Drupal 7's End of Life (EOL): What Are the Alternatives for Your Business?

Drupal 7 will officially reach its End of Life (EOL) on January 5, 2025, yet 40.7% of Drupal users are still actively using it. 

There are good reasons for this. Not only is D7 very popular, but the jump in technology between 7 and 8 was significant enough that it required a full-fledged migration as opposed to the simple upgrades from 8 to 9 and so on, making the move out of D7 a daunting task.

However, as Drupal 7’s EOL draws closer each day, businesses must consider the best alternatives to maintain secure, functional, and efficient websites. If your business uses Drupal 7, you may already be assessing whether to upgrade within the Drupal ecosystem or explore other content management systems (CMS) to meet your evolving needs. There are many options out there, which we’ll cover in this article—but staying put, for reasons we’ll get into, really isn’t a viable option. It’s time to get ready to move.

What Does Drupal's End of Life (EOL) Mean?

When a software version like Drupal 7 reaches End of Life (EOL), its developer, Drupal, will no longer provide updates or support. 

This includes security patches, bug fixes, and new features. Running a website on an unsupported CMS poses security risks, potential compatibility issues, and can lead to technical debt as more time passes. And while staying put might seem like the inexpensive option, the cumulative cost of maintaining an unsupported CMS in terms of security updates, bug fixes, and so on will likely negate any initial cost saving.

While temporary solutions exist, such as extended support, finding a long-term plan that aligns with your site’s future goals is key to a thriving online ecosystem. 

For virtually everyone, this is going to mean finding a new home for your website, whether that’s still within the Drupal universe or something else. The landscape of CMSs has changed massively since the genesis of Drupal 7 in 2011, meaning there are a lot more options available than there once were. Nevertheless, Drupal continues to be an excellent CMS and fans of D7 will find much more to like in the more advanced versions.

What Do You Need to Move From Drupal 7?

Transitioning from Drupal 7 requires a clear strategy to ensure your website’s content, functionality, and user experience remain intact and compliant with modern standards. 

Key considerations include assessing your current website’s structure, identifying content management needs, and determining compatibility with the features and integrations you want to retain or add. Moving from D7 can be a straightforward migration, or it might involve a complete overhaul, depending on the target platform and desired functionality.

The move out of D7 is also a great opportunity to reassess your business’ digital needs and long-term strategy. Do your plans involve developing an omnichannel approach? If so, this should be factored into your decision of a future platform. What does your team look like? Do you have ace Drupal developers in your midst or are you struggling to find Drupal-focused talent? This will also play into your decision. Assessing your priorities, assets, and challenges will help guide you to the right decision of where to go post-D7.

6 Alternatives to Choose After Drupal 7's End of Life 

When considering what’s next, there are several paths you can take, from staying with Drupal to migrating to other popular CMS platforms. Here’s a breakdown of each option.

Stay in Drupal 7

While this is not a good option for reasons we’ve already gotten into, remaining on Drupal 7 despite EOL will invariably be the default choice for businesses with limited budgets or legacy systems that are difficult to migrate. While this option can provide continuity without immediate changes, as we’ve already explained, it comes with considerable risks.

Benefits

• Saves time and money (at least at the outset).

Trade-offs

• Increasing security vulnerabilities without regular patches.
• Growing technical debt over time.
• Limited compatibility with new technologies and little opportunity for growth.

Migrate to Backdrop

Backdrop CMS is an outgrowth of the Drupal project designed to offer a simple, cost-effective experience while retaining a structure similar to Drupal 7. For organizations comfortable with D7’s features and layout but seeking ongoing support, Backdrop can be an effective choice.

Benefits

• Minimal learning curve for existing Drupal 7 users.
• Affordable migration with fewer structural changes.
• Continuous support with new updates and security patches.

Trade-offs

• Limited community and marketplace compared to Drupal.
• Fewer advanced features than newer Drupal versions.
• Potential need for future migration as technology evolves.

