eWay Corp If you attended the DrupalCon in Portland, 2022, you might know the Drupal 10 release was moved back a few months. But now we have some interesting news. Drupal 10 is set to be released in early December 2022.
As per official reports, Drupal 10 will finally launch on December 14, 2022. It is going to be the third and final release window for Drupal 10.
Knowing Drupal
Drupal is a popular open-source content management system that can be used to build distinct types of websites. This CMS has scaled to new heights of success, owing to the contributions of the Drupal community and the group collaborations.
Apart from the support from the developers’ community, Drupal comes loaded with some calculated measures that allow the end-users to secure their sites and even make them user-friendly. Plus, some supreme benefits offered by this CMS are multilingual support, ease of integration, and compliance with WCAG guidelines.
The Drupal 10 release is going to be the next major release after Drupal 9. Drupal released the Drupal 9 version in June 2020.
Drupal 10: All That One Should Know
It’s a known fact that regular updates and development are always a part of the life cycle of any software. It’s true for Drupal also. Now, the developers’ community and even business houses are going to see an updated version of Drupal in the form of Drupal 10 very soon.
Drupal 10 is already enjoying a lot of hype for several reasons. For instance, one will get to see a lot of new functionality in Drupal 10. Some of the notable changes that one might get to see are the upgradation to third-party dependencies, implementation of an automated update system, replacing some of the jQuery uses with vanilla JavaScript, and core modules completely removed.
So, it’s easy to see why the Drupal Community is excited about its launch. In short, Drupal 10 is going to be an identical version of Drupal 9 sans some detractions.
Why Drupal 10 Release Got Pushed Back from June to December
The Drupal 10 release was originally scheduled to be released in June 2022, but it has been pushed back to December 2022.
As per the latest reports, Drupal 10 is going to have a final release by December 2022.
Since the 8th version of Drupal, the developers have taken a methodical approach to the release of any new versions of the CMS. This proves helpful for everyone, right from the one who creates a site to the one who manages or supports a Drupal site.
Still, a question that stays is why the 10th version of Drupal is being released in December instead of June or August. The reasons for the delay are:
1. Strategic Initiatives
Drupal 10 hugely emphasizes implementing some of the strategic initiatives to the Drupal core. Some of the strategic initiatives to be implemented are Automatic Updates, Decoupled Menus, Drupal 10 Readiness, GitLab Acceleration, Out-of-the-Box Drupal Core Initiative, Project Browser, and more.
The strategic initiatives play a significant role in ensuring the success of the Drupal update. Implementation of the initiatives takes some time. The initiatives after gaining support from the community collaboration will be able to bring about significant developments with some driven forces, like:
- Enhance market relevance by improving editorial, developer, and even customer experience.
- Engage with the core maintainers.
- Validation opportunity by collaborations and community decisions.
2. Integrations
The Core Development developers have been working hard to meet the Drupal 10 release date, requirements, and even the strategic goals. Also, the community has been working hard on multiple tasks, such as removing the deprecated code, getting rid of unnecessary dependencies, updating the JavaScript, and even preparing the module for contributions.
The integration with CKEditor 5 is an important requirement for Drupal 10. Since CKEditor version 4 will be decommissioned by the end of 2023, Drupal 10 must use CKEditor 5. Also, some added issues need to be solved for CKEditor 5 and make them stable.
All these issues could not be solved by the end of August. For this reason, the release got pushed to December 2022.
3. Other Reasons for Drupal 10 Release
Some other reasons for pushing the Drupal 10 release to late December is that the developers will get more time to stabilize the CKEditor. For instance, site owners will get enough time to test the issue of moving the content from CKEditor 4 to the latest version in Drupal 9. This, in turn, will ensure a smooth and secure upgradation before the major switch.
As Drupal 10 will hugely rely on PHP 8.1 version, the December release indicates that the hosting providers will get the time to support PHP 8.1. Hence, sites will be able to start the update even without waiting for any platform fixes. Plus, PHP 8.2 is due to be released in November and Drupal 10 will get enough time to become compatible with the 8.2 version.
