Frequently asked questions
A migration moves existing content and functionality from an old system (often an older Drupal version, or a different CMS entirely) onto a new Drupal build, using Drupal's migration API and tooling to bring data across in a structured way. A rebuild-only approach without migration means manually re-entering content, which is rarely practical at scale.
The number of distinct content sources and types, the amount of custom functionality in the old site, and how much the new information architecture and content model differ from the old one. A migration that also re-architects information architecture (as opposed to a like-for-like lift) takes more effort but avoids simply carrying forward old structural problems.
The clearest trigger is approaching end-of-life for the current Drupal version (Drupal 7 reached EOL in January 2025, and each subsequent version has its own timeline). At that point, security support stops, making migration a security necessity rather than just an upgrade opportunity, and a good time to also address accumulated content and IA debt.
Related content