Migrate to Drupal 11 as a Monolith

Making the jump to Drupal 11 as a monolithic CMS is a solid option for organizations looking to stay within the Drupal ecosystem. D11 brings robust features—such as improved performance with built-in caching and faster load times, user-friendly content editing features (including an enhanced WYSIWYG editor), and modernized theming for more responsive design—as well as security enhancements, and improved user experiences that align with the latest web standards. It’s good—very good—and it’s available out of the box.

Benefits

• Access to advanced features and ongoing support.
• Unmatched security with regular patches.
• Massive community support and a vast ecosystem of plugins and integrations.

Trade-offs

• Higher migration cost and longer implementation time than with Backdrop.
• More complex backend management than in Drupal 7, including advanced features and modules, reliance on Composer for managing dependencies and updates, new configuration management system, and theme management with Twig.
• Requires developer expertise for an optimal setup.

Migrate Structure and Content to Drupal 11 with Decoupled Implementation

A decoupled Drupal 11 approach allows you to separate the frontend and backend of your website, opening doors for enhanced speed, interactivity, and customization. Decoupling is ideal for businesses aiming to deliver high-end user experiences (at lightning speed) across multiple platforms.

For this course of action, a customized setup is necessary for effective previews and a good user experience in a decoupled implementation. We offer this through our proprietary Drupal Decoupled setup package. Learn everything about Drupal Decoupled in our article here.

Benefits

• Flexibility to use various frontend frameworks like React or Vue.
• Scalability for larger and complex sites.
• Improved performance and user experience.
• Access to a wider developer talent base than strictly Drupal experts.

Trade-offs

• Requires more technical resources and knowledge.
• Higher initial development and maintenance costs.
• Increased complexity for site management.

Migrate Structure and Content to a Proprietary Platform with Decoupled Implementation

A proprietary platform can be a powerful choice for organizations that have the expertise to manage it or require specialized features tailored for decoupled implementations. These platforms often provide unique tools and integrations that enhance scalability, security, and performance when paired with a decoupled architecture.

Leveraging this approach requires a deep understanding of both the platform and decoupled workflows to maximize its potential. Our Drupal Decoupled package is designed to simplify this process and ensure success.

Benefits

• Omnichannel delivery for seamless content distribution.
• Scalability and adaptability for high-traffic websites.
• Faster content management and streamlined workflows.
• In many cases, a more moderate learning curve than with Drupal 11.

Trade-offs

• Can be expensive for small businesses due to pricing models.
• Requires new skill sets and development resources.
• Limited community support compared to Drupal.
• Risk of vendor lock-in that comes with proprietary platforms.
• Customized setup for effective previews and UX.

Drupal 7 Extended Support

Technically speaking, there is an option that allows you to stay on Drupal 7 while continuing to receive security patches and bug fixes—at least for now. 

For organizations that need additional time to decide on a migration path, opting for Drupal 7 Extended Support (D7ES) can be a practical, albeit temporary, solution while you figure out what to do next.

Benefits

• Provides breathing room to plan migration without immediate risks.
• Extends security patch availability.

Trade-offs

• Temporary solution; still requires eventual migration.
• Potentially costly over time.

How to Evaluate the Best Alternative for Your Business

Evaluating the best migration strategy from Drupal 7 requires a tailored approach based on your company’s budget, technical capacity, and future goals. Here are key questions to consider when selecting the right path:

