Drupal Website Audit for Seamless Drupal 10 Migration

Drupal 10 is a cutting-edge content management system acclaimed worldwide for its top-notch security, incredible performance, advanced technology, and seamless maintenance. As support for Drupal 9 will cease in November 2023, it is imperative to upgrade or migrate to Drupal 10 at the earliest. However, before you take the enormous leap of upgradation, conducting a Drupal website audit is mandatory. According to experts, meticulous auditing can enhance the efficiency of the migration process to a great degree.

It accesses your current system, themes, modules, and everything imaginable and brings forth the required actions to make migrating to Drupal 10 a seamless affair. In this article, we’ll discuss a three-pronged process for successful Drupal 10 migration with website auditing at its core.

The Three Stepping Stones For Effective Drupal 10 Migration

1. Meticulously examine the current state of your website

Getting acquainted with your website’s current state is the pedestal for successful Drupal 10 migration. With a meticulous Drupal website audit, you can examine your site and identify the issues that need to be addressed before you can upgrade or migrate to Drupal 10. It is only by resolving these issues beforehand that you can make way for fruitful Drupal 10 migration.

Given below are the key factors to focus on while auditing your website.

• The current core version

First and foremost what you need to do is identify the core version currently supporting your website. Upgrading to Drupal 10 from the latest minor version of the core leads to a quantum positive difference in the process. This is primarily because the latest minor version is often more streamlined with the upgradation process.

Given that, if you aspire to upgrade or migrate to Drupal 10 from Drupal 8, it is better to first upgrade your site to Drupal 8.9. By doing so, you can reap better results in terms of the efficiency of the migration process. However, it is imperative to note that upgrading to Drupal 9 isn’t mandatory for Drupal 10 migration. Drupal 8.9 works well.

In case your website still runs on Drupal 7, then, you’ll have to first migrate to Drupal 8 or 9 as it isn’t directly compatible with Drupal 10. If you plan to hire a Drupal development company for the Drupal 10 migration process, they’ll take care of these things for you.

• Whether or not your site is composer-managed

A composer is an incredible tool that aids in dependency management in PHP. With it, you can effortlessly declare the libraries your project is dependent on. Once you do that, the composer will install or upgrade them for you whenever required. This implies that you can get rid of manual management of such things. Updating Drupal core also becomes a piece of cake with a composer-managed website.

Hence, it is crucial to examine whether or not your site is managed by a composer. If you are currently using Drupal 8.8 or above, you can rest assured that your website has a pre-installed composer. In case you use versions below Drupal 8.8, you can add a composer to your existing website before Drupal 10 migration.

• Server specifications

Drupal 10 has specific server requirements. If your hosting company doesn’t meet those requirements, it is time for you to switch to a new server. So, make sure to get acquainted with the server specifications required for Drupal 10 migrations. It is only in this light that can decide the further course of action.

It is advisable to first only evaluable the three factors mentioned above. Then, you can make the required upgrades once you migrate to Drupal 10 locally.

2. Evaluate your third-party modules and themes

As you plan to migrate to Drupal 10, it is crucial to analyze whether your third-party modules and themes are in harmony with it or not. Even after the release of an upgraded Drupal core version, certain modules and themes may require some time before becoming compatible with it. That said, it is imperative for you to keep a close check on the availability of upgrade paths for your third-party integrations.

To simplify the process, it is advisable to create a proper inventory of your Drupal modules and keep their update status in check. In case you find that no upgrades are available for a particular Drupal module you have in use, it is wise to begin searching for alternative modules early on.

If you are motivated to stick to your existing module even after you upgrade or migrate to Drupal 10, you can contact Drupal experts who can create custom solutions for you. Remember to be open to their counsel and think about the suggestions they provide as experts are experts. They know what works and what doesn’t. If they suggest you choose an alternative module, it is better to go with it. You can seek their guidance in picking up the best alternative.

3. Determine the compatibility with the custom code

Every Drupal core update is a tremendous change and application program interfaces (APIs) cannot remain unaffected by it. They also experience multitudinous changes and deprecations. This makes it imperative for you to determine your custom code’s compatibility with Drupal 10.

Tools like Drupal Reactor can simplify the chore for you. They can pinpoint deprecations and employ automated fixes. Besides, they can also recommend further improvements in your custom code to make it easy for you to upgrade or migrate to Drupal 10.

Let’s Wrap Up

Drupal 10 migration offers benefits galore. You get to catch up with the latest technological advancements, cutting-edge security features, and a lot more. If you have decided to upgrade or migrate to Drupal 10, do not forget to audit your website beforehand. Drupal website audit can introduce you to issues that need addressing to ensure an effective Drupal 10 migration.

As Drupal migration is often considered a daunting task, you might need the services of a Drupal development company to simplify things for you. At LN Webworks, we have a proficient team of Drupal developers to perform thorough website auditing and make successful Drupal 10 migrations for you. So, without any second thoughts, reach out to us today for building an incredible Drupal 10 website.