AI is changing many industries, including web development. The market for AI in web design is projected to be worth over $7.7 billion by 2032.
AI technology has made the jobs of web developers easier than ever in recent years. A growing number of content management systems are using AI to streamline the web development process. Drupal is one of the content management systems leading the trend.
The Drupal Artificial Intelligence Initiative is changing the trajectory of the content management system. AI is revolutionizing Drupal by enhancing its capabilities in content management, user experience, and personalization. Through AI-powered tools, Drupal websites can now dynamically adapt content based on user behavior and preferences, creating more engaging experiences. Additionally, AI integration in Drupal streamlines tasks like content tagging and recommendation systems, empowering site administrators to deliver tailored content efficiently.
Drupal 9 has a number of new AI features that make it easier to manage websites than ever before. For example, these AI features can help make websites more responsive. However, it is important to know how to set it up correctly first.
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Running a website on Drupal 7 you may have noticed that your platform isn’t working as fast as it used to. The reason is simple. Your website needs to be upgraded.
A slow-working website isn’t just an inconvenience. It’s a barrier to your business success. Upgrading is about keeping the website up-to-date, better security, faster performance, and cool new features.
This article outlines what Drupal 9 is, its benefits, and what you need to upgrade your website from Drupal 7 to 9. Stay with us to get step-by-step instructions on how to do the transition. You can also check for Drupal migration services here.
What is Drupal 9?
Drupal 9 is a free, open-source content management system (CMS). It’s a tool for building and managing websites. Due to its flexibility, this CMS can be used for building almost any type of website.
Whether you need to create a blog, educational platform, governmental website, or marketplace, Drupal offers the possibility to organize different types of content, like text, images, and videos, in any way.
Drupal 9, the latest version, offers improved features and ensures better website performance. Its user-friendly design allows using it even without deep technical knowledge. What’s more, it’s highly responsive. No matter whether you use a computer, tablet, or smartphone, your website will work well on any device.
Drupal 9 Core Benefits
Your website might be running on Drupal 7 or 8 versions, but Drupal company has already released Drupal 9 and 10. Packed with advanced features, Drupal 9 significantly improves the performance of a website. Let’s have a quick look at its core benefits.
- Drupal 9 works faster.
- It’s free to use.
- Has enhanced security.
- Is even more flexible than legacy versions.
- Has a user-friendly interface.
- Is highly responsive.
- Offers advanced flexibility.
- Has outstanding localization settings.
- Includes SEO-optimization features.
With such improvements, upgrading to Drupal 9 will help you enhance your website’s security, loading speed, and SEO ranking. All this results in a better user experience, leading to higher conversion rates.
What You Need to Upgrade Your Site from Drupal 7 to 9
Now that we know the benefits of using updated platforms, you may wonder what is needed to migrate Drupal 7 to 9.
First of all, you’ll need a clear plan and some essential resources. Ensure that you have a website backup and begin testing the upgrade on a separate development environment to not affect the live site. Here comes the full Drupal 7 to 9 upgrading checklist.
Drupal 7 to 9 Upgrading Checklist
- Make a backup of your current Drupal 7 site.
- Check the compatibility of your modules with Drupal 9.
- Ensure your theme aligns with Drupal 9. Plan for a new theme if it’s not.
- Make sure the custom code works well at Drupal 9.
- Set up a staging environment for safe testing.
- Review and update content if needed.
- Migrate to Drupal 9 in the testing environment.
- Test the site thoroughly for functionality, performance, and security.
- Go Live.
Tools and Modules
Migrating your website from Drupal 7 to 9 requires certain tools and modules to ensure compatibility and make the process smooth. Here’s a list of the most important ones:
- Upgrade Status Module notifies whether your website is ready for upgrade, highlighting required changes.
- Migrate Module helps in migrating content and configuration settings. It’s included in Drupal 8 and 9 core.
- Migrate Plus and Migrate Tools modules offer additional plugins and functionalities to the core Migrate module.
- Drupal Shell is a command-line tool that handles version updates and migrations.