Some of the major components of Drupal, like Symfony and CKEditor, will be reaching the End of Life (EOL) by November 2023. Plus, Drupal 9 will also reach EOL by November 2023. So, scheduling the Drupal 10 release in December 2022 will allow organizations and developers enough time for upgradation.
Plus, thousands of hours have been already invested in integrating the latest version into Drupal; apart from the close collaboration with the source team of CKEditor.
The major leap from Drupal 7 to 8 or from Drupal 8 to 9 is a sign of continuous improvements within the Drupal community. Now, with Drupal10 it shows the same.
Familiarizing With Drupal 10 Readiness Initiative
Drupal developers are well-aware of the fact that Drupal 10 is already being built on Drupal 9. The core team has been working tirelessly on the 10th version of Drupal to make it ready sans glitches. Even after its release, Drupal 10 updates will continue.
A CMS relies on a flexible content editor. CKEditor has been an integral part of the Drupal family since the launch of Drupal 6. Thus, it has become a favorite editing tool for end users. Drupal 10 will be having CKEditor 5 with all new features.
The 5th version of CKEditor is going to be more powerful and customizable. It is going to come with a modular architecture. With the introduction of CKEditor 5, Drupal can be used as a blogging platform.
The initiative also focuses on the following pointers. They are:
- Find tasks that need to be completed before the release of the 10th version of Drupal.
- Emphasize dropping deprecated APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) and updating the dependencies.
- Offer support for the contributed module maintainers while moving forward and keeping the modules updated.
Drupal 10 readiness is aimed at ensuring that Drupal 10 is released by 2022 while ensuring that the proper security state is in place.
Drupal 10: What’s New in It?
In today’s fast-paced and dynamic digital space, it’s a compulsion for businesses to ensure their site offers a seamless experience to visitors. Plus, the sites should be loaded with features and secured.
Only when a site meets all these criteria is its performance bound to improve. With Drupal 10, site owners will be able to offer all these to their visitors. However, site owners will need to update their site from version 9 to 10.
Now that we know Drupal is going to launch its latest version soon, it is time to check out the new advancements that will be brought to the table. For instance, the latest version will have automated updates, decoupled menus, removed core modules, and more.
Also, Drupal 10 will be seeing some major replacements. For example, administration theme Seven will be replaced by Claro. Similarly, Olivero will replace Bartik as the default theme.
Plus, the addition of CKEditor 5 is going to replace CKEditor 4 for an improved authoring and editing experience. In fact, Drupal 10 is going to have modern JavaScript components for replacing the usage of jQuery UI (User Interface) and jQuery.
The best news is Drupal 10 is going to be much easier. With tools like Rector, one will get to automate the code updates.
For a more detailed overview of what will be under the hood, keep reading this blog post.
Interesting Features in Drupal 10
The developers have been working tirelessly to meet the Drupal 10 release requirements and strategic goals. The reason for such arduous work is simple. This latest version of the Drupal module is going to be polished and updated from its predecessor, Drupal 9.
Now, let’s look at some of the amazing features that are going to be included in the 10th version of Drupal.
Some features that Drupal 10 will be providing us with are:
- Claro Theme
- Front end Theme – Olivero
- CKEditor 5
- Decoupled Menus
- New Starter Kit Theme
- Automatic Updates
- Removed Deprecated Code
- Core Modules Removed
- Project Browser
- Updated Third Party Software
These new features are expected to offer a better user experience. But for the time being, let us take a quick look into these advancements.
1. Claro Administration Theme
The Claro theme will replace the tired Seven theme, which was designed for Drupal 7 in December 2009 and was slightly changed in Drupal 8. This theme was pretty discouraging for the users as it gave the impression of an outdated system. Drupal’s tenth version is built to take full advantage of the latest CMS’s latest iterations.
2. Front End Theme Olivero
Olivero is the new default theme for Drupal 10. The best thing about this theme is its out-of-the-box solution for existing and new Drupal sites. It is going to have a clean and crisp style that will offer a modern approach to web design.
