Yes, Upgrading to Drupal 10 is Necessary

We know what you’re thinking, you just upgraded to Drupal 9, and now there’s another upgrade to worry about! You’re probably wondering if it’s really necessary? And why is it so soon? Will it be as much of a hassle as upgrading to Drupal 9? You have questions, and we have answers!

It's time to Migrate to Drupal 10

Drupal 9 is already set to reach the end of life by November 2023, meaning you'll have to update to Drupal 10 by then. This update is coming soon due to Drupal 9's heavy dependency on Symfony 4, which has an end-of-life date of November 2023, too!

5 Reasons You Should Upgrade to Drupal 10

So, what do you need to know? Here are five things you should know about the upgrade to Drupal 10.

1. New front-end theme: Olivero

Olivero has become the default front-end theme in Drupal core. This theme has a simpler, modern feel; think whitespace, clean fonts, and clever use of colors. Olivero's design puts accessibility first, with its default formatting being level AA in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

2. New admin theme: Claro

Drupal 10 is switching things up behind the scenes, too. Clean and simple is the name of the game for Drupal 10, with Claro's design having that same modern feel as the Olivero theme. Plus, just like Olivero, the Claro theme was also designed with accessibility in mind, achieving a level AA in the WCAG; accessibility win for Drupal 10!

3. Upgrades to CKEditor

CKEditor 5 brings exciting new features and a fresh experience to Drupal 10. The updates to CKEditor provide an interface similar to Microsoft Word and Google Docs, which means many users will find it easier to navigate. Some remarkable features include improved collaboration tools, like comments, suggested edits, and version history. Plus, you'll be able to export to .docx and .pdf files, making it much easier to print and share.

4. Overall accessibility

Drupal has ensured accessibility to users of all skill levels. The Project Browser initiative acknowledges that Drupal is quite challenging to use, especially for new users. This initiative makes it easier to find and install modules for new site builders to Drupal. And with the Easy Out of the Box initiative, using the Admin level becomes easier, making it more convenient for non-technical users; this initiative includes the Claro admin theme.

5. Automatic updates!

Finally, what we've all been begging for has become a reality! Automatic updates will become a core part of Drupal 10. With the click of a button, Drupal will do all the work around updates that everybody dreads doing: downloading files, readiness checks, staging copies, and performance checks. Drupal will send you a notification when it performs any updates and if there are any other steps you need to complete. Not having to worry about performing updates takes a massive load off of users' shoulders!

Symetris Drupal Experts Are Here to Help You!

It may seem like a lot of time, but there really isn't much time until you need to upgrade to Drupal 10 in November 2023. Drupal promises that the upgrade will be easy thanks to new functionalities added to Drupal 9 to ease the transition. You can perform the upgrade any time after Drupal 10's official planned release, which is December 14, 2022. It's always important to be prepared before upgrading, so get started now! 

Don't want to take on the worries of another update? Don't sweat it. Our team of Drupal-certified experts is here to help! Contact us today to find out how we can help.