Essential Steps for Drupal 7 End-of-Life Transition

As the end-of-life (EOL) for Drupal 7 approaches on January 5, 2025, site owners must take steps to ensure their websites remain secure, functional, and compliant. In a Drupal Association blog post, it is recommended to start with a comprehensive site audit. This includes inventorying all content, modules, themes, and custom code; assessing which modules are essential or redundant; checking for unsupported modules; and evaluating site performance to address any bottlenecks. Next, plan your migration strategy by choosing the right Drupal version, estimating the time and budget needed, engaging stakeholders, and considering extended long-term support options like HeroDevs Drupal 7 Never-Ending Support.

Selecting a certified migration partner is also essential due to the complexity of migrating from Drupal 7. Look for partners with proven experience, comprehensive service offerings, and industry knowledge. Additionally, update your hosting environment to meet the new Drupal version requirements, ensure compatibility with PHP and MySQL versions, and consider a new hosting provider if necessary. Before migrating, back up your site and run tests in a staging environment. Finally, the migration will be executed in stages, progress will be monitored, and a final site audit will be conducted post-migration. By following these steps, site owners can ensure a smooth transition to a more modern and secure version of Drupal.