The Drupal 10 Readiness Initiative – What Every Site Owner Should Know to Prepare for?
Drupal release cycles are speeding up! Drupal 9 was launched a year ago, and an upgrade from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 is still on the to-do list of many businesses. While you are busy evaluating how to migrate to Drupal 9, the Drupal development team is coming up with the next version very soon.
Yes, you guessed it right. Drupal 10 release is planned for 2022. And businesses across the world are talking about Drupal 10 release and readiness. Of course, this will be a big change from the five-year gap between Drupal 8 and Drupal 9. It has taught many things to Drupal developers, and now they’re pretty confident to face the next big thing from Drupal.
So, are you ready to update to Drupal 10? Well, you may find it a little early or strange to discuss, but the movement has already begun, and you must put the plans into action to avoid any last-minute blunders. Let’s take a look at the upcoming Drupal 10 release, what it will bring for you, and what it takes to get ready for it.
Why upgrade matters the most
The major reason Server Upgrade matters the most is because of dependencies Drupal 8 or Drupal 9 on third-party components. The majority of the third-party components like Symfony, CKEditor, PHP, and Composer are reaching their End of Life by November 2023.
- Symfony 3 is about to reach its end of life in November 2021. This means every business relying on Drupal 8 will not receive any support in terms of security or enhancements after November 2021.
- CKEditor is approaching its end of life. It is going to reach its end of life in 2023.
All these major components will get advanced to their next version, i.e. CKEditor 4 to CKEditor 5, Symfony 4 to Symfony 5, Composer 1 to Composer 2, and PHP 7 to PHP8. And this is the major reason why an update to Drupal 10 matters the most.
Upgrade to Drupal 8 or Drupal 9?
Drupal version 7 is used by approximately 60.6% of all the websites using Drupal. But now, Drupal 7 is more than 10 years old, and it is high time for organizations to move on to the latest version of Drupal. Moreover, Drupal 7 will reach its end of life in November 2022. The major reason behind this is that PHP and MySQL are upgrading to the latest versions, and it would be difficult for Drupal 7-based websites to be compatible with it.
On the other hand, Drupal 8 was introduced to utilize modern libraries and components with great architectural changes. But it reaches the end of life on November 2, 2021. It means all Drupal 8 sites will have to either go for Drupal 9 or update to Drupal 10. However, the Drupal 10 release is still not fixed, and thus, it is recommended to go for Drupal 9 as it is quite easy to upgrade from Drupal 8 to 9.
When does Drupal 10 release and why is it released so soon?
The tenth generation of the popular CMS is planned for release somewhere in the middle of 2022. The exact date or month is unknown, but the timeline has been agreed on long back.
The reason why Drupal 10 is getting released so soon is that Drupal has integrations and dependencies with various third-party components, which has driven technology advances. With the release of Drupal 8 and Drupal 9, Drupal has integrations with various components like PHP, Symfony, Composer, and CKEditor.
Of course, this has helped Drupal to boost its usability. However, advancements in all such components have forced Drupal to advance and move faster to keep pace with them. With every major integration update, Drupal also needs to update its version.
Get Drupal 10 Ready
Like Drupal 8 to Drupal 9, it is very easy to upgrade your existing Drupal site to Drupal 10. With the help of a wide range of tools, you can update to Drupal 10 without any hassle. You can use Rector to automate your upgrade. An initiative for Drupal 10 readiness has been progressing rapidly, and it has already reached 70% of the work.
So by the time we get what it takes to update to Drupal 10, let’s take a look at a few things you can do to get ready for Drupal 10.
- Shift from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 or Drupal 9. It would be easy to upgrade to Drupal 10 from Drupal 9. Still, more than 60% of Drupal websites are using Drupal 7. In this case, it is imperative to find a professional Drupal development partner or hire a Drupal expert to help you migrate to Drupal 9.
- If you are using Drupal 8, it is time to migrate to Drupal 9 before the end of Drupal 8.
- Ensure your website is up to date with all the latest updates for Drupal 9.
- Make sure you get rid of deprecated components from your Drupal development venture. Doing so will help your site support all the latest libraries and components required to upgrade to Drupal 10.
- Don’t forget to upgrade to Guzzle 7. The Guzzle has been updated to 7.3.0. And thus, to prepare yourself for Drupal 10, you must upgrade it.
- Make sure you allow Drupal 9 to be installed with Twig 3. It is still unclear when Twig 2 will reach its EOL, but considering the dependencies updated in Drupal 10, it is always better to get ready with it.
And that’s it as of now to get ready for Drupal 10.
Updates from the Drupal 10 – Know The Features
- Updated dependencies. Will update all the dependencies to bring more flexibility, better performance, and improved security.
- All these major components will get advanced to their next version, i.e. CKEditor 4 to CKEditor 5, Symfony 4 to Symfony 5, Composer 1 to Composer 2, and PHP 7 to PHP8.
- Instead of conventional jQuery UI, modern JavaScript components will be used in Drupal 10. It is important to note that Drupal is not going to support Internet Explorer 11 anymore.
- Automated updates. One of the major features of Drupal 10 will be smooth and secure automated updates. In Drupal 10, update functionality is added to the Core, and composer-based websites can access it easily.
- All new front-end themes. Yes, it is true! The team is making the new front-end Olivero theme available with utmost perfection without any glitches as the default theme in the Core.
- Decoupled menus. You don’t have to deal with decoupled technologies. The Drupal development team has utilized JavaScript to consume menus managed in Drupal.
- Enhanced site builder experience. Compared to previous versions, Drupal 10 will be a lot friendlier with the help of all new Site Builder tools. It will be very easy for the Drupal development services providers to install and update modules without using the command line.
Concluding Remarks…
No matter if you’re currently using Drupal 7, 8, or 9, you still have sufficient time to prepare yourself for the next big move from Drupal. Now that you already know Drupal 10 is all set to mark its entry in the middle of 2022, you must gear up yourself with the necessary changes required at your end and ensure your website is ready to migrate to Drupal 10.
The great part of being into Drupal development services is that you always get something innovative and new to be part of. Are you looking for Drupal development services to help you get Drupal 10 ready now? Get in touch with our experts to know how the AddWeb Solution team contributes to your Drupal 10 venture.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s like waiting for the next blockbuster movie. Drupal 10 is anticipated to be released in June 2022, bringing exciting new capabilities to the Drupal ecosystem.
Think of it as an upgrade to your favourite software. Drupal 10 builds upon Drupal 9, focusing on removing deprecated code and ensuring a smoother transition. Check the release notes for specific changes.
It’s like planning a journey. Drupal 10 will have a direct upgrade path from Drupal 9, making it easier for you to transition without needing intermediate steps.
Absolutely! It’s like ensuring all your team members are on the same page. Update your contributed modules and themes to their latest compatible versions before migrating to Drupal 10.
It’s like doing a practice run. Use the “Upgrade Status” and “Drupal Rector” tools to identify and address any deprecated code or modules in your Drupal 9 site before the upgrade.
Think of it like renovating your house. Replace or update deprecated code with recommended alternatives to ensure compatibility with Drupal 10.
Yes! It’s like ensuring your car has the right fuel. Ensure your server and hosting environment meet the minimum requirements for Drupal 10 to ensure optimal performance.
Think of it as unlocking new features in your favourite app. Upgrading to Drupal 10 ensures access to the latest functionalities, improvements, and security enhancements, keeping your website modern and secure.
It’s like subscribing to a newsletter. Stay connected with the Drupal community, follow official Drupal blogs, and regularly check Drupal.org for updates and announcements related to Drupal 10.
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Pooja Upadhyay
Director Of People Operations & Client Relations