The Olivero theme will be able to offer user-favorite features, such as Layout Builder. Plus, it will be WCAG AA compliant. Also, the administration panel is going to get a complete makeover. The modern look will appeal to the page visitors.
3. CKEditor Version 5
A flexible content editor is especially important for any CMS. And CKEditor has been a part of Drupal’s family modules, such as Drupal 6. Well, the CKEditor 4.5 is the default WYSIWYG rich text editor tool for Drupal 8 and 9. But the 10th version of Drupal is going to have CKEditor version 5.
In Drupal 9.3, CKEditor 5 is already there as an experimental module but is not very stable. However, in the 10th version of Drupal, the CKEditor is going to be an important prerequisite.
CKEditor is great for site builders owing to its great UX and user-friendliness. Plus, it serves as a great framework for developers to customize or build upon a site. This tool is going to come with a lot of integrations and expansions. It is going to be integrated with modern technologies, such as Angular, React, and so on.
4. Decoupled Menus
Drupal is now making its way to becoming a headless CMS. The addition of Decoupled Menus is going to be a crucial step in this direction. The Decoupled Menu feature will allow users to update the menu directly from the administration panel.
Plus, it will aid users to build JavaScript front ends in several ways that can be applied to Drupal website menus. Although it is going to be in a contributed module, it will be integrated into the Drupal core soon.
Starting from the content creators to the marketing teams, everyone will be able to replace the menu via the Drupal UI without taking the help of the developers. The changes made to the menu will be automatically reflected in the JavaScript front end.
Drupal is rightly regarded as one of the most trustworthy CMS platforms as it supports JSON, GraphQL APIs, and even REST. The goal for Drupal 10 is to have more web service endpoints so that a lot of web components and JavaScript framework integrations can be done.
Drupal 10 aims to carry out this roadmap by using the help of the Decoupled Menus feature. With this feature, a small web part can be built that would quickly address a common use case.
With the creation of more web service endpoints and JavaScript components, Drupal can remain one of the most powerful tools for developers.
5. New Starter Kit Theme
In comparison to Drupal 8 or 9, the template development approach is going to see a huge shift in Drupal 10. Due to the new starter kit theme, the base theme will not see any extension; rather, a clean template will be generated at the starting point for the front-end developers.
It must be kept in mind that the changes made to the starter kit will not have any impact on the production themes. Rather, maintenance of the themes will be easy with this tool.
The concept of sub-theming will remain unchanged. However, users will be able to generate added themes that will hold the design elements from the main theme. It is important to remember that the process of generating themes will be automated and will be handled by Drupal scripts.
The starter kit will become one such tool that will help developers soon. It will save their precious time. How? The developers will be able to use this tool for copying the default themes within a new folder.
Furthermore, the developers will be able to change the base theme without affecting the default themes.
6. Automatic Updates
Won’t it be great if a site could update itself? With the release of Drupal 10, developers and site builders will be able to enable secure and smooth updates.
This feature is going to be added to the Drupal core. At present, it will be available for composer-based sites.
The Automatic Updates Initiative is carrying out some significant tasks in key areas, such as package deal signing, UX enhancements, and more. The reason for bringing in such a feature is because of constant user requests. It seems like the Drupal community heard the users’ plea and is ready to offer an automated updates feature from the 10th version of Drupal.
Till now, updating Drupal has been a tedious and time-consuming task. But the latest Drupal version will ensure that the site is ready for a safe update and accordingly apply the updates. The updates will be applied carefully so that they can be easily reverted if there are any problems.
7. Removed Deprecated Code
Drupal 10 (did you mean 9 or 10?) will remove all deprecated code and libraries from the Drupal core. This means that when new code is added or improved, older code can be retired.
The retiring code cannot be removed soon after a new code is created as it might break the functionality of any site’s custom code or contributory modules. Hence, they get marked as deprecated. This implies that the code will be removed during the next Drupal update. This, in turn, allows the developers a lot of time to update the code and make it Drupal 10 compatible.
8. Core Modules Removed
Some modules that are redundant will be removed from the Drupal 10 core and moved to the Contributed Module space.
