Drupal Upgrade: How To Prepare For Drupal 10

Updated July 2023 — There is no better time than the present to review your digital roadmap. If you maintain a Drupal site, understanding the upcoming release cycles is essential. Specifically, this knowledge allows you to plan the time and budget needed to keep your site secure. Because developers are adding new features to upcoming releases, you have many opportunities to grow your site next year.

Drupal 10 arrived in December 2022. Consequently, the community currently supports three different versions of Drupal simultaneously. If you haven’t followed the roadmap closely, the various version numbers can feel confusing.

The key to the current schedule is the architectural shift that began with Drupal 8. Unlike older versions, Drupal 8 and beyond use a system that allows for smaller, incremental releases. Previously, upgrading Drupal required a complete website rewrite. However, the new architecture makes major upgrades nearly as easy as minor updates. As a result, website owners enjoy a lower total cost of ownership and better security.

In the past, developers bundled all new features into one massive major release. Now, Drupal releases new features throughout a version’s lifespan. The goal of a major release is simply to update core libraries and remove outdated code. Therefore, these upgrades should have a minimal impact on your existing site.

What this means for your maintenance plan depends entirely on your current version. To help you prepare, we have provided specific guidance below:

The security team will support this version until January 2025. Although that date is approaching fast, moving to a modern version is a significant effort. Specifically, you must plan how to migrate your content, modules, and theme. Fortunately, once you migrate, you will love the robust media management and the improved content editing experience.

This version reached its “end of life” in November 2021. Therefore, you must move to Drupal 9 or 10 as soon as possible to keep your site safe. In fact, the effort needed is just a fraction of the initial build. Upgrading now puts you in a perfect position to take advantage of the latest security patches.

Even though Drupal 10 is live, the Drupal 9 lifecycle overlaps. Specifically, the features added recently make it even easier to transition to the newest version. Furthermore, Drupal 10 introduces exciting features like:

• Automatic Updates: Simplifying the maintenance process.
• Olivero Theme: A modern, accessible default front-end.
• Decoupled Support: Better tools for headless architectures.

In conclusion, no matter which version you use, you must create an upgrade plan to remain secure. Reach out to us today or email hello@sprydigital.com to learn what it will take to keep your site up to date.

Drupalcon Europe 2021 Keynote Slides and Keynote Video