Drupal 7 End-of-life November 2023 – Time to upgrade to Drupal 10

Technology & CMS 12 April 2023

Drupal 10, or Drupal X, is the latest version of the Drupal CMS (Content Management System). It was released in December 2022 and has several new functions, such as improved tools for admins, easier upgrading processes and more effective ways to integrate with third-party-services.

Due to the release of Drupal 10, Drupal 7 reach End of Life on November 1st, 2023. This means that that version no longer will have support, and security upgrades will not be done.

If you want support for the latest technical standards and improves security, you should upgrade to Drupal 10.

Drupal 10

There are many reasons to upgrade to Drupal 10. If you have Drupal 7, you must upgrade, but it is a good idea to do it even if you have version 8 or 9.

All improvements will be added only to Drupal 10 onwards. By having the latest version, you make sure that you get access to all updates that coming. The new tools make it easier to administrate your website and increases the user-friendliness.

Top reasons why you should upgrade to Drupal 10

  • Support and security updates.
  • Speed and performance.
  • Increased flexibility.
  • More efficient administration.

We will now explain this in greater detail.

  1. Support and security updates
    Anyone who upgrades to Drupal 10 will recive regular security updates and access to support. It keeps your site secure and protects you from problems that comes with lower security.
  2. Speed and performance
    This version offers better speed and performance than its predecessors. This means that your website will be able to provide a better user experience if you choose to upgarde. The speed plays a big role for, among other things, conversion, and SEO-ranking. A slow page is a big factor when it comes to user rejection on a site.
  3. Increased flexibility
    The new features and improvements will give you much more flexibility when it comes to customizing and developing your site. Having the ability to tailor more precisely to your specific needs will lead to a better site for both you as an admin and the users. Some new features of Drupal 10 coming include:                – Automatic updates.                                                                                                          – Support for PHP 8, Composer 2, Symfony 6 and CKEditor 5.                              –  Even easier site upgrades than before.                                                                      –  New default UI theme.                                                                                                    –  Detached menus.
  4. More efficient administration
    Drupal 10 offers more efficient and easier administration in many ways. For example, there is a new media management module and a new user interface. The media management module makes it easier to manage and organize, among other things, images, and videos. The user interface makes it easier for you as an administrator to navigate and use the site. Being more intuitive, it makes it easier to learn, reducing training time for new administrators.

What to think about when upgrading to Drupal 10

How difficult it is to upgrade varies and many different factors come into play. The size and complexity of your site plays a big role here. Another of the major factors is from which Drupal version you are upgrading from. The step from 9 to 10 is a relatively smooth process, while going from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 is a larger project.

When you’re upgrading, you need to create an upgrading plan to make sure you don’t forget anything and have plenty of time to complete the process. The upgrade process is generally large and requires both a lot of time and expertise in both technology and the Drupal platform itself.

Create  a plan for the upgrading process

Make a detailed plan for how the upgrade will be done. We will go through important points to include below.

  • Check compatibility.

Check that the themes and modules on your site are compatible with Drupal 10. If they are not, it can lead to error messages, bugs or the site working worse or not working at all.

  • Take a backup of your site.

Make a backup in case something goes wrong during the upgrade. This allows you to restore the site to an earlier version and not lose important information or data.

  • Make sure you have the latest security updates.

This reduces the risk of security issues while the upgrade is in progress.

  • Configure your site and server.

Drupal 10 has improved performance compared to previous versions. Make sure that both your server and your site are configured to take advantage of these improvements.

  • Make time for the upgrade.

In the upgrade plan, you should also include a proper timetable for the upgrade. It will be time consuming and a big process. Therefore, add a little more time than you think will be required so that you have time to complete all the steps correctly.

  • Test the site properly.

Test it carefully to double check that everything works as it should. It is important to go through all the features, modules, and themes to see any issues that have arisen during the process.

If you feel that you do not have the technical knowledge or the time required to carry out the upgrade yourself, we recommend that you get help. If something goes wrong during the process, it can lead to many errors on the site or in worst case, it can stop working completely.

Drupal 7 – End of Life

Drupal 7 has End of life November 1st, 2023. End of life (EOL) means that there will no longer be support or updates and improvements to the version. This makes the site vulnerable to security breaches and the risk of data and sensitive information being exposed. A Drupal 7 website will not automatically stop working, but because it is no longer possible to manage the website, it will eventually become unusable.

Drupal 7 was released in 2011, and a lot has happened since then. Technological development has moved forward rapidly, and Drupal has released new versions to keep up the pace.

The decision to give Drupal 7 End of life was made to focus on the development and support of the later versions. Improvements to the platform take place all the time in order to provide a good user experience and functionality for both administrators and visitors.

Contact us for help with the upgrade

If you feel that you do not have the skills or the time to do the upgrade yourself, we will be happy to help you. We have over 15 years of experience and expertise about the Drupal platform and can execute it correctly and safely. Contact us for help with your upgrade!