01 · Drupal website development

Drupal sites:upgrades and migration

We support and develop Drupal websites: upgrade old versions, sort out modules, close vulnerabilities and add features. We don’t start new Drupal sites by default — if the platform has run its course, we move you to a modern stack without losing URLs

Timeline
from 3 days

We take your Drupal as it is

An old version, someone else’s code, no documentation — that’s a normal starting point. We get to grips with it first, then suggest what to do with the site

  • 01

    A Drupal 7 site

    The site has run for years, but this version no longer gets security fixes. We help you decide whether to upgrade or migrate

    • Review of custom and contributed modules
    • Both paths assessed: upgrade or migration
    • Protection for the transition period
    • A plan with zero downtime
  • 02

    Drupal 8, 9 or 10

    The version hasn’t been bumped in ages, and every next upgrade looks scarier than the last. We walk that path step by step

    • Module compatibility check
    • Replacing abandoned modules
    • Theme fixes for the new version
    • Upgrade on a staging copy
  • 03

    Website support

    Your previous contractor has left, but you need the site every day. We take it over: updates, backups and changes on request

    • Handover of work and access
    • Security updates
    • Scheduled backups
    • Changes within an agreed time
  • 04

    New features

    Need a new section, form, filter or CRM connection? We add it without touching what already works

    • New content types and fields
    • Lists and filters with Views
    • Forms that feed your CRM
    • Theme and layout fixes
  • 05

    Speed and security

    Pages load slowly, the admin panel lags, or someone else’s code has appeared on the site. We find the cause instead of hiding the symptom

    • Speed measured before and after
    • Caching and heavy query tuning
    • Cleanup after a hack
    • User roles and access rights
  • 06

    Migration to a new stack

    When holding on to Drupal costs more than moving. We migrate your content to a modern platform and keep the URLs

    • A new front end on Next.js
    • Content, files and authors migrated
    • Old URLs and redirects
    • A simple admin panel for editors

Building Drupal sites from scratch isn’t our main work: for a new project we propose a modern stack and explain why. More on moving platforms on our website migration page. Existing Drupal sites we take on for support and development

Drupal upgrades with zero downtime

Five steps from audit to release. The live site stays up the whole time, and every change goes through a copy first

  1. 01Versions and modules

    We look under the hood

    We check the core version, the module list, the custom theme and the server. We note what is outdated, what its authors have abandoned and what was written for your site

  2. 02Site copy

    We make a staging copy

    We take a backup and deploy the site at a separate URL. Meanwhile the live site keeps serving visitors and taking inquiries

  3. 03Composer and modules

    We upgrade the copy

    We bump the core and modules with Composer, replace anything no longer maintained, and adapt the theme and custom code to the new version

  4. 04URLs and forms

    We check everything

    We go through page URLs, forms, search, editor permissions and exports. You review the copy yourself and confirm everything is in place

  5. 05Release

    We go live and monitor

    We push the changes to the live site during a quiet period, keep a fresh backup for rollback and watch for errors over the first weeks

In every Drupal project

  1. 01Review of the version, modules and custom code
  2. 02A backup before any work starts
  3. 03A staging copy at a separate URL
  4. 04Unmaintained modules listed and replaced
  5. 05Core and module security updates
  6. 06URL, form and editor permission checks
  7. 07Caching setup and speed measurement
  8. 08Dependencies managed with Composer
  9. 09A report on what was done and what’s left
  10. 10One month of support after release

We know how Drupal works inside

Core, modules, dependencies and the database. We work with the code and the server, not just the settings in the admin panel

Platform and tools we work with: Drupal, Drupal modules, Composer, Drush, Views, MySQL, PostgreSQL, Next.js as the new front end

When migrating, we build the front end on Next.js and move content out of the Drupal database with scripts that can be rerun right before release. Nothing gets copied by hand, page by page

What we do with a Drupal site

A Drupal site usually lives for years and piles up old versions and modules. We put it in order or help you move

  • Moving off old versions

    Drupal 7, 8 and 9 no longer get security fixes. We bring the site up to the current version, or tell you honestly that moving is easier

