With Drupal 7’s (D7) end-of-life (EOL) in 6 months on January 5, 2025, organizations relying on D7 face critical decisions regarding the future of their websites. This article will help guide you through the paths you can take: migrating to modern Drupal, leveraging extended long-term support options, or staying on unsupported Drupal 7.
Update to Modern Drupal
Transitioning from Drupal 7 to a newer version is crucial in future-proofing your digital presence. These versions embrace modern PHP standards, object-oriented programming, and Symfony components, providing a powerful foundation for your website. This upgrade allows you to access advanced features, enhanced performance, and ensures ongoing support and security updates.
Why Migrate to the Latest Versions?
Modernization: Drupal 10 offers cutting-edge features and performance improvements, and an easy upgrade path to Drupal 11, releasing very soon.
Security: Continuous security updates protect your site from vulnerabilities.
Flexibility: Adopt contemporary coding standards and best practices.
Future-Proofing: Ensure compatibility with future updates and maintain a seamless digital experience.
Additionally, the upcoming release of Starshot, slated before the end of 2024, promises even more enhancements and features that will elevate your website's capabilities. By migrating now, your organization can seamlessly integrate these future advancements.
Migrating to newer versions can involve navigating significant architectural changes, and may require extensive modifications to custom modules and themes. However, tools like Drupal Rector and Retrofit on our DIY migration resources page can help make this process easier. The benefits of modernization, enhanced security, and future-proofing outweigh the initial investment in time, resources, and budget.
But you don’t have to do it yourself. There are a number of Drupal Certified Partners who can assist organizations in planning and implementing their migration.
Find the qualified company that is best for you: Certified Migration Partners.
Extended Security Support for Drupal 7
To address the challenges of using unsupported software, the Drupal Association has established a program for supporting site owners who won't be able to migrate before the end of life date. The D7 Extended Security Support Program identifies existing Drupal Certified Partners who meet stringent standards and who the Drupal Association feels confident recommending.
With the end of support, the Drupal Security Team will no longer be involved in supporting Drupal 7. The Drupal Association recognizes that some site owners will not be in a position to migrate their site or need more time to do so. For many of these site owners, paying for extended support would be a good option.
Recognizing that the Drupal Security Team would not be officially involved in any such service, the Drupal Association created rigorous standards before certifying companies under this program. Some of these requirements include:
- Being a Drupal Certified Partner at the Gold tier or higher
- Employing a core security team member
- Experience in providing security and compatibility fixes
- History of reporting 2 or more CVEs and creating fixes for the same
- Willingness to enter in a service level agreement to ensure standards are being met
Find the company that will work best for you: D7 Extended Security Support Partners
Stay on Unsupported Drupal 7
When Drupal 7 reaches its EOL, it will no longer receive new security updates, fixes, or official support from the Drupal community. While this option might seem cost-effective and leverages your team's stability and familiarity with Drupal 7, it comes with significant risks.
Without updates, your site will be vulnerable to new security exploits and non-compliance with standards such as FedRAMP, PCI-DSS, and HIPAA. Over time, tools and utilities supporting your Drupal 7 site may become incompatible with new versions of dependencies like PHP, and finding developers skilled in outdated technology could become increasingly difficult.
The Drupal Association does not recommend this option.
Conclusion
Organizations must carefully weigh their options as Drupal 7 approaches its EOL to ensure continued security, compliance, and compatibility. Embracing Drupal 10 and the upcoming Drupal 11 and Starshot release will position your organization for long-term success with access to the latest features, security updates, and a vibrant support community..