Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 Migration: Why and how to make the move

Drupal 7 has been successful for over ten years. However, now it has some problems. These include security threats and a lack of regular updates. There is no proper community support. These issues can cause slower performance and higher maintenance costs for your website.

Switching to Drupal 10 will be a good idea. This change can increase the site’s performance and reduce costs. New features in Drupal 10 help a site stay stable over time. They also improve how a site works and make a better experience. Drupal 10 will make content management easier. 

In this blog, we will outline the steps for an effective and smooth Drupal 7 to 10 migration.

Why Migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10?

Upgrading your site from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 is a way to make it ready for the future. The key points that highlight the need to migrate from Drupal 7 to 10 are

• No more support: Drupal 7’s official support came to an end on January 5, 2025. It gets no more security updates or bug fixes from the community. A site with no regular security patches is more vulnerable to online attacks. Shifting to Drupal 10 will make sure that your site stays safe. It will also align with the industry’s best practices.
• Better security measures: The new Drupal 10 has a better security setup. It uses modern frameworks that make websites safer. It also has better rules for passwords and uses encryption. This makes Drupal 10 a safer choice.
• Increased performance: Drupal 10 is built on a newer set of tools. These include PHP 8.1+ and the Symfony framework.. This ensures faster performance and improves how it stores data for quicker loading times.
• Enhanced user experience: Drupal 10 comes with a new editor called CKEditor 5. This gives a modern and easier-to-work-with experience. It has features like handling media and editing directly on the page.
• Future-Readiness: Drupal 10 unlocks innovation within. Automatic updates, better integration with third-party tools, and flexible headless CMS capabilities enable your website to scale up. Drupal 10 allows for continuous evolution without the burden of outdated frameworks.
• Community support: Drupal 10 is actively supported with larger community support, modules, and security updates. Always migrating to the latest version will keep your platform updated compared to others. 

Things to Consider Before Migrating from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10

The Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 migration will bring in stronger security, modern features, and long-term support. But this upgrade from Drupal 7 to 10 requires careful planning and neat execution to avoid the challenges that come with it.

• Site audit and inventory: A comprehensive audit of Drupal 7 is the first and most important step. Analyze and create a detailed migration roadmap that outlines the content, features, and custom code to be migrated to Drupal 10 and what content needs to be removed from Drupal 7. Remove deprecated code and upgrade custom modules to match the new APIs and coding standards of Drupal 10.
• Module and Theme compatibility: Create a list of all contributed and custom modules and categorize them by importance. For each module, determine the equivalent in Drupal 10 by using tools like the Upgrade Status module. Check which modules have updated versions that need alternatives and which need to be rebuilt using custom development. Drupal 10 has new modern themes like Olivero and Claro. With this analysis, we can design a more responsive, accessible, and future-ready design that matches your requirements. 
• Structural differences: Content and data migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 can become complex due to their structural differences. Using migration tools like Drupal Migrate API can help us to map content fields from the old system to the new one. 
• Custom Code and Integrations: Custom code and third-party integrations will not work in Drupal 10. They need to be rebuilt again in Drupal 10, adhering to the coding standards and Drupal 10’s architecture. Identify all the third-party services, APIs, and other systems your Drupal 7 has connected to. This needs to be re-established in the new Drupal 10 environment.
• Technical and strategic planning: With all the audit reports now designed, the new Drupal site. Ensure your new hosting environment meets Drupal 10’s requirements, which include PHP 8.1 or higher. Using the Drupal Migrate API, write custom migration scripts for complex and custom fields. Plan the budget, timeline, and resources required for the upgrade.
• Performance, SEO, and Redirects: Drupal 10 provides better tools for improving site performance. Identify content changes requiring URL redirects or restructuring to preserve SEO rankings and user experience.

