Callisto Framework
Modular PHP Framework (2013-2026)
Callisto was a proprietary, modular and flexible PHP framework, used in production for over a decade. It is now succeeded by JiZy Framework.
History
Over a decade of continuous development.
2013-2016 — Birth
Based on Joomla 2.5 in its early versions, then completely rewritten from 2015 to create a lighter and more modular framework. First implementations for institutional and e-commerce websites, with a focus on flexibility and ease of development.
2014-2018 — PDF module
Creation of an HD PDF generation module for print production. Management of a training catalog with high-definition PDFs for printing, highlighting needs in media management and performance optimization.
2015-2018 — Job board
Creation of a job board with advanced search, application management and simplified administration. Adopted by multiple clients, this project strengthened the framework's modularity and identified needs for system plugins.
2016 — eShop
Creation of an online store with product management, shopping cart and payment. This project tested the framework's ability to integrate external services such as payment gateways.
2017-2020 — Stabilization
Adoption of Composer for dependency management. Routing and architecture refactoring. Development of system plugins for SEO, caching and image management. Growing client customization demands pushed the framework toward greater modularity.
2018-2020 — eShop V2
Complete rewrite of an online store originally built on Prestashop, with a more modern architecture and better performance. Stock management, promotions and advanced features.
2020-2024 — Security & optimization
Security hardening with regular updates. Performance optimization: caching, SQL queries and media management.
2024-2026 — Modernization
Refactoring for improved maintainability and readability. Modernization with latest web development practices. Splitting into smaller, more specialized modules. Improved documentation.
2026 — JiZy Framework
End of the refactoring. The framework is rebranded as JiZy Framework. Callisto remains in production for existing clients but no longer receives new features.
Architecture
A monolithic modular architecture with integrated installer.
Kernel
The Kernel is the heart of the framework. It manages the application lifecycle: initialization, routing, dispatch, rendering and response. It orchestrates modules and provides core services.
MVC
Callisto follows the Model-View-Controller pattern. Models handle data and business logic, views handle rendering, and controllers orchestrate interactions.
Modules & Plugins
Features are organized into application modules (business components) and system plugins (hooks and events). Components are installed via the callisto-installer process, not through separate git repos.
Multi-site
Multi-site management via callisto.json configuration per repository. Each client has its own configuration, active modules and theme. The template system allows per-site overrides.
Standards
Development conventions and standards.
PSR Standards
Callisto follows PSR standards: PSR-1 (basic coding), PSR-4 (autoloading), PSR-7 (HTTP messages), PSR-12 (coding style) and PSR-15 (middleware).
Naming conventions
- PHP: camelCase for methods and properties, PascalCase for classes
- SQL: snake_case for tables and columns
- URL: kebab-case for routes
- Files: PascalCase for PHP classes, kebab-case for assets
Project structure
Each project follows a standardized structure: components/ for business components, plugins/ for system hooks, config/ for configuration, routes/ for routing, templates/ for themes, and public/ for accessible assets.
Testing
Unit tests use PHPUnit. Integration tests validate interactions between modules.
About
Joffrey Demetz
Full-stack web developer and creator of Callisto Framework. Over 15 years of PHP development experience, with a passion for software architecture and clean code.
The project
Callisto was a personal project developed and maintained from 2013 to 2026. Used in production on about ten client websites (institutional portals, e-commerce, job boards). Callisto remains in production for existing clients but is succeeded by JiZy Framework for new projects.
Successor
JiZy Framework carries on Callisto's legacy with a more modern architecture. Components have been extracted into independent Composer packages (jdz/*) and the framework now plays an orchestrator role.