Drupal 9 to Drupal 11 Upgrade for Utilities

Drupal 9 to Drupal 11: A Two-Step Upgrade Plan for Utility Websites

Drupal 9 reached end of life in November 2023, meaning Drupal.org no longer provides security fixes. Drupal 10 ends on December 9, 2026. If your utility website runs Drupal 9, you have two steps to reach a supported version. Plan your Drupal 9 to Drupal 11 upgrade as one project, so you don't land on Drupal 10 as its support ends.

You can't stop at Drupal 10

You can't skip a major version. Your Drupal 9 site has to move to Drupal 10 first. But Drupal 10 support ends December 9. If you stop there, you end up unsupported again almost right away. Treat the move to Drupal 11 as part of the same project. Scope, budget, and schedule both steps together.

This is an upgrade, not a migration.

Some call this a Drupal 9 migration. It's an upgrade. Drupal 9 and 10 are close enough that you update your codebase without rebuilding or mapping content. The move from Drupal 10 to 11 works the same way, through Composer. The real work is in deprecated code, module compatibility, and hosting.

Step one: Drupal 9 to Drupal 10

Start by updating your site to the latest Drupal 9 release. Next, update your contributed modules to Drupal 10-compatible versions. Where a module release supports both Drupal 9 and 10, you prepare for Drupal 10 while the site is still live on Drupal 9.

Then update your custom modules and any contributed modules without a Drupal 10 version. Drupal Rector automates part of that work. Once every project is ready, update core to Drupal 10. Drupal 10 requires PHP 8.1 or later, so check your hosting environment before you begin.

Step two: Drupal 10 to Drupal 11

Your site needs to run Drupal 10.3.0 or later before you upgrade to Drupal 11. Drupal 11 dropped updates from earlier releases. It also needs PHP 8.3 or later, so your hosting must support it by the time you upgrade.

Update your contributed modules and themes to Drupal 11-compatible versions while your site is still on Drupal 10. Plan to land on Drupal 11.3 or later. Drupal 12 removes upgrades from before that point.

What a Drupal 9 to Drupal 11 upgrade involves for a utility site

Three things set the scope. Which custom modules and themes use deprecated code. Which contributed modules have no compatible release. Whether your hosting supports the PHP versions you need at each step.

Integrations add a fourth factor. If you connect to a customer information system, outage management, or payment processor through a module, that integration moves with the module. Check if each one has a Drupal 10 release now and a Drupal 11 release for step two. Test every connection after each upgrade step.

If a module isn't ready, you have a few options. Use a patch from the issue queue, ask the maintainers for help, or find a replacement. Know which modules aren't ready before you set a schedule. They affect how long the upgrade takes.

The Upgrade Status module scans your site for compatibility issues and helps you plan the work. It's helpful, but not perfect. Check modules by hand too.

What to document before you plan

Start a working document with these details. It speeds up the audit and gives you a stronger case when you ask for budget.

• Your exact Drupal 9 release, and whether it is the latest Drupal 9 version
• Your PHP version, and whether your hosting supports PHP 8.1 now and PHP 8.3 later
• Every custom module and theme, and who maintains each one
• Every contributed module, and its Drupal 10 and Drupal 11 compatibility.
• Every integration, such as billing, outage, and payment connections, and the module each one depends on

How Inclind approaches an upgrade

Our ICBM method starts with Investigate. We audit your site and build a project plan and technical strategy that sets the sequence of steps. Create turns that plan into design and a technical spec. In Build, we use version control and a CI/CD pipeline. We run quality assurance and multiple rounds of user acceptance testing before launch. In Measure, we deliver the training and documentation your team needs to run the site day to day.

After launch, every Inclind support package includes monthly application updates. Essential automates them. Professional and Enterprise include managed updates, so routine updates stay current.

Inclind has built and maintained Drupal sites for utilities for over a decade. Delaware Electric Cooperative has been a partner throughout, through four website evolutions and ongoing support for the Beat the Peak app.

Start with a technical audit.

If your site runs Drupal 9, start with an audit. Contact Inclind to schedule a technical audit of your Drupal environment. You'll get a clear view of your site before you commit to anything.