Core concepts of Extbase

Before working with Extbase in detail it helps to understand the two ideas that shape everything else: the MVC pattern and the ORM.

MVC (Model-View-Controller) is an architectural pattern that separates what your data looks like, how it is displayed, and what happens when a user makes a request. Extbase enforces this separation structurally — controllers, models, and templates each live in their own place and have clearly defined responsibilities.

ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) is the mechanism that lets you work with PHP objects instead of raw database rows. You call methods on a repository and receive populated domain objects; the SQL stays out of your way.

Understanding these two ideas makes the rest of Extbase predictable. The naming conventions, the file structure, the way repositories work, the way actions are dispatched — all of it follows directly from MVC and ORM principles.

Note

The pages in this chapter give you the bird's-eye view. They explain the why, not the how. Each section links to the dedicated chapter where the full detail lives — follow those links when you are ready to build.