Drupal 7 has officially reached end of life! What happens now?
Drupal 7 has reached its end of life and won’t be receiving any more community-based updates. But if your website is still on it, what are your options?
It’s finally happened. After 14 years of powering websites around the world, and at least three stays of execution, Drupal 7 has officially reached its end-of-life (EOL).
It was a fitting date – Drupal 7 was released 14 years to the day: on January 5, 2011. For many organisations and developers, this marks the end of an era and the beginning of an important transition.
But what does end of life for Drupal 7 actually mean? What are the risks involved in continuing to use an unsupported version of Drupal, and what are the options available to you to ensure that your website stays secure, functional, and up-to-date?
The risks that come with staying on Drupal 7
Whether you're considering a Drupal upgrade or you’re exploring alternative platforms, the time for action has arguably passed months ago.
From 5 January 2025 the Drupal community has ceased support for Drupal 7, so there will be no more community-based updates, including bug fixes, new features, and security updates. Although a Drupal 7 website can theoretically continue to function with no immediate disruption, there are significant changes that you need to be aware of.
Our Managing Director Stella Power sets them out in this blog, and also lays out the options for Drupal 7 sites.
Don’t just upgrade. Get a facelift
It’s not only the enhanced features and better security that come with migrating from Drupal 7. Upgrading to a newer version of Drupal gives you the perfect opportunity to give your site a fresh new look.
Stella believes that undertaking a site redesign during the migration process is advantageous and it is best to incorporate it as part of an upgrade/migration strategy.
She writes about doing a redesign while migrating in this blog.
Planning = success
A successful migration from Drupal 7 to Drupal 11 requires careful planning. In this article, Stella looks at key considerations and strategies to help you plan your Drupal 7 migration. By following her advice, you can ensure a successful Drupal 7 migration and a smooth transition to Drupal 11.
Don’t forget about your SEO
As organisations migrate their websites from Drupal 7 to newer versions, one crucial aspect to consider is the potential impact on a site's search engine optimisation. SEO plays a vital role in driving organic traffic and improving search engine rankings. In this blog post, Stella discusses essential tips and best practices for successfully migrating from Drupal 7 and maintaining your SEO.
Any more questions? Maybe we’ve answered them
Organisations that haven’t yet moved from Drupal 7 may have other questions. These are the ones that we are asked frequently about staying on Drupal 7:
Decision time
Although websites that are still running on Drupal 7 have officially run out of rope, there are steps you can take to make them as secure as possible while they’re acting as a placeholder pending the development of a new one. We’re offering long term support while you’re making the transition.
We’ve been working with Drupal for a really long time, and we know what a migration entails. We’re here to help in whatever way we can.
Do you have any other questions about running your website on Drupal 7?
Every website is different, and you may have a situation that we haven’t covered in this blog. If you’d like to run something else by our team of experts, just get in touch.
Alison Visser Head of Content
After more than two decades in journalism, Alison now collaborates with Annertech's clients to ensure that their content is the best it possibly can be.
