This article was updated on December 5, 2025, to reflect the latest information on Drupal 7 end-of-life.
Drupal 7 end-of-life is coming up on January 5, 2025, and time is running out for you to plan your move. You will need to make a decision soon so you have enough time to plan and execute it. Below are options for you to consider: migrate to Drupal 10 or 11, upgrade to Backdrop CMS, rebuild on a different platform, or pay for Drupal 7 extended support.
Migrate to Drupal 10 or 11
As you might have heard, Drupal was significantly re-architected starting with version 8. Consequently, moving your site from Drupal 7 to one of the latest supported versions, currently Drupal 10 and 11, is not an automatic process. It involves rebuilding your site, and then migrating the content and data from your Drupal 7 site to your new Drupal 10/11 site. This means that the cost and effort to move from Drupal 7 to 10/11 is similar to that of building a new site.
The good news is that once you are on modern Drupal, it is much easier to upgrade to future versions. Also, if you are already considering a redesign of your site, upgrading to Drupal 10 or 11 as part of that redesign makes a lot of sense.
Migrating to Drupal 10/11 is a good option if you intend to evolve your site with the latest capabilities of Drupal.
Upgrade to Backdrop CMS
If the expense of migrating to modern Drupal seems prohibitive, another option is to upgrade your Drupal 7 site to Backdrop CMS. Backdrop is a fork of Drupal 7, with new, modern features to make it easier to keep your site current. Backdrop will continue to evolve after Drupal 7 end-of-life, thanks to its dedicated contributors.
Under the right circumstances, upgrading your Drupal 7 site to Backdrop can be quite simple. However, this will not be true for all Drupal 7 sites. If your site contains a lot of custom code, you may have several incompatibilities to fix. Also, not all Drupal 7 contributed modules have been ported to Backdrop. Additionally, if your Drupal 7 site uses Panels, you will need to re-architect your layout to use Backdrop's powerful, native layout manager instead.
Upgrading to Backdrop CMS is a good option if you prefer Drupal 7's approach to content management over modern Drupal, you need to minimize the cost of keeping your site current, and you don't have too many stumbling blocks in your current site that would hinder upgrading to Backdrop.
Rebuild on Something Else
If you have to rebuild your site anyway, you may consider rebuilding on something other than Drupal. One reason to do this is if your site is simple enough to rebuild with an online website builder such as Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, or WordPress.com. You could save substantial ongoing costs doing so. This article can help you evaluate this option.
Pay for Drupal 7 Extended Support
If none of the previous options is right for you, you could stay on Drupal 7 past end-of-life. However, to keep your site secure, it is highly recommended to sign up for Drupal 7 Extended Support. Turbojet offers this service: schedule a free consultation to find out more.
This option should only be considered a last-resort, temporary option. Staying on Drupal 7 means you are just postponing the inevitable. You will eventually need to either rebuild or retire your site. In the meantime, you will have few options to enhance your site with new capabilities if you ever need to. Also, it will become increasingly difficult to run your site on newer server software (e.g. PHP, MySQL, Apache), as that software will continue to evolve, even though your site will not.
Having Trouble Deciding?
For many site owners, it is difficult to know how to proceed in the face of
Drupal 7's end of life. Turbojet can help you. Our low overhead can help you
minimize your cost to either migrate to Drupal 10/11 or upgrade to Backdrop CMS.
We also offer ongoing support plans to keep your site current after the
migration or upgrade. Schedule a free consultation
if you would like to
discuss your Drupal 7 situation.