What is End of Life?
When the Magento 2 platform was released to the public, Magento announced that they would be ending their support for the Magento 1 platform in November of 2018. This end of life date was originally mentioned numerous times after the release of Magento 2.
This “end of life” of support for Magento 1 sites essentially means that no further security patches or upgrades will be released for the Magento 1 platform.
The end of support is for both Enterprise and Community version of the Magento 1 platform. It is still unclear what will happen with the licensing for Magento 1 Enterprise sites after the end of life support date has passed. However, we anticipate that Magento will provide further information on Enterprise licensing and how that will be affected once they announce the date when Magento 1 support will end.
When we have more information regarding the end of life date for Magento 1 we will update this blog!
On May 30th, 2017, Jason Woosley – the Magento SVP of Product & Technology – announced that this end of life date had been extended, with no new hard date set. It was also stated that Magento would announce a new end of support date at least 18 months in advance. This will, in turn, give Magento 1 owners additional time to plan for their site’s future.
What Does this Mean for My Magento 1 Site?
Keeping your site on the Magento 1 platform is currently still secure, as they will continue to release security patches and version upgrades to combat vulnerabilities and issues found on the system.
Learn more about Magento 1 Security Updates and Patches: https://magento.com/security/patches
However, while the support for Magento 1 sites is still in place, you may be better off making the switch over to Magento 2 sooner rather than later.
Migrating your site to the Magento 2 platform is “the future” for Magento, and where the company is focusing the majority of their efforts for the long-term. Inevitably this move will be the safest, most secure choice for the future of your website and business.
“Migrating to Magento 2 is the future for Magento store owners.”
If you decide to stay with your Magento 1 site until they announce when they’ll be ending support for the platform, there are a handful of items to be mindful of to help keep your site secure:
- Keep your security patches up to date
- Keep your extensions and modules up to date
- Continue adding new content for your customers
Magento remains at the top of the list for being the largest open-source eCommerce system. Magento has a fast-growing community base and support system. Both Magento 1 and Magento 2 platforms are reliable and secure, with proactive monitoring of security vulnerabilities and fixes for found bugs.
While it is unclear from Magento the extent of updates they’ll be releasing in the future for Magento 1, the fact remains:
“Magento will continue to support Magento 1 for the foreseeable future with at least 18 months notice when that changes.” – Jason Woosley, Magento.com
Should I Stay on Magento 1 or Move to Magento 2?
Many Magento 1 store owners have been wondering if it is time to migrate to Magento 2, especially with the news of Magento 1 support being extended for the foreseeable future. It is safe to say that for the time being, staying with your Magento 1 site won’t cause any problems.
However, now would be a good time to start formulating a plan for what the jump to Magento 2 will look like for you and your online store.
Magento 2 offers top quality performance and flexibility out of the box to help your business. Strategizing with your development company sooner rather than later will give you time to gain a good understanding of the Magento 2 platform, along with ensuring that you can incorporate your internal processes, procedures, and marketing into the new site.
Another thing to keep in mind is extension companies and their support. While many of these 3rd party companies will continue to offer support for Magento 1 sites, they will be focusing their efforts on support for Magento 2 extensions.
Over time, as more store owners adopt the Magento 2 platform, the support for Magento 1 sites and extensions will diminish – eventually getting to the point where these companies no longer provide updates or support for their Magento 1 extensions. Planning ahead will involve deciding which Magento 2 extensions you’ll need to install on your site.
The new Magento 2 Extension Marketplace
In starting your preparation to move your site to Magento 2, this will also provide ample time to understand the level of effort needed to re-build any custom functionality that is currently on your Magento 1 site.
This is an extremely important step to account for – discussing these customizations with your Magento web development company and going over what modules and extensions are available for Magento 2 can affect functionality on your site moving forward.
Making the switch to Magento 2 will also provide you access to the updated features and functionality – such as full-page caching and mobile responsiveness directly out of the box – features new to Magento 2.
Since the release of Magento 2 in 2016, there have been over 10 version updates to the system to address bugs and fixes for these, building up this platform to be more secure and stable as time goes on.
Learn more about the upcoming Magento 2.2 release!
Closing Thoughts
If you’re not quite ready to make the switch over to Magento 2, you can rest assured that your Magento 1 site will be supported by way of security patches and overall updates for the foreseeable future by Magento and the Magento community.
While the end of life date has yet to be determined for Magento 1, starting the process of planning for migration to the Magento 2 platform is highly suggested. This will also give you the time to familiarize yourself with the Magento 2 system as a whole, including the many new features that are native to Magento 2.
Our skilled team of certified Magento experts would be happy to assist you with your Magento 2 migration and answer any questions you have about that process and what to expect. When we have more information regarding the end of life date for Magento 1 we will update this blog! Connect with us today to discuss your e-commerce goals and how we can help you reach them!