Why you need to move away from Umbraco 8

The 3 scenarios you need to consider

The latest minor version of Umbraco 8 (8.18) is supported until February 2024 and have additional twelve months of security fixes afterwards. Hereafter Umbraco 8 will reach it’s end of life (EOL) on February 24, 2025. However, there is no easy upgrade for Umbraco 8 and to the newer versions of Umbraco. Simply because, Umbraco has changed the underlying framework from .NET Framework to .NET Core.
So, if your website is running on Umbraco 8 you need to make some important considerations regarding the future of your website. To help you, we created the three scenarios which you need to consider:

1. Migrate to Umbraco 9 and then upgrade to Umbraco 10
2. Start from fresh on Umbraco 10
3. Continue to Umbraco 11 if you want headless

1. Migrate to Umbraco 9 and then upgrade to Umbraco 10

This scenario is relevant if you want to extend the life of your current solution. You will gain the new features and the extra performance from Umbraco 10 as well as the long term support offered on Umbraco 10.
The difficulty of the migration to Umbraco 9, depends on the complexity of your Umbraco 8 site. If your site uses custom code, i.e., business logic, integrations to underlying systems etc., it must be revisited due to the change to .NET Core. Furthermore, if you’re using Umbraco packages in your Umbraco 8 solution, it must be clarified if these packages are supported in Umbraco 9. If some of the packages aren’t updated to support Umbraco 9, you need to clarify if they will be updated and when. However, if some packages won’t be updated then next step is to look for alternative packages or investigate if the need are covered by new features in Umbraco 9.

Once you are migrated to Umbraco 9 and on .Net Core (.NET 5), you’re able to upgrade to Umbraco 10. But, you’ll need to ensure that your packages are available in Umbraco 10 or covered by new features, as the underlying framework will be updated once again to .NET 6.

2. Start from fresh on Umbraco 10

Starting from fresh on Umbraco 10 is especially relevant if you’re looking at a complete redesign of your Umbraco 8 solution. There might be a limited amount of logic, page setup, layout and styling which can be reused from the old Umbraco 8 solution, but if the new design changes the overall structure of the pages, then time might be saved to start fresh. With a redesign on Umbraco 10, you’re also able to take advantage of the new and powerful Block Grid editor, giving content editors even more flexibility in creating content. Having your website on Umbraco 10 also provides you with long-term support.

3. Continue to Umbraco 11 if you want headless

If you want to be digitally in front, you should move on to Umbraco 11 after migrating to Umbraco 10. This is relevant if you want the latest features and performance improvements offered by Umbraco, and if you’re thinking about headless opportunities in the future. Rumor has it that version 12 which is expected to be launched late June 2023, should include a headless API. However, being a forerunner on Umbraco 11 won’t get you the long-term support. Therefore, it is recommended that you update your solution to version 12 this summer and again to version 13 at the end of 2023, as this will be the next version with long-term support.

But what to choose…

The three scenarios are equally valuable, but it all depends on your current solution what will provide you with the most value. At Kraftvaerk we develop strong Umbraco solutions, and we are ready to help you with an Umbraco site ready for the future.