Drupal 9 Key Features & Why Should You Upgrade Your Site

Drupal 9 with all its new key features was launched on June 3, 2020. This new upgraded version made enterprises upgrade their systems to it later to acquire complete functionality.

The New Release of Drupal 9 – What is in Store for You?

There has been a phenomenal surge in smartphone usage that allows us to surf the internet while on the move. As a result, businesses are trying to connect with this audience through responsive and well-designed websites. Many of them have chosen Drupal as their CMS.

Drupal has long been among the CMS of choice for several websites. There are over a million websites that currently use Drupal. In keeping with its penchant to keep upgrading the CMS, we are now into the era of Drupal 9. This article will discuss what is new in Drupal 9.

It is expected that upgrades will be easy as usual. Additional features will continue to be added as well. To start with, we will have a sneak peek into why you must quickly upgrade to the latest version.

Why Must you Migrate to Drupal 9?

One of the crucial reasons is that Drupal 8.9 will see security coverage and support for bug fixes until the end of 2022. If you wish forward compatibility with Drupal, the upgrade is the ideal answer. With Drupal updating its features frequently, it is only a matter of time when we see websites of other CMSs migrate to Drupal. If you ask us, now is the time!

The latest version has several improved security features and uses the latest PHP version too. The webmaster can also create newer experiences through integration with JavaScript frameworks. The latest version comes with better accessibility with a new front-end theme Olivero.

Are you aware that the core code and the platform are the basis for the newer Drupal 9? There is no need for content migration or any significant lift. Usually, the Drupal community replaces older versions and removes the deprecated code, and this makes the upgrade simpler. With so many benefits, it is suggested that you upgrade to the latest version of Drupal within 2021.

Is your Site still on Drupal 7?

If you are on a lower Drupal 7, it is suggested that you migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 and take advantage of the latest features. It may seem to be a daunting task, but community support could be available till November 2022. So it is best to upgrade today and make use of the latest in PHP and MySQL as well for long-term support.

The ideal way to migrate from Drupal 7 to Drupal 9 is to upgrade to Drupal 8 first. The websites that had migrated to Drupal 8 already could benefit. It is not a simple migration task if your site is too complex, but several professional entities may help. Another way is to build a fresh in D9 and migrate the content, users, and files.

The Key Features of Drupal 9

• Backward compatibility

  One of the critical features of any upgrade is backward compatibility. It becomes difficult to let go of the earlier versions quickly. Moreover, when you are trying to upgrade, it must be a seamless exercise too. It means that the latest version will be compatible with the earlier Drupal 8. The new version can use the configurations and modules as well as the data created on Drupal 8.

  You need not start all over again when you are willing to migrate to the higher version. There are built-in features like plug-ins, APIs, etc., that allow easier integration with new features. There is no hindrance to the system performance, and the latest version is fast as well. You can migrate to Drupal 9 while continuing to enjoy the software library. Sounds impressive, isn't it!

• Improved Performance

  Mobile traffic has increased with time. Drupal was quick to acknowledge this and bring about suitable change in its features in Drupal 8. The latest version goes a step further and supports responsive images. Now, smartphones will display the best-sized images and consume lesser data. We will list out some of the Drupal 9 key features.

  There are several core modules in Drupal 9 that can enhance the performance of the site. We will now have a look at how the latest version improves performance.

  The Big Pipe module comes with the Drupal core. The perceived performance of the front-end is enhanced using the cacheability metadata that improves the rendering pipeline.

  Another essential feature is the Internal page Cache that helps in caching data for anonymous users. The Internal Dynamic Page Cache allows you to cache dynamic content. The pages that the user requests are stored when they are asked for the first time. It can be reused on further requests. Lazy loading of images is supported using the Blazy module, and this is new in Drupal 9. It prevents an increase in bounce rate and saves bandwidth.

  Moreover, you can define multiple workflows, and Drupal 9 also has multilingual capabilities.

• The New Version of Symfony

  The latest version of the Drupal web development services uses Symfony 4 that is backwards compatible with some earlier versions. The Symfony 3 will, anyways, see end-of-life in November 2021, which requires you to upgrade to a higher version suitably. The Drupal upgrade can help you here.

  Symfony is fast and has a strong emphasis on performance. It is adaptable, and you can build your framework according to the functionalities needed by your business. You can also develop a specific feature without having to install the entire framework. Such a unique framework is helpful for you. It provides enhanced security features and assures a seamless experience for the developers.

  However, it is also necessary that you are aware of the supporting software that is needed. It is expected that you run the new Symfony version with Apache 2.4.7 and PHP version 7.3.

• Removal of Deprecations

  Once the features are deprecated, the developers have some time before they are eventually removed. The deprecated code would not have support soon, providing you with another reason to upgrade to the newer Drupal 9. The latest version is cleaner, and the code is made nimbler, which will help to enhance the performance of your websites. One of the Drupal 9 key features has been the cleaning up of the earlier version. It could be a long-drawn process, and web developers must make it a routine affair to ensure that the outdated code is removed. If you are in a lower version, it will help in a seamless upgrade.

• Few Other Key Enhancements

  We have learnt that Symfony has been upgraded in Drupal 9. Twig is also upgraded to version 2.0, and several third-party dependencies are also being removed. Drupal comes in with a headless CMS that has an API-first approach and helps in easier resourcing. A need has arisen to ensure a powerful front-end using a JavaScript framework. It will also help to ensure a create once and publish anywhere option.

Conclusion

Going forward, the technology upgrades will be a lot faster. The key is to look for long-term support with backward compatibility. Drupal 9 is the way forward that the Drupal community has committed to bring stable and easier major releases. If you want to give your website a solid backbone of technology, upgrade to Drupal 9 now.