Drupal 9 is Coming! Should I stay or Should I Go?

It’s official: Drupal 9 will be released in 2020, with Drupal 7 and Drupal 8 being put to pasture in 2021. Unlike previous versions of Drupal, D8 and D7 will be end of life at the same time. This proposed schedule breaks with tradition – Drupal has always supported one version back. And this schedule gives D8 users a single, short year to upgrade from Drupal 8 to Drupal 9.

What are the options from here? Wait until 2021 to move your site off Drupal 7? Do two (possibly costly) upgrades in three years? Support your Drupal 7 site past the “expiration date?” How will this affect the community solutions your business relies on, as well as custom features you may have as part of your Drupal site?

The road you take will depend on where you are in the website lifecycle, what your needs are, and the organizational resources you have available.

This session is appropriate for anyone who is currently managing a Drupal 7 site and wondering what happens next.

Attendees will leave with information about the following:

• How to know if you’re ready for an upgrade, a redesign, or a Focused Fix
• The pros and cons of upgrading today
• An understanding of backwards compatibility and the implications for upgrading your site to Drupal 8, Drupal 9, and beyond
• Options for long term support