  • Sorting out modules

    Some modules are abandoned, some duplicate each other, some were written for your site. We decide what to keep, what to replace and what to remove

  • Closing security holes

    We install security updates, rotate credentials, set up role-based permissions, clean out foreign code and set up off-server backups

  • Speeding up the site

    We find heavy lists and queries, set up caching and compress images. We show measurements before and after, without promising scores in advance

  • Migrating to a new stack

    We move content, files, authors and taxonomy to a modern platform. The front end is built on Next.js, and editors get a simple admin panel

  • Keeping your URLs

    During an upgrade or migration, old page URLs keep working, and changed ones get redirects. We check the full list before release

Drupal work: packages

The cost depends on the version, the number of modules and the amount of content. We send a detailed estimate after the site audit and don’t change it after kickoff unless the scope changes

  • Audit and urgent fixes

    Custom quote

    from 3 days

    • Review of the version, modules and server
    • List of vulnerabilities and risks
    • Off-server backup
    • Urgent bug fixes
    Get an estimate
  • Version upgrade

    Custom quote

    2–3 weeks

    • Upgrade on a staging copy
    • Replacing unmaintained modules
    • Theme fixes for the new version
    • URL, form and permission checks
    Get an estimate
  • Migration to a new stack

    Custom quote

    from 4 weeks

    • A new front end on Next.js
    • Content, files and authors migrated
    • Old URLs and redirects
    • A simple admin panel and training
    Get an estimate

What drives the cost

  • Moving off Drupal 7 with lots of custom modules
  • Multiple languages or regional versions of the site
  • Thousands of content items and files to migrate
  • Data sync with an accounting system or CRM
  • A new design instead of carrying over the old one

How the work runs

  1. 01

    Access and audit

    1–3 days

    A 30-minute call, then access to the site and server. We review the version, modules and code, and take a backup

  2. 02

    Plan and estimate

    1–2 days

    We write down what to do: upgrade, extend or migrate. If the choice isn’t obvious, we cost out both paths

  3. 03

    Work on a copy

    per estimate

    All changes go to a staging URL first. We show each phase and close it with a sign-off; payment is per phase

  4. 04

    Release and support

    30 days

    We push the changes to the live site and hand over a report and access. A month of support is included

Common questions

Open 01 of 07

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  1. By default we’ll suggest another stack

    We don’t start new Drupal projects by default. For a new site we offer a modern stack: a Next.js front end with a simple admin panel. Developers for it are easier to find, and the site is faster. We’ll explain the difference on a call. If you need Drupal for a serious reason, we can discuss it separately

  2. Upgrade step by step or migrate

    Drupal 8 has had no security fixes since 2021. It can usually be brought up to the current version: we check modules for compatibility, replace abandoned ones and fix the theme. We do this on a staging copy while the live site keeps running as before

  3. We cost out both options

    Moving off version 7 is almost a migration: the site’s architecture changes, and the theme and custom modules have to be rewritten. So we estimate two paths: an upgrade to current Drupal and a move to a new stack. You choose based on cost and timeline

  4. It depends on the site; the estimate is fixed

    The cost depends on the version, the number of modules and the amount of content. An audit with urgent fixes takes from 3 days, a version upgrade 2–3 weeks, and a migration to a new stack from 4 weeks. We send an exact estimate after the audit and don’t change it unless the scope changes

  5. We keep them and set up redirects

    Before release we collect every URL of the old site and check that each one opens or leads to the new page. We don’t promise search rankings, but we do everything so the move doesn’t hurt them

  6. Yes, starting with an audit

    That’s almost always the case. We review the core, modules, theme, server and backups, then write down what can be fixed right away and what will take time. If there’s no documentation, we’ll work it out from the code

  7. Everything stays with you

    The code, access and backups belong to the site owner. We work on your server or move the site to hosting of your choice. Calls and phase reviews happen over video

Show us your Drupal

Send us your site’s URL and tell us what’s bothering you: an old version, speed, new features or a move. We reply within two hours during business hours and send a plan and estimate after the audit

What you need

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