Upgrade to Drupal 8 or Waiting for Drupal 9!
After almost 5 years of hard work and dedication Drupal 8 was released with different predecessors, rewritten from scratch. Travel from Drupal 7-8 was a steep curve, depending on the website complexity, migration time and cost varied and the new custom features had to be updated.
Drupal 9 is expected no more, but just the updated version of Drupal 8. Migration from Drupal 8 to 9 would be leisurely. Drupal web agencies like AddWeb Solution are aware of the deprecated codes and what could be the possible changes.
We’re building our Drupal 8 sites to be Drupal 9 compatible by avoiding deprecated API’s. Getting up Drupal 8 is entirely safe now, since we’ve been building and updating all of our clients’ sites. It is an important consideration for one who’s running a custom or contributed module on their site. An alternative way of looking at it is that organizations that start preparing their platforms now could enjoy a seamless upgrade when Drupal 9 piles out.
How Drupal Works
Drupal timely issues new capabilities within a span of 6 months for which many times it had to depend on third parties. With every new deprecated code, there came a new code and this pattern continued. With this continuing pattern, corollary third party dependencies also came, now after 8.7 it has planned to remove all the deprecated codes and come up with the updated versions of Symfony and Twig.
Talking about the custom codes, that is what you can act on with Drupal 8, not much has to be done, it will easily be converted to Drupal 9. For contributed modules to be up to date and contact the developers for removing the deprecated code. You can also switch to optionally supported updated design like Symfony, PHPunit, Twig, Doctrine, CKEditor.
Third-party Dependency
Drupal is supported by Twig, and Drupal 8 is supported by Twig 1, Twig 2 soon going to come and as Drupal is still working with its code, they have planned to release the minor version of Drupal 8 supported by Twig 2, so you don’t have to wait for Drupal 9 to start using Twig 2. You can use Twig 2 with the updated version of Drupal 8. By releasing the minor version of Drupal 8, Drupal developers can also check if there is any problem coming up with the twig 2. Drupal is also dependent on Symfony. Currently Drupal 8 is working on Symfony 3.
Plan for Drupal 9
Image Credit: DRIES BUYTAERT on dri.es
Drupal 9 is planned to release in 2020. Symfony, a PHP framework on which Drupal depends, uses a release schedule of six months. Unfortunately Symfony’s release date is scheduled 1-2 months after Drupal’s release date, which forces them to wait six months to adopt the latest Symfony release.
Drupal 8 currently depends on Symfony 3, which is going to expire soon in 2021. Symfony 4 and 5 are to be updated in Drupal 9, as Symfony 5 release date is less than a year away and Symfony 4 is released already, so now probably Symfony 5 hooks up with Drupal 9. They are trying to collude with Symfony 4 in Drupal 8, as it could be a nice stepping stone to Symfony 5. The best way to be ready for Drupal 9 is being upgraded with Drupal 8.
You should reconsider the approach, if in case you are planning to migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 directly. It would be more beneficial to upgrade to Drupal 8.
Progress for Drupal 9
Image Credits by DRIES BUYTAERT on dri.es
The good news is that upgrading from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 would be really easy , radically easier than upgrading from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8. The only thing is that you need to manage “deprecated code” as well.
I encourage you to update your Drupal 8 code to use the latest and greatest APIs, which can benefit from those improvements immediately. There is no logical reason to wait until Drupal 9 is released. Drupal 8.8.0, the last release to deprecate for Drupal 9.
Conclusion
Waiting for Drupal 9 is entirely your choice. The switch to Drupal 8 with AddWeb Solution today will make your journey to Drupal 9 more comfortable. Contact AddWeb Team to get started on your Drupal 7, 8 or 9 upgrade.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, waiting isn’t necessary. Drupal 7’s end-of-life is approaching, so planning your migration sooner is advisable to ensure security and support.
While your Drupal 7 site won’t stop working immediately, it becomes more vulnerable to security risks. Migrating to a newer version is crucial for ongoing support.
In most cases, it’s recommended to transition to Drupal 8 first as it facilitates a smoother migration path to Drupal 9. Skipping may lead to complexities.
Drupal 9 offers improved performance, security updates, and long-term support. Migrating ensures your website stays current, stable, and secure.
The complexity varies based on site complexity and customizations. However, Drupal provides tools and documentation to assist in a smooth migration.
Not necessarily. Some may need updates, while others might have replacements. Assessing module and theme compatibility is an essential part of the migration process.
Plan your migration strategy, assess contributed modules, and ensure your custom code is compatible. Consult Drupal’s documentation and seek professional assistance if needed.
