Understanding Drupal versions: which versions are still being maintained?
Drupal 10.1 was released on June 22, and eith all the different versions of Drupal and successive announcements of supported versions, it's sometimes hard to find your way around....Don't panic!
This article explains which versions are still being maintained and which ones no longer benefit from the latest security updates. To do this, let's take a look at some history!
Version 7 of Drupal was released in January 2011. The planned obsolescence of this version was scheduled for the end of this year. However, the Drupal teams have noted that a large number of sites are still using this version and have therefore decided to postpone its end-of-life: Drupal 7 will have a well-deserved retirement on January 5, 2025.
Only versions greater than or equal to version 7.98, published on June 7, 2023, will still benefit from security updates, but this is also a strong signal to the community that manages support for modules and extensions: the already very limited support will end at a scheduled date.
Version 8 of the CMS is a major update with, in particular, the integration of the Symfony PHP framework, and was unveiled to the public in November 2015. Unlike Drupal 7, this version is no longer maintained at all today, and security updates are no longer provided by the Drupal team.
On June 3, 2020, Drupal 9 was officially released, bringing new features but following on from version 8. The only version with clear support over time is currently the latest release, v9.5.10.
But it's happening fast: Drupal 9 will also have its end-of-life in November 2023, to follow that of Symfony 4.x. It's time to think about migrating to Drupal 10! It is based on Symfony 6.x, which will be supported until at least 2026.
Whether you're running Drupal 7, 8 or 9, it's important to plan an upgrade or be aware of the risks involved. ITS Eugena is at your disposal to support you in these matters. This ITS Group entity specializes in functional upgrades, operational maintenance, performance and security for Drupal-based websites.
| Version | Publication date | Support activity deadline | Validity of security patches | Latest minor version |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.1 | June 22, 2023 | December 13, 2023 | June 19, 2024 | 10.1.1(July 6, 2023) |
| 10.0 | December 15, 2022 | June 21, 2023 | December 13, 2023 | 10.0.10(July 5, 2023) |
| 9.5 | December 15, 2022 | June 21, 2023 | November 1, 2023 | 9.5.10(July 5, 2023) |
| 9.4 | June 15, 2022 | December 14, 2022 | June 21, 2023 | 9.4.15(May 3, 2023) |
| 9.3 | December 8, 2021 | June 15, 2022 | December 14, 2022 | 9.3.22(September 28, 2022) |
| 9.2 | June 16, 2021 | December 8, 2022 | June 15, 2022 | 9.2.21(June 10, 2022) |
| 9.1 | December 2, 2020 | June 16, 2021 | December 8, 2021 | 9.1.15(November 24, 2021) |
| 9.0 | June 1st 2020 | December 2, 2020 | June 16, 2021 | 9.0.15(September 2, 2021) |
| 8.9 | June 3, 2020 | December 2, 2020 | June 16, 2021 | 8.9.18(September 2, 2021) |
| 8.8 | December 4, 2019 | June 3, 2020 | December 2, 2020 | 8.8.14(June 3, 2020) |
| 8.7 | May 1st, 2019 | December 4, 2019 | June 3, 2020 | 8.7.20(July 1, 2019) |
| 8.6 | February 28, 2019 | May 1st, 2019 | December 4, 2019 | 8.6.17(May 1, 2019) |
