Act now: Umbraco 8 is coming to end of life in February 2025 – your FAQs, options and more
All good things come to an end. And that includes Umbraco 8 which will no longer be supported from late February 2025. This is not unexpected, in the same way that Umbraco 7 gracefully bowed out in 2023.
If your site is on Umbraco 8 then the clock really is ticking, and you need to act now to decide your upgrade path. Don’t worry, there are a variety of different options, including acquiring extended support beyond February 2025.
In this post we’re going to answer your key questions about Umbraco 8’s end of life and look at the different options.
When is Umbraco 8 reaching end of life?
Umbraco 8 is reaching “end of life” on 25 February 2025.
End of life means that Umbraco 8 will no longer by officially supported by Umbraco HQ. In preparation for this, since February 2024 Umbraco 8 has been in a security-only phase to fix any security issues and release any patches. If you’re using Umbraco 8 on Umbraco Cloud you can also no longer create new sites, again since February.
Why do I need to upgrade?
It’s always highly advisable to upgrade before any platform reaches end of life because continuing means your website might be vulnerable, as there are no more security patches or updates applied. There might also be potential issues around compliance for highly regulated industries.
Over time, your site will also start to potentially decline in performance. If any issue does arise and it means you have to take action, getting the necessary support and remedying any problems will also be harder and more expensive.
If you upgrade, it also means you can take advantage of all the latest Umbraco features and improvements. In recent years Umbraco has evolved considerably with multiple releases – we’re currently on Umbraco 14 with version 15 due for release in November 2024 – so there is a lot you’re missing out on.
What happens if I don’t upgrade before February 25?
Not upgrading before the end-of-life date doesn’t mean that all of a sudden, your website will stop functioning. It will still be there on 26 February. However, it will be at risk in terms of security, compliance, performance and fixing immediate issues.
It is inevitable that you will need to upgrade eventually and the longer you leave it:
- the more the risk to your website
- the more nervous your IT security and compliance people will get
- potentially the more complex and expensive the upgrade will be.
What happens if I can’t upgrade before February, even though I want to?
Planning out website projects takes time and involves cost, and it may be possible that you cannot upgrade prior to February 2025.
If this is the case, don’t panic. Remember your site isn’t going to disappear. Umbraco HQ offers a an optional extended long-term support program, so you can pay for to extend support until you are ready to upgrade..
How long will an upgrade take and what will it cost?
By February 2025 we’ll be on Umbraco 15. The latest long-term supported version of Umbraco will be Umbraco 13, so at a minimum any upgrade should involve going to at least to 13, 14 or 15.
Going from version 8 to version 13, 14 or 15 is a significant change. Whatever way you look at it, this will accrue costs and will take some time, although the change may be quicker than you think.
It is impossible to say how much this is as it will depend on:
- the size and complexity of the site
- the extent of your customisations and integrations
- the quality of the coding that’s been done previously.
For some sites, it will be possible that this is the equivalent of re-platforming to a new CMS. In our upgrade process (see below) we always carry out an audit to assess the effort and cost involved.
What will be involved in upgrading?
Recently we published an article that explains in more detail what to expect when upgrading your content management system (CMS). This explores questions such as how significant an upgrade will be and takes a deeper dive into the upgrade process that we follow at 3Chillies:
- We initially conduct an audit to see what is going to be involved with the upgrade – this comes at a highly reasonable fixed cost.
- We discuss the results of the audit with you and if you want to go ahead, then we’ll provide a quote for a fixed cost.
- We carry out the upgrade itself which at a high level involves creating a high level parallel UAT environment to your current site with the upgraded CMS, developing the new site. and getting you to test it.
- Once you approve everything, we’ll synchronise any content updates, do some final testing and then make the switch to production.
Apart from your acceptance testing, the time involvement from you is usually quite light, so, overall, the process tends to be pretty straightforward.
Is re-platforming an option?
Some sites will involve the equivalent of a re-platforming so if you’ve been considering going to another CMS then this might be the time to do so. However, we think Umbraco continues to go from strength to strength, so we’re confident you’ll want to stay with Umbraco.
Do I need to act now?
Yes, you need to act now and make some decisions. February 2025 is less than six months away, so you’ll need to both plan your project and put in the foundations. This will involve an auditing phase to assess what’s involved in the change, as well as any actual development.
Realistically due to budgeting and approval cycles, your team’s existing commitments and your agency’s capacity, it means that it is quite possible that you may not be able to upgrade before the February date.
Remember, don’t panic. Your site isn’t going to disappear and there are also options to extend end-of-life support from Umbraco, although this comes at a cost.
In a nutshell, what are my current options?
At it’s more basic your options are:
- Do nothing but increase risks around your website. We strongly recommend you don’t take up this option.
- Upgrade your site to Umbraco 13, 14 or 15 before 25 February 2025.
- Choose to re-platform your site altogether, again before 25 February 2025.
- Arrange extended end-of-life support with Umbraco up to the date you either upgrade or re-platform.
What should be my next steps?
If you haven’t thought about this up to now, it’s time to discuss it across your team get informed about your options. As a first step, speak to your agency or to a certified Umbraco development partner who can help. We’ll be more than happy to speak to anyone who wants to find out more. Umbraco HQ themselves are also offering free 30-minute calls to discuss your options.
Need to discuss upgrading from Umbraco 8? Then get in touch!
We’re here to help. If you’re on Umbraco 8 and want to discuss an upgrade project or your options in more detail, then get in touch.