How to Migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 (Step-by-Step)

Migrating from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 is not just a simple update; the whole site needs to be rebuilt. It is a structured process that requires careful planning, module compatibility checks, and rigorous testing at each stage. The steps for a successful Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 migration are 

1. Migration plan: Assess the Drupal 7 site and identify all content types, fields, taxonomies, modules, themes, design elements, custom code, third-party integrations, and user roles. This will say what needs to be migrated, rebuilt, or discarded. Define the objectives of your migration to Drupal 10. Whether you are looking to rebuild your site or you want to modernize the design, add new functionalities.
2. Set up the Drupal 10 environment: Install a new Drupal 10 on your hosting environment. Configure the basic settings, core modules, and initial site structure. In this environment, we are going to migrate the Drupal 7 content and rebuild it using Drupal 10.
3. Map modules and functionality: Create a module mapping environment to find which modules have a direct equivalent in Drupal 10. If it is not supported, find alternatives for unsupported modules. This will make sure that no critical functionality is lost during migration.
4. Plan the design and theme: Drupal 10 has new themes like Olivero for the front-end and Claro for the back-end. Restructure for new themes to make a responsive, accessible, and future-ready interface. 
5. Migrate content and configuration: This is the main technical part of the process. Using Drupal‘s Migrate API, start migrating content and configurations from Drupal 7. This involves installing contributed modules like Migrate Plus and Migrate Tools. Create migration scripts to map Drupal 7 fields to Drupal 10 fields. Run trail migrations in a staging environment to validate data integrity. If any mapping issues are found, troubleshoot using migration logs and fix them at this stage itself. This step will ensure that your content is moved seamlessly to Drupal 10.
6. Rebuild Custom Functionality and Integrations: Any custom code that was dependent on Drupal 7 needs to be rewritten in Drupal 10. Rebuild a new responsive theme for your site. Drupal 10 brings up a secure system using Twig.
7. Test, Deployment, and Launch: Perform testing on the site by checking all links, forms, and features. Cross-check the data with the old Drupal 7 site and compare it with the new Drupal 10 site. Create a redirect map for any URLs that have changed. This will only help your new website rank. So now that all the data has been migrated, it is time to launch the site to the public. After final testing, take a backup of both old and new sites. 

What to Do After You Migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10

A successful Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 migration involves months of planning, development, and testing. Post-migration support is required in all migrations, whether it is an upgrade or a new platform. Below are the steps to be taken after migrating to Drupal.

• Content validation and verification: After the migration, review your site to ensure that everything is moved correctly. Check for pages, nodes, taxonomies, files, Internal links, redirects, menu structures, forms, workflows, and permissions that are correctly migrated.
• SEO and Search engine optimization: A migration should not affect your Search engine rankings. Generate a new XML sitemap for your Drupal 10 site and submit it to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools. Validate URL redirects from the old Drupal 7 site to preserve search engine rankings and user bookmarks. Update sitemap and metadata for improved SEO performance in Drupal 10.
• Training and adoption: Provide a training session for your team on how to use the new features of Drupal 10, such as CKEditor 5 and Media Library. Document the workflows and processes for further reference.
• Ongoing support: Collect feedback from visitors, content editors, and stakeholders to identify the pain points and opportunities for improvement. Regularly monitor the site’s log files for any errors, security warnings, or other issues that may arise. Keep a habit of taking regular backups of the site’s code and database.
• Monitor performance and optimize: Though Drupal 10 is optimized for better site performance, a new setup may require additional tuning. Using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix, analyze the loading times and server configurations to deliver a faster user experience. 

Why choose Entrans for your Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 Migration

Migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 is a strategic decision and more than a change of platform that is required for business growth. It requires careful planning and execution, which requires working with Drupal specialists like Entrans can simplify your migration process. 

At Entrans, we can expedite the Drupal 10 migration process with minimal downtime. Our team of expats brings a lot of experience from many migration projects. This will help to avoid common problems and reach your business goals.

Reach out to us to start your seamless migration. Book a consultation call with us.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

1. Is Drupal 7 to 10 a simple upgrade or a complete migration?

Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 is a complete migration. The architecture of Drupal 10 is entirely different from that of Drupal 7. Content, modules, and themes need to be rebuilt in Drupal 10. 

2. How long does it take to migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10?

Migrating from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 depends on the site’s complexity. Small projects might take 3-6 months to complete the migration, whereas large projects may take longer.

3. How much does it cost to migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10?

The cost of Drupal 10 migration depends on factors like the site’s size, the number of content types and fields, the complexity, and third-party integrations. A basic migration ranges from $15,000 to $100,000+.

4. What risks should I consider before migrating from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10?

The risks to be considered before migrating from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 include data loss or corruption during content migration, module incompatibility, design inconsistencies, and security vulnerabilities. Through auditing and testing, these risks can be reduced.