Counting down your Umbraco 8 end-of-life options

An Umbraco version upgrade is typically a straightforward process, but Microsoft's significant and beneficial changes to its .NET technology compelled software vendors like Umbraco to make substantial adjustments to their own software. Consequently, the Umbraco upgrading process has become more intricate than usual for anyone running versions of Umbraco below Umbraco 9.  

Clients on Umbraco 9 or above can upgrade to the latest Umbraco versions with relative ease.  

The team at Element78 have been helping numerous clients to upgrade or rebuild. Timescales would suggest you need to move very quickly, so please reach out to the team today to understand your options. In this blog, we will outline three options for those running Umbraco 8. These cover upgrading to a newer Umbraco version, rebuilding your website, or choosing extended support.  

Upgrading from Umbraco 8 to 13 or 14 involves a step-by-step process: first to Umbraco 9, then to Umbraco 10 and then to Umbraco 13/14. The upgrade involves significant changes due to moving from .NET Framework to .NET Core. This requires updating or rebuilding templates, migrating some data, and very likely re-engineering some custom features on your existing Umbraco 8 website.

• Cutting-edge features: The latest versions of Umbraco bring the newest features, including improved headless capabilities, better integrations, and a more streamlined back-office experience. 

• Future-proofing: Upgrading to the latest version of Umbraco ensures your site stays supported for a longer period. 

• Improved performance and security: Deploying the latest version of Umbraco provides the best performance and security enhancements. 

• Low impact on your team: It won’t take up much of your internal time as you are not starting from scratch and your Umbraco web team can pretty much crack on with the upgrade process. 

• Highest migration complexity: The jump from Umbraco 8 to 13 or 14  is complex and time-consuming, requiring extensive code refactoring and testing. 

• Training and familiarisation: Your team may need to spend time getting accustomed to the new features and changes in the latest versions. 

• Not advancing your digital approach: You are not moving your digital approach forward in terms of UX, SEO and other performance features.

• If you have limited time and budget, but want to future-proof your website CMS and leverage the latest features and performance improvements, upgrading to Umbraco 13 or 14 is the best choice. 

Instead of directly upgrading, you might consider rebuilding your site from scratch on the latest version of Umbraco, such as 13 or 14.

• Clean slate: Rebuilding allows you to take advantage of the latest features and best practices without carrying over legacy issues from older versions. 

• Optimised for the future: You can design your site with a modern architecture, making future upgrades easier. 

• Customisation and modernisation: Opportunity to rethink your site’s design, structure, and user experience.

• Higher time investment: Rebuilding from scratch requires more time and resources compared to a direct upgrade. 

• Data migration: You’ll need to plan for data migration carefully to ensure nothing is lost in the transition.

• If your current site is outdated, difficult to maintain, or you're looking for a major overhaul in design and functionality, rebuilding on the latest version might be the best approach.

Umbraco will be offering an extended support package for Umbraco 8. This should only be viewed as an insurance policy if you are staying with Umbraco 8 for up to 12 months after the end-of-life deadline. The extended support package that Umbraco will provide is a monitoring and patch fix release service, but only for high-impact security issues.

• No impact on time: This is a service that will help you to stay compliant and ensure your website is being covered for the highest risk issues.  

• Time to think: This option does give you a little more time to prepare for your new website approach (option 1 or 2 above).  

• Cost: This service can’t be viewed as good value and you are literally kicking the issue further down the road.  

• Deadline: The service is expected to end in February 2026 so can only be seen as short-term cover.

• If you have not even thought about making changes or have started the change process but know you will go significantly over the deadline of end of February 2025.

If you are being driven by cost alone, then Options 1 and 2 probably work out similarly, with Option 3 being a lower initial cost that doesn't really move you forwards. When making your decision, you should consider the wider factors beyond costs, such as your current setup, long-term objectives, and available internal resources. It's crucial to align this decision with your broader strategic goals and seek assistance from an experienced official Umbraco partner like Element78. 

Contact the team at Element78 who can provide a quick, cost-free assessment of your options.