Earlier, Drupal 10 was going to be released in June 2022. However, if you’ve watched the recording of DriesNote, you must be aware that it’s launch has been pushed to December 2022 as the work of CKEditor 5 hasn’t been finished yet. CKEditor is a complete rewrite of CKEditor that offers no backward compatibility or upgrade path. This tool still requires a lot of work to help site builders upgrade from CKEditor 4 to 5. As a result, the release of Drupal 10 was postponed.
Also Read: How To Audit Your Drupal Website?
What’s to expect in Drupal 10?
If you’re concerned about what features to expect in Drupal 10, you must know that Drupal 10 will be an updated and polished version of Drupal 9. As a result, it will have some updated features and removal of deprecations that are available in Drupal 9.
Also Read: Drupal 9 Plugins You Must Have For Your Website
Updated Third-Party Software
Drupal has made many changes in the core and here is a list of third-party software for which we’re going to have updated versions:
- CKEditor 5
- jQuery
- Symfony
- Module browser
- Decoupled Menus
- New Starterkit Theme
- Claro Administration Theme
- Olivero Front End Theme
- Automatic Updates
Let’s discuss them in detail one by one!
Also Read: Drupal 9 Vs. Drupal 8: Should You Upgrade Your Website To Drupal 9?
1. CKEditor 5
Drupal 10 will be replacing CKEditor 4 with CKEditor 5. Drupal 9.3 too supports CKEditor 5 but as an experimental module. CKEditor is user-friendly and has great UX. Moreover, it is great for developers to customize and build applications. CKEditor 5 interface will be like Google documents or MS Word and have many integrations to make the user experience more efficient and smooth.
Also Read: Why Drupal Is The Key To Success For Enterprise Web Development?
2. jQuery
We can expect the replacement of the jQuery UI with modern Javascript components, and there will be no more extended support for Internet Explorer 11.
3. Symfony 6.2
Drupal relies heavily on the Symfony framework. It has been the foremost driver of Drupal since version 8. Drupal 9 uses Symfony version 4, reaching the end of life and support by November 2022. So apparently, the Drupal 9 to Drupal 10 upgrade will skip a Symfony version (Symfony 4 to 6). Instead, Symfony 6.2 will be released just in time for Drupal 10’s release and will have many modern features that developers will love.
4. Module browser and one-click installation
In Drupal 10, you will have a built-in module browser, allowing you to search for and install any given tool from the administration panel. This functionality will make Drupal more accessible, especially for new users. In Drupal 9, the installation of modules requires several steps, and users also need extra skills to install tools.
Also Read: Drupal 7 To Drupal 9 Migration: Estimated Time And Cost
5. Decoupled Menus
Drupal 10 will introduce Decoupled menu, allowing you to update the menu from the administration panel. In addition, it will make the websites (using front-end frameworks such as Angual or React) easier to use. Moreover, users will not need an expert to make some minor tweaks to the web page.
6. New Starterkit Theme
With Drupal 10 , there’ll be a new-approach to build templates. There will be a clean template to build the theme. However, there will be no change in sub-theming. The new template building approach will prevent inheriting the entire template, which has minimal update options due to maintaining backward compatibility.
7. Claro Administration Theme
The time-worn Seven themes, created in 2009 for Drupal 7 and slightly refreshed in Drupal 8, gives new users outdated vibes. Finally, in Drupal 10, there will be the Claro theme. This theme is designed following the latest standards and adapted to take advantage of the full capabilities of the newest version of this CMS.
Also Read: Challenges In Migrating From Drupal 7 To Drupal 9
8. Olivero front end theme
The user browsing page will also be updated along with the administration panel. In addition, an Olivero front-end theme will take full advantage of the system’s new capabilities and be compatible with the functionalities such as Layout Builder. Moreover, the theme will be WCAG AA-compliant.
Also Read: Why Is Drupal Best For Your Site In 2022?
9. Automatic Updates
The last but not least change we can see in Drupal 10 is automatic updates. Most CMSs already have had these features for a long time, but with the release of Drupal 10, you can also have it for your Drupal 10 website. The automatic updates will also include Drupal core updates and security patches.
How to prepare to upgrade your website to Drupal 10?
If your website is still running on the Drupal 6 or 7 versions, migrate it to the latest Drupal 9 version. You need to migrate your website to the latest Drupal versions as soon as possible because Drupal will stop offering maintenance services and updates for older versions, making your website vulnerable to security attacks and other threats. Drupal 8 reached its end life on 2nd November 2021 and isn’t officially supported. However, Drupal 7 will be supported until November 2023, and by then Drupal 10 will already be released.
So, if you’re still using these versions of Drupal 6,7, or 8, update the system to version 9 as soon as possible. The migration process of Drupal 7 website to Drupal 9 isn’t complicated all. And if you’re already a Drupal 9 user, keep an eye on upcoming updates. You can also check your website with tools, including Rector or Upgrade Status to get an idea about the time-frame to update to Drupal 10. These tools will also notify you about the modules that won’t be compatible with Drupal 10. You’ll be amazed to know that upgrading from Drupal 9 to Drupal 10 is similar to any Drupal core update. You can update your system to Drupal 10 in two ways – either manually or using Composer.
Unfortunately, users will require some technical skills for the migration or might need to hire a specialist for the smooth migration process.
If you’re looking for Drupal website developers who can help you out with migration process, get in touch with Alberta Tech Works team today!