- Composer is crucial for managing and updating Drupal 9 dependencies.
- Backup and Migrate Modules assist in creating backups.
- Drupal Check is a command-line tool that highlights outdated code.
- Environment Detector is used for setting up configurations for local, staging, and production environments.
How to Migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9?
Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 migration is a bit more complicated than migrating from Drupal 8 to 9, as these two versions have different architectures.
Drupal 7 is based on a procedural programming style, whereas Drupal 9 is built on Symfony and uses object-oriented programming concepts. This means that you often need to rewrite code and restructure databases. So, what is the Drupal 7 to 9 migration process?
- Analyze your current site to identify custom modules, themes, and content.
- Install Drupal 9 on a suitable server.
- Update your website to the latest Drupal 7 version and modules with Migrate, Migrate Drupal, and Migrate Drupal UI modules.
- Install Migration Modules in Drupal 9.
- Rewrite custom code to make it compatible with Drupal 9.
- Decide which content, users, and configurations to migrate.
- Migrate content and configurations with the Migrate API.
- Choose or develop a Drupal 9-compatible theme.
- Test a website thoroughly for functionality, performance, and security.
- Go live.
Drupal 8 to Drupal 9 Migration
Migration from Drupal 8 to 9 is a smoother process, as Drupal 9 is an upgraded Drupal 8 version rather than a complete rebuild. Drupal 9 removes outdated code and updates dependencies, keeping the same architecture. This makes the upgrade smoother, requiring only minor code adjustments. Let’s take a look at two basic steps.
Step 1. Detecting and Removing Deprecated Code
Start by checking your Drupal 8 site for deprecated code. This is a critical step for migration. A good idea is to use specialized tools that help to identify outdated functions and APIs. Replace the outdated elements with their new versions, ensuring your codebase meets Drupal 9’s requirements.
Step 2. Making Necessary Updates for Drupal 9 Upgrade
Next, update your Drupal 8 installation by upgrading the core system and all contributed modules to their latest versions. This step is important to ensure that all elements are compatible with Drupal 9’s infrastructure. As a result, the risk of potential migration issues is eliminated, ensuring a smooth transition to the newer platform.
Upgrade from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8
Drupal 8 offers a set of benefits for your website. It has a more flexible architecture, provides a smoother content management process, and has many essential features integrated into its core. If there’s a need to migrate your website from Drupal 7 to 8, you’ll need to take the following 8 basic steps.
Step 1. Take a Backup
It’s important to make a copy of your current website in case something goes wrong during the upgrade process and you need to restore existing site data and configurations.
Step 2. Download the Latest Version of Drupal 8
Make sure you’re working with the latest Drupal version, as it includes the most recent features and security updates.
Step 3. Install & Configure the Drupal 8 Site on Your Local System
It’s more secure to test and make necessary adjustments on your local environment. If any functionality fails to work properly, it won’t affect your live website.
Step 4. Make Sure the Migrate, Migrate Drupal & Migrate Drupal UI is Enabled in the Drupal 8
These modules are crucial for the migration process. They ensure smooth data transferring and configuration processes from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8.
Step 5. Time to Upgrade to Drupal 8 by Entering Website Address and Append /Upgrade in the Address Bar
This step actually initiates the upgrade process. By navigating to your Drupal 8 site’s URL and appending ‘/upgrade’ to it, you access the Drupal upgrade interface. There you’ll see the Drupal migration guide, designed to take you through the needed steps.
Step 6. Fill the Source Database Details
Next step, you should provide the new Drupal 8 website with access to your current Drupal 7 site’s data. It’s important for a successful migration.
Step 7. Review the Modules, Which Will not Be Upgraded
Unfortunately, not all the modules can be upgraded. Some are incompatible with Drupal 8 or unavailable in this version. Thus, it’s important to review all the modules and plan for alternative solutions to prevent functionality losses.
Step 8. Click the ‘Perform Upgrade’ Button
This final step starts the migration process. The website will be running on a newer Drupal version right away!