrificing ease and simplicity. 

As an Umbraco Platinum Partner agency, we’re excited about how these developments will unlock new possibilities for our clients. Whether you’re already using Umbraco or considering your next digital platform, we’d love to talk through how these updates can support your goals. Feel free to reach out, and if you’re curious, we’re happy to demo any of these new features as they roll out.