Drupal 7 is approaching its end of life. Website owners and administrators must be aware of the important changes to stay updated. In a recent announcement, the Drupal Security Team provided important updates regarding the end-of-life date and changes to the support for Drupal 7.
Here are the recent changes related to Drupal
Despite being an older version, Drupal 7 continues to be utilized by many websites around the world. The end of Drupal 7 necessitates website owners to migrate to a newer version for continued security, stability, and feature enhancements.
1. Drupal 7 End-of-Life Date and Support Changes:
Drupal 7's end-of-life has been extended until January 5, 2025. However, this extension marks the final one. The Drupal Security Team has adjusted the level of support provided, affecting security advisories and issue resolution for Drupal 7.
2. Reduced Support for Moderately Critical Issues:
Starting from August 1, 2023, moderately critical and less critical issues affecting Drupal 7 may be publicly posted for resolution, except for mass-exploitable ones. This change does not impact Drupal 9 and above.
3. Unsupported Drupal 7 Modules and Themes:
After August 1, 2023, Drupal 7 branches of unsupported modules and themes will not be eligible for new maintainership. So proactively adopt critical modules and themes to ensure ongoing support.
4. Exclusion of Security Advisories for Unsupported Libraries:
The Drupal security team will no longer issue security advisories for unsupported libraries used by Drupal 7 contributed modules or themes. Notably, libraries like CKEditor 4 will not receive specific Drupal 7 security advisories.
5. PHP 5.5 and Below No Longer Supported:
Effective August 1, 2023, PHP versions lower than 5.6 will no longer be supported for Drupal 7. Future updates may further increase the minimum PHP requirement.
6. Discontinuation of Drupal 7 Windows-only Security Fixes:
From August 1, 2023, onward, Windows-specific security problems in Drupal 7 will not be remedied through security updates. Site owners running Drupal 7 on Windows are advised to consider migrating to an alternative operating system.
7. Changes to Drupal.org:
From August 1, 2023, onward, Drush make files will no longer be bundled with Drupal 7 distributions on Drupal.org. Users can create distributions using drush make locally.
8. Implictions of Drupal 7 End of Life:
When Drupal 7 reaches its end of life, the Drupal Security Team will discontinue its support and stop releasing security advisories for Drupal 7 core, contributed modules, and themes. Public disclosure of security issues, including zero days, may occur.
Drupal.org will no longer provide support for Drupal 7-related tasks, including documentation navigation and automated testing. External vulnerability scans will flag Drupal 7 as insecure.
9. Migration Partners Program:
To aid Drupal 7 site owners in migrating to newer versions, the Drupal Association has launched a migration partners program. Certified Migration Partners will be promoted on Drupal.org and provide valuable resources for those seeking migration assistance.
10. Community Support and Contributions:
The Drupal community, core maintainers, and volunteers have provided ongoing support and contributions to Drupal 7. Community support for contributed modules and themes will continue even after the end of life and ensure assistance and maintenance for Drupal 7 projects.
11. Drupal.org File Archive and Core Commits:
The file archive for Drupal 7, including tar and zip files, will be shut off, limiting the availability of downloadable packages. Additionally, there will be no more core commits on Drupal core 7.x, signaling the end of active development for Drupal 7.
Conclusion
Understanding the changes and implications involved is vital as Drupal 7 approaches its end of life. Migrating to a newer version, such as Drupal 10, is strongly recommended before January 5, 2025. Your proactive action will ensure the continued security and functionality of your Drupal-powered website.
If you want support in upgrading from Drupal 7 to 10, our expert team at LN Webworks is here to help you. Contact us today to ensure the continued success of your Drupal-powered website.
Author Information
Pankaj Kumar
Co-Founder & Managing DirectorPankaj is a Senior UI/UX specialist with more than ten years of industry experience who focuses on usability, user experience, and user research in his designs. He has worked with small and large teams, including management of LN Webworks Organization.
