For FLOW3 , the developers considered many different frameworks tested concepts, applications and programming languages. In the new framework then flowed technologies such as annotations, dependency injection and aspect-oriented programming. FLOW3 can analyze the available source code and to select the most suitable configuration based, so that developers do not have to deal with XML, YAML or INI files. FLOW3 requires at least PHP 5.3.2 and has a parser for Doctrine annotations.

In order to interpret yaml files, the symfony yaml-component integration.

FLOW3 should initially be a content management system, as the developer Robert Lemke on a published interview revealed.

The change in direction is due to the fact that the developers wanted to avoid errors that are introduced via extensions. To implement this, they had to create a base and introduce conventions. By program code has to FLOW3 minimal API dependencies, components can be easily integrated into other frameworks FLOW3 applications. It is also possible to extract individual FLOW3 functionalities for others, eg on the Zend Framework or Symfony based projects.

The code for FLOW3 was rewritten several times during the five years development, with the underlying conventions and major parts of the APIs have been maintained ever. The developers reserve the right, however, make future changes to the APIs. As focal points for the versions 1.1 and 1.2 calls Lemke performance improvements and the package repository, which are similar to the TYPO3 Extension Repository for and intended to serve as a marketplace for extensions.

Currently, about eleven developers actively working on a framework, the TYPO3-team-phoenix about 14 people are employed. These are supported by early adopters. Who’s new plans to try standing under the LGPL framework FLOW3 is 1.0 in the download area of the project site.