Upgrading From Drupal 8 To Drupal 9: Why Should You Migrate? 

Upgrading From Drupal 8 To Drupal 9

When your business is dependent on content management systems, staying up-to-date is not just a common practice – it’s a necessity. Drupal 8 has been a robust platform and has served many businesses well. So, what is the rush, you might ask? Upgrading to Drupal 9 brings impressive and compelling benefits to your website, the development process, and the digital strategy overall. 

Read on to learn more about why it’s crucial to migrate from Drupal 8 to 9 and what comes after that. 

Empower Your Business: If Not Now, Then When? 

Are you still on Drupal 8, procrastinating to upgrade? Ask yourself why: waiting for a smooth transaction, questioning if the latest Drupal 10 is stable, or simply lacking budget costs? Well, the clock is ticking! The longer you drag your feet, the more your company misses out on core updates and game-changing features. You’re basically robbing your business of greater success! 

The experience of the worldwide community proves the Drupal 8 database export and migration to 9 is a smooth, headache-free transition for small brands and larger organizations. 

Why Not Migrate Directly To Drupal 10? 

Another brilliant question! If you’re making a move anyway, why not jump straight to the latest version? Indeed, Drupal 10 has been preached for being a new ultimate standard for a digital experience platform provider.

Yet, here is a twist – there is no direct transition from Drupal 8 to Drupal 10. And with the end of life for Drupal 7 scheduled for the latter half of 2023, it’s only a matter of time before we will be saying goodbye to an 8th version. 

A company that operates on Drupal 8 and aims to grow business potential can make only one smart move right now – migrate to Drupal 9 ASAP! 

8 Incredible Benefits Of Upgrading To Drupal 9 

Without further ado, let’s focus on the advantages companies get when they finally make a move from outdated Drupal 8. 

1. The process is insanely easy!

If you’re a seasoned Drupal user, it’s understandable why you might be sitting on your hands instead of migrating. Previous major version upgrades were quite a headache. Yet, transitioning from version 8 to 9 is remarkably painless and straightforward. 

Drupal 9 was built with an eye toward compatibility with Drupal 8, making the migration much smoother and secure for businesses.

2. Impressive performance results and improves security.

Drupal 9 comes with a variety of performance enhancements and security updates, crucial for the user experience. The underlying technology stack has been elevated to include Symphony 4 and Symphony 5 components. That guarantees faster load page times and boosted overall website performance. 

We see responsive image support, enabling devices to showcase images in their optimal size.  Additionally, the content structure features an extended array of fields, like phone numbers, emails, dates, and times, boosting the flexibility of content management. 

Moreover, version 9 is more secure than ever, with the support of the worldwide Drupal community and systematic security updates. Many previous vulnerabilities are now gone, resulting in fewer security issues, especially with third-party integrations. 

3. Much cleaner codebase

Removed deprecated code and dependencies, giving us a more efficient system. Drupal 9’s cleaner and more modern codebase enhances the platform’s performance and makes it much easier for developers to maintain and extend websites. 

With such updates, businesses ultimately save time and resources, as cleaner code reduces bugs and ensures smoother development workflow. 

4. Backend CMS 

Another aspect of Drupal 9 where we see a significant improvement is the backend Content Management System. The admin interface is extremely user-friendly and intuitive, making it easier for administrators and content editors to generate, manage, and update web content. Streamlining workflow and enhanced usability gives the business the advantage of reducing training time and increasing overall work productivity in the team. 

5. Enhanced user-friendliness 

As mentioned already, Drupal developers really leaned into prioritizing end-user experience. The enhancements include an updated Media Library, a new default theme, an improved admin interface, and easy-to-navigate editorial workflows.

6. Incredible personalization

Drupal 9 offers astonishing tools for personalization, allowing content managers to deliver tailored and striking web content. What does it mean for business? Enhanced marketing capabilities, boosted user engagements, and raised conversion rates on the websites – all essentials you need for a brand to grow ROI.

7. Powerful E-commerce integrations 

If your business is in an E-commerce field, upgrading to Drupal 9 is a must-do. The newest version offers robust e-commerce modules, allowing you to integrate with leading platforms and payment getaways. For instance, Shopify, Elastic Path, Magento, and others. Companies can deliver world-call service with Drupal Headless CMS to build powerful front-end, along with freedom much easier resourcing, 

Whether you represent a small online store or a large-scale e-commerce brand, Drupal 9 provides crucial flexibility and scalability for further growth and success.

8. Seamless data platform integrations 

Seamless integrations allow businesses to deliver consistent and reliable services across all platforms. From now on, Drupal 9 introduces integrations with: 

  • Marketing automation tools;
  • External analytical tools; 
  • Built-in JSON: API;
  • Acquia CDP; 
  • DMPs and CRM. 

Wrapping Up 

Let’s get it straight: Migrating from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 will make your business website more reliable, inclusive, accessible, and scalable. Besides, your web platform will be easier for marketers to navigate and manage, more powerful due to headless capabilities, and much more efficient to maintain. 

By making the switch, you’re keeping up with the times, gaining a competitive edge, and positioning the website for success in the dynamic digital landscape. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to grow and the advantages Drupal 9 is offering. Take the leap now and unlock the full potential of your brand!