The release of the next iteration of Drupal, version 8, is coming soon. With the release of new software, there are always questions about "Should I upgrade?" "What are the new features?" "What has changed?". These are but some changes, from a developer's perspective, about what to expect in the new Drupal and if/when you upgrade.

What is Different?

Administrator/Content Editor Experience

Site administrator or content editors now have the new edit-in-place functionality. This will give you the abilitity to fix typos or add text to your page(s) directly on the page instead of loading the node's edit page, updating, and saving.  

Developer Friendly

Drupal 8 moves your site configuration out of the database and into configuration files (and all the developers applauded). From a developer's perspective this is a great change, but with some decided benefits to your site.The primary one is  the number of database transactions goes down significantly which then means that your site performs faster.

Moving the site configuration from the database to configuration files means faster/easier deploys for site updates. Previously in Drupal, we relied on a tool called Features to help export configuration into code so it could be quickly deployed. Not all modules integrated with Features, leaving developers with a partial solution that added time and difficulty to production developments. With Drupal 8, site configuration is contained in files which makes syncing between a development and production system much easier and cost effective to test and perform.

Mobile-Friendly

In a mobile world, most every client wants a mobile site. If you've ever tried to manage your site from a mobile device you know that it is a less-than-ideal experience. Drupal 8 hopes to change that with an integrated SOAP server. Now developers can more easily create installable apps for mobile devices that sync, via a SOAP server, to your site. No need to manage content in two places or trying to click on tiny 'edit' links on your mobile device.  Content updates to either the mobile app or website are automatically propagated.

What is not changing?

End User Experience

While developers and content editors' lives are easier, Drupal 8 does not change the end user experience.  Users can still see your content, browse your website, and log in to their accounts as they always have. They can do it all a little more quickly with the structural changes.

Should I upgrade?

We're excited about Drupal 8. It is definitely a step in the right direction for the developer experience, as well as facilitating website and content management. Upgrading really depend on which version of Drupal you have.  If you're on Drupal 6, you should begin to consider an upgrade. The primary reason for this is that with the release of Drupal 8, Drupal 6 will head toward end of life. This places the job of security and site maintenance on your development company, rather than on the Drupal community, which will cost you more money.

Photo by zigazou76