Drupal 11 Upgrade Facts
Is Drupal 11 better than Drupal 10?
Drupal 11 simplifies powerful CMS functions.
- Simplified front-end development through single-directory components: HTML, CSS and JavaScript can be bundled into a single folder for a component.
- Continuous innovation: constant provision of powerful new functions.
- State-of-the-art web technologies (also in the area of performance). 50% faster performance under PHP 8.3.
- High relevance of the CMS platform through forward-looking changes.
- Improved administration area for intuitive website management.
What happens if no upgrade is performed?
Functionally nothing at first. However, your Drupal 9 or older installations can no longer receive security updates and will therefore become increasingly vulnerable (hackable) over time. Please also note the regulations of the GDPR in this context. Drupal 10 is expected to be supported until mid/end of 2026.
When should the upgrade take place?
November 2023 has been set as the "End of Life" of the Drupal 9 version. Since this date, no more security patches and support will be provided for Drupal 9. If you have not yet upgraded to Drupal 10, you should do so as soon as possible to close security gaps.
A timely update to the latest Drupal version is essential to minimize associated risks and upgrade on your own terms rather than rushing at the last minute. Drupal 10 will be supported until mid/end 2026. The upgrade to the current Drupal 11 version already brings many improvements and new features.
How complex is the upgrade?
Like the upgrade from Drupal 9 to Drupal 10, the upgrade to Drupal 11 will also be easy. Drupal 11, just like Drupal 10, is not a reinvention of Drupal and thus continues the simple upgrade process under the major versions! This means that an upgrade can be carried out in a clearly defined process and the expected costs can be easily determined in advance. We at arocom have already practiced this process many times and therefore offer you the Drupal 11 upgrade at a fixed price!
IS IT POSSIBLE TO UPGRADE FROM DRUPAL 9 TO DRUPAL 11?
If you have skipped the upgrade to Drupal 10 and are still using a Drupal 9 installation, it is all the more urgent to upgrade to the latest Drupal version. The good news is that this is also possible without any problems. All you need to do is adapt the prepared measures, which we list below under "Step 1: Preparing the Drupal 11 installation".
How we work
Step 0: Preliminary discussion and offer preparation
In a preliminary meeting lasting around 15 minutes, you briefly present your project to us. We will be happy to take you by the hand and ask you the relevant questions to ensure a smooth process.
Step 1: Preparing the Drupal 10 installation
- Compatibility check: Your website is checked for readiness for Drupal 11. Is your hosting environment compatible with the updated requirements of Drupal 11? This is followed by the planning of a roadmap.
- Upgrade: Upgrade to the latest available Drupal 10 version.
- UpdateContributed Modules - check if they are Drupal 11 compatible. The code of a website must be kept up to date, i.e. old functions (deprecated code) must not be used that could soon be removed in Drupal 10.
- Custom modules: Removal of obsolete programming in your own code. Introduction of coding standards, if not given.
- Check and or introduce patch management, Git versioning, Composer workflow and configuration management.
After these steps, you will have a fully functional, cleaned-up Drupal 10 website that can be upgraded in the next step.
Step 2: Performing the Drupal 11 upgrade
Depending on the setup of your installation, we carry out the upgrade in a local environment and deploy the upgraded installation to a staging environment provided by arocom.
Step 3: Test on staging environment incl. bug fixes
In the staging environment, experienced colleagues run manual tests according to a standardized checklist and correct any errors that occur. In this phase, however, you also have the opportunity to carry out tests on the staging system yourself to ensure that the functions that are essential or business-critical for you behave as expected.
Step 4: Handover or deployment / commissioning of the Drupal 11 installation
Depending on your existing hosting setup, we can install the upgrade for you directly on your live system or transfer the upgrade to you as a dump. Ideally, details of this can be discussed with you or your technical contacts during the quotation phase.
How long does the upgrade process take and what do I need to bear in mind?
In the course of preparing a fixed-price quote, we examine your installation in detail in order to be able to estimate the expected costs. A simple corporate website has different complexity costs than a Drupal Commerce store with internal and external interfaces. The installations also differ in structure, quality and quantity of custom code. We were able to upgrade simple projects within a week, but complex projects can take several times as long.
We will be happy to provide you with a guaranteed time window in order to keep the consultation and communication effort for you as low as possible. Please also note that any further development of the existing Drupal 9 site should be suspended until the work has been completed. However, the editing of the content can be continued!
We are happy to plan and carry out your Drupal 11 upgrade for you as a website operator or as a subcontractor, "white label" for agencies and freelancers.
Ready for the next step?
arocom GmbH - Stuttgart | Mail | info@arocom.de