How to migrate from Drupal 6 to Drupal 8
Keeping up with the times is essential in today’s ever-changing IT environment. Upgrading to Drupal 8 has become the focus of developer’s interest for a while, including diverse related issues (how to choose a website support service, speed up a website using caching, improve security, etc.). Moreover, we’ve already intimated about the would-be Drupal 9 release. If you’re still running a Drupal 6 website, the question is not whether to migrate to the highest version or not. The question is how to do it in the most friendly way. So, let’s clarify it step by step.
Drupal 6 End of Life
D6 reached the end of life back in February 2016, 3 months after D8 released. This means that official support service for the older version is not longer provided. Currently, a support service can help you with any issues related to the D6. However, the D8 is easier to use than previous ones. In any case, developers still highly recommend having a plan for a gradual upgrade to Drupal 8.
Drupal 8 Advantages:
Surely, upgrading to the latest version opens the way for building efficient and stable online presence. D8 impresses with its multifunctionality and easy maintenance. Migrating to it can help improve your website performance with its high-level security, SEO friendliness and accessibility. This can keep your business successful and moving at speed in the turbulent world of technology. Among other Drupal 8 benefits are as follows:
- Mobile friendly administrative UI
- Built-in web services
- Multilingual possibilities
- Built-in migration tools
- Improved content management
- Built-in configuration control
- Convenient theming with Twig
- Absolute HTML5 compatibility etc.
When To Consider Drupal 6 to Drupal 8 Migration
If you made a decision to migrate to the latest version, you should pay attention to the process of upgrading. Updating your website to the "big eight" should be gradual, and needs very careful consideration. Therefore, a migration to D7 should be the first step towards all the advantages of D8. Only then you can migrate to version 8 and test its multifunctionality and user-friendliness on your website. Be sure that complying with the recommendations of developers will meet your expectations, too.
It should be noted that every site is individual and needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. Finding professional assistance to guide you through those issues is definitely a good choice. Contact us and our support team will help to migrate your website and give it a new, "fresh" look.