1. How much time do I realistically have to complete the upgrade? If you have limited time, consider options with shorter implementation times, such as Backdrop or Drupal 7 Extended Support.
2. What’s my budget for this migration? Budget limitations may steer you toward less complex migrations, while larger budgets allow for advanced implementations like decoupled architectures.
3. What is my team’s experience with web development, and could we manage this migration in-house? A technically skilled team might manage a Drupal 11 migration or decoupled solution in-house, while a smaller, less experienced team might require external support.
4. How large and complex is my current site? Larger, more complex sites may benefit from Drupal 11 or a decoupled CMS for scalability, as both share a similar data structure, and Drupal 11 includes various mechanisms to simplify this process. On the other hand, smaller sites with simpler needs might find Backdrop to be a more practical option.
5. Am I planning a redesign alongside the migration? A redesign offers an opportunity to revamp user experiences, which could make Drupal 11 with decoupling or a pure headless CMS attractive options.
6. Which is the right vendor for your business? Choosing the right vendor can greatly impact the success of your migration. Consider a vendor’s experience with Drupal and the chosen CMS, technical skills, and ability to support you through the project lifecycle. Check references, review case studies, and seek a partner who understands your business and technical requirements.

Drupal 7 Migration Case Studies

While a plurality of Drupal users are still stuck in Drupal 7, the world’s larger, more complex Drupal 7 users have moved on from the platform, having taken very different routes. 

Here are five major companies and organizations that have already made the jump and the paths they’ve taken in modernizing their web ecosystems:

The University of Colorado Boulder

The University of Colorado Boulder transitioned from Drupal 7 to Drupal 8, with an eye on upgrading to Drupal 9 and eventually Drupal 11. They opted to keep their site monolithic to ensure smooth user experiences across their extensive range of academic and informational resources. This move allowed them to utilize new Drupal features, such as improved security protocols and enhanced accessibility, which are essential for a high-traffic educational institution.

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières)

As a major international nonprofit with a high-traffic multi-site web presence, Doctors Without Borders transitioned from Drupal 7 to a decoupled Drupal 9 setup with a React frontend. This decoupled approach helped them create a responsive, mobile-friendly experience that improved user engagement across their international sites. By decoupling their CMS, they gained flexibility in delivering fast-loading pages, critical for reaching audiences across various regions with differing internet speeds and device capabilities.

The Economist

The Economist, the popular print and online magazine known for its high-traffic publishing needs, moved from Drupal 7 to a headless CMS setup using Contentful. The organization needed a solution to deliver content seamlessly across platforms, including their website and mobile apps. Contentful’s headless, API-first model allowed The Economist to manage content centrally and distribute it across multiple channels, streamlining workflows for their editors and developers alike.

City of Boston

The City of Boston’s government website underwent a significant migration from Drupal 7 to a custom implementation on WordPress. As a public-facing, service-oriented site, Boston’s portal required extensive customization and a user-friendly backend for non-technical staff. WordPress provided the flexibility and ease of use they needed, while custom development ensured the site could handle complex municipal functionalities and high daily traffic.

NASA

NASA moved its website from Drupal 7 to a decoupled Drupal 8/9 setup, integrating Vue.js as the frontend framework. This approach enabled NASA to create a fast, interactive user experience suitable for its content-heavy and media-rich web presence. The decoupled architecture allowed NASA’s development teams to manage backend and frontend components independently, improving site performance and scalability for its large user base.

These examples demonstrate the multiplicity of options for post-Drupal 7 EOL realities. Depending on their unique needs—from interactivity and speed to content distribution across platforms—organizations may choose to stay within the Drupal universe or go elsewhere; there really is no one right answer. There is, however, a wrong answer, namely staying put in D7 without extended support, but as we’ve already explained, there’s really no need for anyone to do this.

What We Do

Among our many specialties here at Octahedroid is guiding businesses through complex CMS migrations.

Whether you’re looking to migrate from Drupal 7 to a monolithic Drupal 11, stick with Drupal as a back end in a headless environment, or explore other platforms, our team provides comprehensive support tailored to your specific needs. From evaluation to execution, we offer expertise that minimizes risk and maximizes value. Let us help you find the best path forward.

And if you want to learn more about what it would take to move from Drupal 7 to one of their latest versions, read our full article on the topic here.

Contact us today to start planning your journey out of D7 and your path to a secure, scalable, and thriving online presence.