9. Project Browser
When using the 10th version of Drupal, site developers will be able to find and install modules right from the admin dashboard. This feature is likely to be added to the Drupal core. However, this feature is available only to the contributed module at present and is in the early development stage. The “Try It Now” button allows developers to test this feature on a completely new Drupal installation.
10. Updated Third Party Software
Some of the following software must be updated at once for Drupal 10. They are:
- jQuery UI
- PHP 8.1
- Symfony
10.1. jQuery UI
Since 2011, the jQuery UI has been an integral part of the Drupal platform. It is still in use in Drupal 9. However, the jQuery UI will be eventually replaced by modern JavaScript components in Drupal 10.
Since it is no longer a usable technology, there is no point in offering support for jQuery UI in the 10th version of Drupal. Along with the release of Drupal 10, the support for jQuery UI will be replaced. Vanilla JavaScript writing will be used instead.
10.2. PHP 8.1
Drupal 10 is going to be based on PHP 8.1. In simple terms, the 10th version is going to be PHP 8.1 compatible. The Drupal team decided to increase the PHP requirement to the 8.1 version as the 7.4 version will end by November 2022. So, in case you are still using PHP 7.4, it is time for you to move on.
10.3. Symfony
Drupal heavily relies on the Symfony framework. Since the 8th version of Drupal, it has been the primary driver. Drupal 9 depends on Symfony version 4, which will become deprecated by November 2022.
The Drupal 9 to 10 upgrade will need to skip a version of Symfony (Symfony 4 to 6). However, there are some plans to update Symfony 5, and the compatibility issues with Symfony 5 have been resolved already.
In the case of Drupal 10, developers can go for Symfony 5. Since Symfony 6 will be released along with the Drupal 10 release, it will be well-appreciated by the developers. This is because Symfony will come with many modern features. In fact, Symfony 6 will have some major improvements and bug fixes that will eventually cut down the workload of the security teams.
Drupal 10 is built on Drupal 9. It aims to offer a user-friendly CMS.
Why Drupal 10 Could be the Future for Developers & Marketers
With the release of the 10th version of Drupal, one is going to see a lot of valuable features. Not only is it going to come with a cleaner codebase, but it is also going to pave its way to the future for digital marketers.
The digital landscape is constantly evolving. Similarly, organizations and even CMSs must keep up with the increasing consumer demands. Drupal is one such leading platform that is ready to embrace the future.
It will be possible because of the decoupled CMS capabilities and headless capabilities. Plus, the modules will offer complete support to the Progressive Web Apps (PWA) and GraphQL query language for APIs.
1. Understanding Decoupled Drupal
Traditional CMS is coupled. This means the back end is tightly linked with the front end. So, when a site is decoupled, the front end and the back end will not be under the same hood.
In fact, they will be housed separately. This will allow another API to push the content for display on any channel or device.
Basically, Decoupled Drupal offers the strength of a properly structured back end along with the flexibility of the front-end frameworks. Of late, the front-end frameworks can offer more control over content preparation. Based on certain factors, content creators will be able to choose between the two ends. Some of the factors are content goals, the vision of a better UX, and the technical skills of the team.
2. Progressive Web App (PWA)
Drupal is known to have a contributed module. It offers a drop-in solution for the basic features of the PWA. From Drupal 7, the Progressive Web App has become an integral feature. This module will allow site owners to display an ‘Offline’ message and respond to user interactions quickly.
Plus, when the PWA demands extreme customization, users will be able to opt for a custom Service Worker rather than using the module.
3. GraphQL
Drupal’s GraphQL contributed module will allow users or site owners to either search or change the content or any configuration easily. They will just need to use the official GraphQL query language.
In fact, Drupal 10 can be used for a wide variety of applications along with this tool. Some instances of GraphQL module usage are:
- Internet of Things (IoT) data storage.
- Mobile Apps that need constant data storage.
