We know you might have questions about the migration to Joomla! 4. Please take some a look at the most common questions we're getting from our clients and then let us know if you have a question we didn’t answer.
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What happens when Joomla 5 comes out?
One of the reasons we love Joomla! is because they consistently adapt to stay current with the fast pace of technology in today’s world. What that looks like today: Joomla! announced a schedule of minor and major point releases that suggest Joomla 5 will be available in October of 2023. Learn more
The Joomla! developers have assured us that every Joomla 4 migration that we’re doing will be compatible with Joomla 5. This means that the earliest your website might need another migration would be Fall 2027 - when Joomla 5 will no longer be supported.
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Can I do the migration myself?
Migration can be a complicated process that almost always requires significant web developer expertise. Most extensions have a well-defined process for migrating the content and functionality of your current site to Joomla 4.
If you want to try to do the migration on your own, we can set up a development version of your site on the server where you can work on trying to migrate yourself. The cost for that dev site is $25/month (or $250/year). If you need interGen’s assistance once you get started, we would be happy to help at our hourly development rate of $150/hour.
We provide this information for transparency - we STRONGLY recommend you not attempt the migration without an experienced developer. -
Why is there a charge for migration? Don't I pay for updates as part of my subscription?
The terms migration, upgrade, and update are commonly used interchangeably, but they are different processes.
An Update is when you install the newest stable version of a program or extension over the top of the older version (all data and settings are retained). Updates include bug fixes, security fixes, and can include several patches. They increment update releases (sometimes called bug or patch releases) by the third digit (3.10.9 to 3.10.10) and happen ad hoc whenever needed. For example, in June, Joomla 3.10.10 was released that included a few very minor bug fixes.We include updates as part of the weekly maintenance we do on your site.
An Upgrade is similar to an update, but will often include new features in addition to simple fixes and patches. An upgrade is when an application is moved from one minor point release to another. They increment the releases by the second digit (3.9 to 3.10) and are scheduled to happen every six months. For example, in August of 2021, Joomla 3.10.0 was released. The key new feature provided in this upgrade, was a compatibility checker that helps make the migration to Joomla 4 easier.
Upgrades are also included in the weekly maintenance we do on your site.
A Migration is the most complex as it involves “migrating” data from an old system to a new system. Migrations often include major software overhauls, and they increment releases by the first digit (Joomla 3 to Joomla 4).
Migrations involve creating a staged or sandbox version of your site (not accessible to the public) and working through the process to export all your content, extensions, templates, and data from the old software and importing it into the new software. Because of the significant software overhaul involved in migrations, the import process often causes major site errors that have to be identified and resolved. Sometimes, if sites are significantly out of date they have to be completely rebuilt in the new software version. Migrations happen years apart and have historically gotten less complicated (and less costly) with each major release of Joomla. There have only been 4 major releases (3 migrations) since Joomla was created 17 years ago.
Due to the infrequency, expertise, and time required to do migrations, these are not included in regular site maintenance. We work with our clients to plan for migrations for both Joomla and other extensions in a way that allows you to budget for the costs and causes little to no downtime for your website.
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My site was just recently built or redesigned, why do I have to pay for a migration already?
Joomla 4 was released in August 2021. Any site that we either built or redesigned after August 2021 was built in Joomla 4. If you have questions about the timeline of your website’s build and how it impacts your need for migration, please contact us.
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How long will I be able to keep my site running on Joomla 3?
If you have already approved Joomla 4 migration with our interGen team
We will continue to provide all necessary security support for your Joomla 3 site until we are able to complete the migration process. Your website will continue to work until we are able to complete the migration just as it does now.
If you have not yet approved Joomla 4 migration with our interGen team
We will continue to offer our internal security support for all Joomla 3 websites until August 2024 at your current subscription level and costs. It is essential that we schedule your site’s migration to Joomla 4 within the next 12 months. Your website should continue to work for the through August 2024 just as it does now.
If you are concerned about security and would like to receive Joomla's Extended Long Term Security Support, we can provide that for an additional one time cost of $100 per website. Joomla is offering that extended security support for 18 months. Learn more: elts.joomla.org/Contact us to learn more about how to approve migration
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What are the risks of choosing not to migrate to Joomla 4?
Your Website Is Vulnerable
Joomla! updates are essential to make sure your website is safe, up to date with Joomla!’s new features, security fixes, improvements, and bug fixes. When a CMS (Content Management System) changes its structure, the old version is no longer supported. This creates potential problems with security as security patches are discontinued, and older versions of Joomla! are not maintained. After August 2023, security updates are no longer guaranteed, which may put websites at an increased risk of breaking and/or having other issues.
Your Website Might Break
We keep all your website software up to date as part of the hosting and subscription packages for our clients. After August 2023, when we run other critical updates to our servers (or to the extensions and components working behind the scenes on your site), websites not yet migrated to Joomla 4 might stop working and require custom development work not included in your subscription to accommodate older code.
Your Website Performance Might Suffer
Having the latest version of Joomla! and updated extensions and components is important for your site speed. In each newly released version, there are multiple code improvements that translate into better site performance - which also improves your placement in Search Engine results!
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What benefits will migrating to Joomla 4 provide for my website?
Joomla 4 provides a number of technical improvements, new features and significant performance upgrades. Below are the benefits that will most matter to our clients.
New Back End Control Panel
For our Gold subscription clients, the redesigned backend administrator control panel speeds up your content creation and content management. In addition, with new article templates, Joomla 4 can help you and your co-workers keep the page design in mind.
Easier Web Accessibility
Web Accessibility means making your website usable to all users regardless of their abilities. Joomla 4 offers a variety of new web accessibility features to remove any barriers so that people with disabilities can use your site including those with vision problems or people with physical disabilities, color blindness, and hearing impairment.
In some cases, businesses and organizations may be required by law to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. Learn more how the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to web accessibility here.
Improved Site Speed & Security
Even if you don’t use any of the new features of Joomla 4 you will see an improvement in the speed of your website for visitors. The security upgrades in Joomla 4 are designed to maximize safety, keep hackers away, and provide even more protection for your & your user’s data.
Whether you have additional questions, are ready to talk about beginning the Joomla 4 migration process for your website, or would like suggestions about how your website can better work for you, we look forward to connecting with you.
