GitLab CI Templates to Make Drupal 11 the Default Testing Version

GitLab CI templates will soon make Drupal 11 the default version for automated testing, marking a significant transition within the Drupal ecosystem. Following the release of Drupal 11 on August 6, 2024, the community is in a phase where many modules and sites are beginning to migrate to Drupal 11, while some continue to operate on Drupal 10. Fran Garcia-Linares outlined this plan on Drupal.org, noting that GitLab CI currently supports simultaneous testing for both versions, which has allowed module maintainers to prepare for Drupal 11 compatibility. As a result, over 2,870 projects have reported no compatibility errors, and 1,720 have made compatible releases by August 20th.

The next steps involve updating the default testing configuration in GitLab CI templates to prioritize Drupal 11. This change is planned in three stages, beginning with making Drupal 11 testing the default while still allowing modules to test against Drupal 10 if needed. The transition will start with a temporary setting that adds "Next Major" test jobs to pipelines for modules that haven't yet tested against Drupal 11. The timeline for these changes is set to begin on August 26, 2024, with the final shift to Drupal 11 as the default version expected by September 12, 2024.

Maintainers who prefer not to shift immediately have options, such as pinning their template version to continue testing with Drupal 10 or configuring their own testing variants. The overall goal is to ensure that Drupal 11 becomes the standard for all new issues, merge requests, and pipelines, thereby keeping the Drupal ecosystem modern and relevant. As the community adapts to this change, they are encouraged to review related issues and report new ones as necessary to maintain a smooth transition.