- Decoupled Drupal Apps
The Benefits of Using Drupal 10
Drupal 10 is going to offer a lot of benefits. They are:
- Upgraded and easy-to-use rich text WYSIWYG editing tool. There is going to be an improved editing experience that will make content management smooth.
- Improved administrative experience with the availability of new themes, like Claro. For the site administrators, it is going to offer a better experience.
- The new default front-end theme Olivero will be supplying a pleasant experience to the content managers.
- With deprecated codes removed, streamlining the codebase will be easy. Plus, Drupal development will become more consistent.
- Improved code performance as some modules will be moved to the contributory space, making it easy for the content creators to manage the workstreams.
Preparing for Drupal 10
Both developers and marketers love Drupal because of its key features, such as multi-channel publishing, reusable content, and a deep level of personalization. So, with the upcoming Drupal 10 update in December, tons of valuable features are going to be integrated that will be loved by all.
However, to take full advantage of the latest features of Drupal 10, it is important to upgrade the existing site to the latest version. For instance, if you are still using Drupal 8, you will need to update your site to Drupal 9 and then to the latest version, i.e., the 10th version.
Upgrading to the 9th version of Drupal is important before switching to the latest version. The tools offered by Drupal 9 support compatibility checks and supplies information about the next major version and upgrade status.
Firstly, you should install the Upgrade Status on the development site.
Secondly, complete the steps as outlined in the Upgrade Status. Once done, you will be informed by Upgrade Status.
Thirdly, the Composer Command needs to be run for updating a site to Drupal 10.
Lastly, you can start using Drupal 10 within non-production environments.
As per official reports, Upgradation from Drupal 9 to Drupal 10 is going to be much easier. However, if you are wondering how to make Drupal 10 ready, it is better to get professional help.
Security Practices for Drupal 10 That Site Owners Should Follow
The transition from Drupal 9 to Drupal 10 is expected to be a smooth one. However, Drupal 10 can be subjected to some malicious attacks. It is best to take some security measures against it. In this blog post, we will take you through those measures that need to be followed by the update.
1. Check Out for Vulnerabilities
To protect any Drupal site, make it a point to track down the vulnerabilities of Drupal from its database. At the same time, keep a tab on the security advisories, so that you get some idea about potential vulnerabilities.
There are several ways to carry out this task. Let us walk you through them.
- Every week, the security team of Drupal posts security advisories. So, developers to site owners will need to sign in and subscribe to the email newsletter. Or one can simply join the Drupal Slack group to get the latest news and updates.
- Similarly, Drupal comes with an in-built Events Logger viewer. This can be used to check Drupal sites and mark out any suspicious activity.
- The Update Manager, which is a part of the Drupal API, looks out for latest updates and informs the developers’ community.
2. Understand Cross-Site Scripting Attacks (XSS)
We cannot call any CMS to be perfect. It is going to have a few vulnerabilities. However, among the several types of vulnerabilities, one major vulnerability is the cross-scripting (XSS) attack.
XSS is a JavaScript vulnerability. Here, the threat actors inject the malicious code via HTML or JavaScript into the client-side scripts. Often, web application users are not aware of such dangers and are beguiled into executing malicious code. When the malicious code is carried out on the user’s browser, attackers can steal any session tokens and impersonate the users to carry out any actions.
Three types of XSS attacks take place. They are:
- Reflected XSS
- DOM-Based XSS
- Stored XSS
To prevent XSS attacks, certain steps must be taken. They are:
- Implement a Content Security Policy (CSP) for detecting and neutralizing XSS attacks.
- Use frameworks that escape the HTML tags.
- Closely follow the OWASP security best practices.
- Invest in a log management system that logs everything.
- Convert HTML control characters to context-sensitive encoding.
- Don’t allow rendering of the raw HTML coming from input users.
- Regularly scan the Drupal database using web vulnerability scanners.
3. Using HTTPS
It is a known fact that bad actors can make use of the existing vulnerabilities in the HTTP (Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) Drupal site to carry out phishing, pharming, and MITM attacks. This is possible because the HTTP protocol transfers data in standard text.
To prevent such attacks, it is better to use HTTPS. This, in turn, will secure the connection between the two parties. An SSL certificate will be needed for encrypting the website traffic.
