At dotcraft, we believe in practicing what we preach. When it comes to web development and CMS platforms, there's no better way to demonstrate our expertise than to use the very technology we recommend to our clients. That's why we're excited to share that our brand new website has been built on Umbraco 16—the latest version of the platform we know and love.
This wasn't just a website rebuild; it was an opportunity to explore cutting-edge features, validate our architectural approaches, and prove our commitment to staying at the forefront of Umbraco development. And as we recently announced, dotcraft has achieved Umbraco Gold Partner status, making this project even more meaningful as we deepen our relationship with the platform.
Why Umbraco 16?
Umbraco 16 represents a significant step forward in the platform's evolution. Building on the latest version meant we could leverage the most modern features, stay ahead of the curve, and ensure our team remains intimately familiar with what's newest in the Umbraco ecosystem.
But beyond the technical benefits, there's a philosophical reason: we wanted to walk the walk. If we're going to recommend Umbraco to our clients, we need to trust it with our own digital presence.
Property-Level Permissions: Granular Control
As an agency working with clients who often have multiple editorial teams and governance requirements, we understand the importance of fine-grained content permissions. Umbraco 16 introduces property-level permissions, allowing documents or individual properties to be read-only or hidden to ensure only authorized editors can view or modify important content.
While we didn't need this level of control for our own website, implementing and testing these features gave us valuable hands-on experience. We can now confidently design content governance strategies for clients managing complex editorial workflows, compliance requirements, or multi-team content operations.
Content Segments: Personalization Ready
Another exciting addition in Umbraco 16 is the return of content segments. These work similarly to language variants, enabling targeted content delivery to specific audience groups and supporting marketing features like personalization and A/B testing.
While our current website doesn't fully leverage content segments yet, having this capability built-in means we're ready for future enhancements. Whether targeting different user personas or testing content variations, we have the infrastructure in place to evolve without major architectural changes.
Developer Experience Improvements
Beyond the headline features, Umbraco 16 brings refinements that improved our development experience. The ability to move individual properties or entire property groups between tabs within the Document Type editor makes it easier to manage content structures as needs change. Document Type Inheritance has been reintroduced, allowing us to create more maintainable content models with shared properties across related types.
Webhook rationalization introduces three payload levels—Minimal, Extended, and Full—giving us flexibility for future integrations without overwhelming systems with unnecessary data.
Looking Ahead to Umbraco 17 LTS
While we're thrilled with what Umbraco 16 offers, we're already looking ahead. Umbraco 17 launches in November 2025 as the next Long-Term Support version, providing three years of guaranteed stability, updates, and security fixes.
Version 17 introduces a rethink of how the backoffice works with modern frontend architecture using Lit and web components, delivering faster performance and a cleaner development experience. It brings support for .NET 10, load-balanced backoffice, consistent UTC date handling with time zone support, and direct LTS-to-LTS upgrade capability.
Building on Umbraco 16 now positions us perfectly for the transition to Umbraco 17 when it arrives. We're gaining practical experience with Umbraco's architectural direction and will be ready to leverage the full power of the LTS release.
The Benefits of Building on the Latest Version
There's a common question we hear from clients: "Should we wait for the LTS version, or build on the current release?" Our experience with Umbraco 16 reinforces our advice: if you need to build now, build on the current stable version.
You get access to the latest features and refinements, easier future upgrades with less technical debt, and proven production-ready technology. Working with the latest version keeps our team sharp and our skills current. When clients ask about new features, we can speak from hands-on experience.
Our Commitment to Open Source
Building our website on Umbraco 16 is more than a technical decision—it's a statement of our commitment to the Umbraco community and the open-source philosophy. We're not just users of this platform; we're active participants in its ecosystem.
Our Gold Partnership with Umbraco strengthens this commitment, giving us closer collaboration with Umbraco HQ, enhanced support capabilities, and the opportunity to contribute to the platform's evolution. Every challenge we solve and every lesson we learn gets fed back into the community through our client work and contributions.
Real-World Testing Ground
Perhaps most importantly, our website serves as a real-world testing ground. Every feature we explore, every configuration we try, and every solution we architect on our own site informs how we approach client projects. When we recommend an approach or suggest a feature, we can speak with confidence because we've implemented it ourselves.
This isn't just about showcasing technical capabilities—it's about ensuring that when we build solutions for clients, we're bringing tested, validated expertise to every project.
The Path Forward
As we continue to refine our website, we're excited about the possibilities Umbraco 16 offers and the future that Umbraco 17 promises. We're committed to staying at the cutting edge of CMS technology, and our choice to build on Umbraco 16 reflects that commitment.
Whether you're considering a new Umbraco project, evaluating an upgrade path, or curious about what the latest versions offer, we'd love to share our experiences and help guide your decision. Our hands-on experience with Umbraco 16—combined with our Gold Partnership status—means we're uniquely positioned to help you make the most of what Umbraco has to offer.
