DRUPAL 9 IS HERE: UPGRADING HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER

With the recent release of Drupal 9, some of you may be wondering if we should upgrade or wait. Is this a big upgrade problem?

To quote Dries Buytaert, Drupal founder and project leader " The big problem with Drupal 9 is ... it shouldn't be a big problem".

Previously with every new major release of Drupal, the upgrade process was, shall we say, challenging to say the least.

In the past, Drupal adopted the policy of "software is always to be redone" and never supported backwards compatibility. This had several benefits, as it meant that the Drupal project could continue to innovate unhindered by legacy code. However, in practice, it resulted in major rewrites and major changes, and increasingly long release cycles. It also inevitably led to a delay in the adoption of the newly released version, while the module maintainers worked on updating their code. 

All of this meant that upgrading to new major versions was not a simple or straightforward process, and often required a complete rebuild of sites.

With the release of Drupal 8, this all changed. Gone were the days of major rewrites and complicated upgrades. Instead, the project moved to:

• New minor releases containing new features every 6 months.
• Planned API deprecations: here outdated code was marked as deprecated but not removed.
• Provision of automated tests and tools to facilitate updating of existing code.

Through this new release management process and a more agile approach to deploying new features, Drupal is now a truly robust open source alternative in the enterprise content management system space.

What's new in Drupal 9?

With the release of Drupal 9, there are no major changes, no system overhauls, or even new features! The only differences between Drupal 8.9.0 and Drupal 9 is that those deprecated APIs have now been removed, and a number of third-party dependencies (Symfony, Twig, etc.) have been upgraded to newer versions that will be supported for longer.

This means that as long as you are already on Drupal 8 and have kept your site up to date, upgrading your site from Drupal 8.9.0 to Drupal 9 should be a relatively straightforward process.

Are Drupal 7 and 8 still compatible?

Yes, Drupal 7 and 8 will be compatible until November 2021, at which time both versions will reach their end of life (EOL). It is strongly recommended that you upgrade to Drupal 9 before then. After this date, these versions will no longer be supported by the Drupal security team, which means that no future security patches or bug fixes will be released for these versions.

This is the first time that two major versions of Drupal will no longer be supported at the same time. The timing of the EOL of Drupal 8 is planned to coincide with the EOL of one of its third-party dependencies, Symfony 3. Since the upgrade path from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 is so simple, it is unlikely that extended support will be available. for Drupal 8 beyond this date.

However, Drupal 7 is a different story. Most likely there will be a small group of approved third-party agencies that will provide long-term security support for Drupal 7, for a fee, of course, for those organizations that are not yet ready to upgrade.

However, there is still a year and a half before they reach end-of-life, so there is plenty of time to upgrade your site; you just need to start planning now.

Upgrading from Drupal 8

If you are already using Drupal 8, the process of upgrading to Drupal 9 is relatively straightforward and uncomplicated.

• The first step you need to take is to make sure you are running the latest version of Drupal 8 and any contributed modules you may be using.
• Use the Upgrade Status module to check if your custom code and contributed modules are ready for Drupal 9.
• If any contributed modules are not ready for Drupal 9, check your issue queue and work with your maintainers to remove the obsolete code.
• Also remove deprecated APIs used in your own custom code. The Rector module can help resolve them automatically.
• Finally, make sure your hosting environment supports the updated Drupal 9 requirements.

At this point, you should be ready to upgrade to Drupal 9! Of course, as with any upgrade, we recommend taking a backup first and testing it in a non-production environment.

Upgrading from Drupal 7

There is no upgrade path from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8, or indeed Drupal 9. Essentially, your site will need to be rebuilt from scratch and any content you wish to retain has to be migrated to the new frameworks. While this is a lot of work and may seem a bit daunting, it is also a great opportunity.

Drupal 7 was first released in January 2011. When it reaches its end of life in November next year, it will be over 10 years old! That's 10 years with no new features, other than what contributed extensions can provide. Ten years is a long time in the lifespan of any software, but particularly in the online digital space, where technology is advancing rapidly.

Upgrading to Drupal 9 is the perfect time to re-evaluate your online digital strategy, to re-evaluate your messaging and positioning. It's a time to improve your website and enhance your customers' online experience. It's a time to take advantage of the new innovations and features launched on the platform every six months.

Is Drupal 9 on your roadmap?

We deliver ambitious digital experiences for our customers, and with Drupal 9 we know we have the ideal digital experience platform to meet that goal.

Isn't it time you started planning your upgrade now?

Get in touch if you want help during your website upgrade.