So even if the data gets intercepted by the hackers, it will not be of any use to them since the data would be in a jumbled form.
Owing to the best features of Drupal 10, end-users can make the best use of this platform.
Upgrading to Drupal 10 From 7, 8, or 9
Drupal 7 is going to reach EOL by November 2023. Plus, PHP and MySQL are going to release the latest versions of their software. This will make it hard for Drupal 7 to remain compatible.
So, websites that are still using Drupal 7 should update to Drupal 8 at once. Also, Drupal 7 is going to miss some key improvements and features that are a part of Drupal 8.
If you want to upgrade your site to Drupal 10, try to know which version of Drupal your site is using. For this, you will need to go to Administration> Reports> Status Report and check the core version along with some installation details.
Let us take you through the steps for upgrading Drupal 7, 8, and 9 to Drupal 10.
1. Drupal 7 to Drupal 10
As mentioned earlier, Drupal 7 will see its EOL by November 2023. However, another announcement states that the EOL is expected by July 2023. Whatever the date might be, the end-of-life will happen after Drupal 10 release. This also signifies that the Drupal community will stop their support for this version.
The entire process to move from the 7th version to the 10th version is a step-by-step one. First, one will need to upgrade to Drupal 9 and then slowly opt for the Drupal 10 update.
2. Drupal 8 to Drupal 10
Drupal 8 is an upgrade of the Drupal 7 version. However, its EOL was in November 2021. Since its EOL has passed, this version does not receive any support or security fixes from the Drupal community.
Users of this version have already migrated to Drupal 9. The migration to Drupal 9 was a major undertaking. Only after upgrading to Drupal 9 can any Drupal 9-based sites be updated to Drupal 10.
For upgrading to the latest version of Drupal, it is vital to use the Upgrade Status for site analysis. The best thing is that by using Drupal-Rector, the core updates can be completed automatically. With the tool, custom code can also be updated.
Plus, this tool helps to fix various issues in custom code. Also, Upgrade Status helps to pinpoint what things should be fixed and where.
3. Drupal 9 to Drupal 10
The vision shared by the Drupal community is to make the migration process from Drupal 9 to Drupal 10 an automated one. As per the Drupal Association, Upgrade Status can be used on the Drupal 9 site.
It will offer an estimate of the work that needs to be done. However, new deprecated APIs can be added to Drupal 9.3.0.
Drupal 9 is going to witness EOL in November 2023 as Symfony 4 and CKEditor 4 will also witness their end of life. Both these components are dependencies of Drupal 9. This indicates that site owners will get 11 months to upgrade their site from 9 to 10.
However, the process can become simple by making as many modules as possible of Drupal 10 ready on the day of the Drupal 10.0.0 release. To make the process smooth, the modules should be added to the Drupal 10 compatibility. No new depreciation for the 10th version of Drupal should be added to Drupal 9.5. If depreciation codes are not used, modules can create Drupal 10 versions.
However, the public API of Drupal 9.4 will remain the same for the Drupal 10 API. But in case developers stay on top of the API changes, upgrading will be easy.
Clearly, upgrading a site to the 10th version from Drupal 8 is much easier than upgrading it from Drupal 7. The reason being upgrading from 8 is not a major overhaul.
Drupal 10: In a Nutshell
Even though Drupal 9 is just two years old, Drupal 10 is slated for its final release in December 2022. The goal of Drupal 10 is to offer a great user experience and ensure the fact that the developers get the chance to produce innovative creations. Similarly, digital marketers can offer a flexible digital experience.
Final Thoughts
The countdown for the Drupal 10 release is in full swing. Although the release got pushed from June to August and then to December, we hope that this CMS will have some interesting things in store for the Drupal community.
Entrepreneurs who are planning to migrate their website to Drupal 10 should meet all infrastructure requirements. If you are facing any issues with the upgradation process, our experts can help you out. Our professional team with their years of expertise will ensure a smooth transition to Drupal 10.
What are you waiting for? Contact us today!
