Migrating from Umbraco 7 to Umbraco 8

Are you the type to stand in line for the newest iPhone, game, or gadget, always eager to grab the latest technology? We know just how you feel! Let's talk about Umbraco 8 and what it means for your current Umbraco site.

Umbraco 8 was released at the end of February and yes, it still has that new car smell. At Fyin.com, our developers have spent some time getting up to speed on the new features and functions. Many of our current client-partners are already asking how soon they can enjoy the magic of the newest version of the Umbraco CMS.  

If you’re the “early adopter” type when it comes to technology, you may be wondering how quickly your existing Umbraco 7.x site can be reborn as an Umbraco 8 site. We are excited about the new version, too! However, it’s important to gain an understanding of how migrating to Umbraco 8 will impact your current site.

At the moment, there is no direct upgrade path between v7 and v8. Umbraco 8 is a major release and there’s no shortcut via an “upgrade” button. The CMS itself received a complete overhaul. Shortly, Umbraco HQ's developers will introduce a tool that will aid in migrating content from old to new. Another piece of the puzzle to keep in mind is that existing third-party add-ons and packages (and even packages developed by the Umbraco community) will need to be evaluated for compatibility. A common sense approach must prevail so that you don’t end up with broken elements that don’t have a simple solution. A blog post by Umbraco HQ developer Claus Jensen provides more of the granular details involved in migrating to Umbraco 8. 

It’s important to keep in mind that support for v7 is not heading off into the sunset. Umbraco partners like Fyin.com will continue to support v7 sites well into the future (Umbraco HQ has stated that security updates and critical bug fixes will continue until 2023). Umbraco 7 continues to be a very stable platform with a lot of support behind it. 

Are there reasons to hop aboard the Umbraco 8 train, however? Definitely. New features like Infinite Editing, the integration of Content Apps, and the long-awaited Language Variants provide the functionality that developers and marketers alike have been dreaming of. Additionally, a complete code overhaul has resulted in a much speedier CMS.

At Fyin.com, we are committed to working with our client-partners to identify and leverage the technologies and solutions that provide the best fit (and yield the most benefit). If you’re considering a move to Umbraco 8, you’ll want to work with a qualified technology partner to ensure that the process is completed correctly - and that the timing is right. Many times, companies/organizations wait until they are ready for a design refresh and then incorporate the latest and greatest technologies at the same time.

Update 10/25/19: Umbraco HQ has confirmed that it will end technical support for v7 in February of 2021. Bug fixes and security patches will end in September of 2023.