Drupal 7 has been around since 2011 and still has one of the biggest footprints of all Drupal versions. In fact, perhaps counterintuitively, Drupal 8 stopped being supported in 2021, while Drupal 7’s End-of-Life has been extended twice. Drupal 7’s current End-of-Life date is 1 November 2023. So, is Drupal 7 still supported? Yes, but not for long! Below we take a look at some key information for Drupal 7 EOL and also some innovative End-of-Life options.
Drupal 7’s user base
The below graph is from Drupal core’s usage . The big red section is the number of websites globally that still use Drupal 7*. While Drupal 7’s use is declining, it’s also clear how many people were still using Drupal 7 in recent years and are still using it.
*This is the minimum number of sites, because not all Drupal 7 sites have the module enabled that allows the site to be included in the usage stats.
In 2021, there were over 600,000 active installations of Drupal 7. We believe this large user base was a key determining factor in the Drupal community’s decision to extend the EOL — twice.
Why are people staying on Drupal 7?
When Drupal 8 was released, it represented a major architectural paradigm shift. As such, using traditional methods, the upgrade pathway from Drupal 7 to later versions is often difficult, time-intensive and costly. These are typically the main reasons why people haven’t moved, and why Drupal has extended the EOL twice.
Although there are rumours that Drupal 7 may be extended (again), it’s risky to take your chances and hope for an extension. And, even if there is an extension, you don’t want to wait until everyone else is updating at the last minute, since that will make it much harder to find help.
In the past, Drupal also had the official Drupal 7 Extended Support Program, but this is currently not available. The Drupal 7 Extended Support Program allowed pre-approved vendors with a history of Drupal contributions to offer dedicated support for Drupal 7 websites. While it’s possible the Drupal Association will reinstate this program, it's risky to wait and see.
It’s important you don’t get caught out with a Drupal 7 website post-EOL. If the support does officially end completely, then your site will pose a major cybersecurity risk for your organisation.
What other options are there for Drupal 7 sites?
With support finishing up on 1 November 2023, and a lack of clarity around a possible extension or the reopening of the official Drupal 7 Extended Support Program, it’s important to start looking at your options now. While the upgrade path from Drupal 7 has been traditionally very difficult, there are other options.
Salsa’s unique End-of-Life services include:
Leave it — Generate and host a static version of your site, with a simple content editor for basic updates, then decommission (leave) your Drupal 7 and the need for a CMS permanently once the static site is set up.
Keep it — Generate and host a static version of your site for your public site visitors, while keeping a separated and locked-down version of your Drupal 7 site for your content editors.
Rebuild it — Save time and money and rebuild your Drupal 10 site using , an open source design system and Drupal 10 theme with over 50 UI components that are user-tested and WCAG 2.1AA-tested to jump start your site with an almost no-code build.
Salsa’s EOL options will save you serious money and serious time.