It has been nearly two years since Drupal 8 reached its end of life. Drupal also recently announced pushing back the Drupal 7 end of life date, again…to January 5, 2025.

This will mark the end of community-based bug fixes, modules, new features, and security updates. Businesses still running on the old Drupal 7 platform (who have not already started full website audits and migration plans) need to start taking the steps necessary to make the move to Drupal 10.

Drupal 9 uses a lot of Symfony code and its end of life will occur in November 2023 (when Symfony 4 also reaches its end of life). It will be critical for businesses to check their website Upgrade Status within the Drupal admin. This will ensure crucial bugs or security fixes are completed prior to moving to Drupal 10.

The simplest Drupal migration is from version 9 to 10. Organizations not currently on Drupal 9 will need to make that upgrade prior to version 10. Websites running on Drupal 7 are using an antiquated code base which typically requires a complete rebuild of the website.

Drupal 10 is open source and continues to draw more users into the Drupal community. This propels the platform forward by creating a user friendly and accessible experience.

Drupal 10 Features Include:

• Advanced security features including improved password policies requiring stronger passwords by default, and better security around third-party modules to help identify and address potential security vulnerabilities much easier.
• The new Claro admin theme provides a simple user-friendly interface for administering the website with accessibility in mind. This makes navigation and use of the Drupal admin theme easier for users with disabilities and on mobile devices.
• Theme Starter Kit (a new tool) provides a starting point for creating custom themes.
• Better Content Management with improved tools for content migration, content authoring, managing media, and CKEditor 5 with its updated WYSIWYG editor, inline editing features, and collaboration tools.
• Improved Multilingual Support language detection mechanisms and translation management systems, making it easier to translate content and manage translation workflows.
• Modern JavaScript components to replace some uses of JQuery resulting in a much cleaner front-end output of Drupal websites.

Preparing for Drupal 10

Preparation is key! Before migrating to Drupal 10, it is crucial to thoroughly assess your existing website and prepare for the transition. There are many things your team can work on ahead of time to better prepare for the migration ahead.

• If currently using Drupal 9, be sure to update the core codebase and all contributed modules to their latest release.
• If currently using Drupal 8, an upgrade to Drupal 9 is needed prior to version 10.
• Ensure the version of PHP is PHP 8.1 (the minimum requirement for Drupal 10).
• Install and use the Upgrade Status module to find depreciated code within custom built modules to begin fixing prior to migration.
• Spin and use the Upgrade Status module to find depreciated code within custom built modules to begin fixing prior to migration.

Whether it is a full blown rebuild from an outdated Drupal 7 website or working with your team to ensure your Drupal 9 website is prepared for an upgrade, The Canton Group is ready to assist your team with a migration workflow solution.

Contact us today!