Drupal is considered one of the best CMSs in the IT world. It has a refined structure and a wide range of functions. In this text, we’ll look at how Drupal 9 is different from Drupal 8 and whether you need to upgrade your website to Drupal 9 from Drupal 8.

How is Drupal 9 different from Drupal 8?

Drupal 9 was released on June 3rd, 2020, whereas Drupal 8 was released on November 19th, 2015.

Now let’s discuss how Drupal 9 is different from Drupal 8 in terms of specifications:

The most significant difference between Drupal 8 and Drupal 9 is that D9 is free from all deprecated functions. All the deprecated functions have been replaced by other ones, and the rest of the functions will be replaced in the next installment. You can find the complete information about all Deprecated functions here.
The next is that Drupal 8 used Symfony version 3 whereas Drupal 9 uses Symfony version 4.
Also, the Twig theme engine version has been updated from version 1 to 2 in Drupal 9.
Drupal 9 relies on PHPUnit for performing tests, and jQuery UI library dependencies have been removed, which were effective in Drupal 8.
Drupal 9 doesn’t have Simple Annotation Parses from Doctrine, and all the required elements were integrated into the Drupal 9 core.
When it comes to the Apache version, Drupal 8 runs on Apache version 2. x, but currently, Drupal 9 requires a minimum of Apache 2.4.7 version.
In terms of PHP requirements, Drupal 9 requires a minimum version of 7.3, but Drupal 9.1.0 also supports PHP versions 7.4 and 8.0.
The situation is similar with databases and the use of MySQL/Percona. Drupal 8 required version 5.5.3; Drupal 9 works on a minimum version of 5.7.8.
When it comes to using SQLite and MariaDB, Drupal 9 runs on a minimum version of 3.26 and 10.3.7, respectively. However, Drupal 8 runs on 3.6.8+ for SQLite and 5.5.20 for MariaDB.

These are some of the major differences between Drupal 8 and Drupal 9 in terms of specifications.

Now let’s talk about Drupal 9 and Drupal 9 in terms of performance:

Drupal 9 is much better than Drupal 8 when it comes to speed. The PHP 7.3 version has improved the page loading speed in Drupal 9. As per the PHP Benchmark page, Drupal 9 shows a 10% increase in terms of performance as compared to Drupal 8.
Symfony Version 4 in Drupal 9 significantly reduces developers’ working time to improve an existing module or create a new one.
Also, the Twig theme engine is approximately 15% faster in Drupal 9 than in Drupal 8.

Should you upgrade your website to Drupal 9?

Well, the answer is YES! Drupal 9 is the latest version, and it offers various functionalities, including:

Enhanced user experience
Easier migration process
Better accessibility
Intuitive content management

In simpler terms, upgrading your website to Drupal 9 will make it more user-friendly, flexible, scalable, inclusive, and accessible than Drupal 8.

Also, the Drupal 7 and Drupal 8 are approaching their End of Life (EOL), which means the Drupal team will stop providing bug fixes and security for the websites running on older versions of Drupal until it makes any business sense for them to do so. As the EoL for older versions of Drupal is approaching, it’s imperative for you to migrate your website to Drupal 9 within the coming few months. However, if you still have any doubts about upgrading your website, you can get answers to your questions here!

Need help with upgrading your website to Drupal 9? Get in touch with Alberta Tech Works Drupal experts today!