A guide to Umbraco's end-of-life

If you're running a website on Umbraco 7, 8 or 10, you may have heard that its end-of-life is approaching or has already passed. EOL for Umbraco means that it will no longer receive security updates, bug fixes or support from the Umbraco team at HQ.

Umbraco 8 end-of-life (EOL) refers to the date when Umbraco will cease providing support and updates for version 8 of its content management system.

Organisations still using Umbraco 8 after the end-of-life date will run unsupported software, potentially exposing themselves to security risks and compatibility issues.

Umbraco 8 has served businesses well since its release and is reaching the end of its supported lifecycle. Here are the dates for Umbraco 8 end of life:

• The final minor version, Umbraco 8.18, was released in February 2022.
• Full version support ended in February 2024.
• Umbraco HQ will provide security updates until February 2025.
• After February 2025, all updates and support for Umbraco 8 will cease.

When software reaches its end-of-life (EOL), it is a normal part of its development. Here's why this happens:

Technology changes quickly, and older software versions can become outdated and less efficient than newer ones. Software companies work on newer versions to stay competitive and offer better solutions.

New versions usually have improved security features to protect against new threats, which makes it important to stop using older, more vulnerable versions. The updated software also performs better and is more stable.

Older software can become incompatible with the rest of the tech world as other technologies change. By setting EOL dates, software providers let users know it's time to upgrade, which helps keep the digital landscape secure and efficient. This practice also encourages ongoing innovation and improvement in the software industry.

Ending support for a software version means more than just stopping updates. It can greatly affect businesses in several ways:

1. Security risks: Without security patches, your website becomes more vulnerable to new threats.
2. Compliance issues: Not receiving updates may risk your compliance with data protection laws.
3. Compatibility challenges: Older plugins and third-party integrations might break, causing issues with your website's functionality.
4. Performance degradation: An outdated content management system (CMS) can slow performance and lead to a poor user experience as the web changes.
5. Feature limitations: You will miss out on new features and improvements in newer Umbraco versions.

For now, we still suggest upgrading to Umbraco 13, the newest stable long-term support (LTS) version, to keep your website running smoothly and securely. Here are the main benefits:

1. Better Performance: WebP image support and faster speeds improve SEO and user experience.
2. Easier Content Management: The new block grid editor allows you to drag and drop, making content creation and marketing campaigns more straightforward.
3. Improved Forms: The enhanced form builder gives you more flexibility and features.
4. Stronger Security: You get better protection against cross-site scripting (XSS) and other security threats.
5. Modern Architecture: You'll have headless capabilities through APIs for delivering content and media across multiple channels.

As Platinum Umbraco partners, we have the expertise you need for your project:

1. We understand Umbraco's ecosystem and best practices well.
2. Our team includes certified Umbraco developers and Umbraco Masters with plenty of experience.
3. We have a strong record of successful upgrades and rebuilds.
4. We take a comprehensive approach that covers design, development, and strategy.

We start by thoroughly reviewing your Umbraco website. This review helps us understand how your website is set up and decide whether we should upgrade it or do a complete rebuild. After this evaluation, we will give you a clear plan and budget based on your needs.

As Umbraco’s support comes to an end, you may start to notice some limitations in security, performance and updates. EOL can impact your website’s efficiency and ability to make the most of new tools and integrations. We’re here to help guide you through this and ensure you’re equipped for the future so your marketing efforts stay strong and secure.

Continuing with an unsupported version can expose your website to security risks, performance issues and missed opportunities for optimisation. An unsupported version could also be a compliance risk if you handle sensitive customer data. Growcreate will support you in making a smart, proactive choice to keep your website safe and aligned with your business goals.

We know how important consistency is for your brand. We’ll work alongside you to ensure the upgrade or migration happens seamlessly. By sticking to a solid plan and testing everything in a staging environment, we can ensure the user experience and content stay true to your brand, even while we evolve your platform.

Yes, we’re committed to ensuring the process is as smooth as possible. Growcreate takes a thoughtful approach to migrations, minimising downtime or disruptions. With a well-planned strategy, we can handle the transition with care, ensuring your customers continue to have a positive experience throughout.

We’re here to help you plan the transition. Depending on your website’s size and complexity, the migration process can take a couple of weeks to several months. We’ll work with you to map out a timeline that ensures minimal disruption and plenty of time for testing and refinement before the switch.

Smooth migrations start with a clear plan. Growcreate will guide you through each step, from selecting the right CMS to ensuring the content and data migrate seamlessly. We use the latest tools and techniques to ensure everything is in place while testing it thoroughly to avoid surprises.

SEO is crucial, and we’ll make sure that migrating doesn’t impact your rankings. From implementing 301 redirects to maintaining your metadata and images, we’ll ensure that all your SEO best practices are in place. You’ll have visibility into every step of the process, so your traffic stays steady.

Even if Umbraco is functional now, migrating to the latest version of the platform can offer significant benefits, from better scalability and security to future-proofing your digital strategy. Growcreate helps you evaluate the options and ensures that the switch brings value, setting you up for success in the long term.

Without continued support, your content management system may become less reliable and more complicated. EOL could lead to performance issues and a slower workflow for you. At Growcreate, we’re here to make sure you’re equipped with a solution that makes content creation and publishing easier and more efficient, both now and in the future.

We've got the process covered. We'll carefully migrate your content and media, ensuring everything is correctly formatted and transferred. You'll have complete visibility into the process, and we'll work closely with you to make sure everything is organised and ready to go.

We'll take care of most of the heavy lifting for you. Growcreate uses tools and techniques designed to simplify content transfer, and we'll be on hand to ensure the process goes smoothly. Manual adjustments may sometimes be needed, but we'll guide you through that every step of the way.

We're pleased to inform you that there will be no downtime during the migration process. Our team has carefully planned every aspect to ensure your content management processes remain uninterrupted. You can continue your work without any interruptions, and we're committed to making this transition as smooth as possible.