Craft CMS Upgrade Service

• What's the difference between a Craft CMS ‘update’ and an ‘upgrade’?
• Why should we upgrade our Craft CMS website?
• What does upgrading Craft CMS involve?
• How long does the upgrade process typically take?
• Will there be any downtime during the upgrade?
• What are the risks associated with upgrading?
• How will the upgrade impact our existing plugins and custom plugins?
• Do we need to update our server environment for the new version?
• How do you handle data migration during the upgrade?
• What if we have a multi-site setup?
• How do you ensure that third-party integrations and APIs continue to work?
• What happens if an issue arises during the upgrade?
• How do you handle training and documentation updates post-upgrade?
• What are the costs associated with upgrading?
• How often should we consider upgrading our Craft CMS website?
• What support do you offer after the upgrade?
• How do we prepare for the upgrade?

What's the difference between a Craft CMS ‘update’ and an ‘upgrade’?

Updating Craft CMS

Updating usually means installing minor releases within the same major version of Craft CMS. For example, going from Craft CMS 4.2.1 to 4.2.2, or from Craft CMS 5.0.0 to 5.0.3. These Craft CMS updates are smaller, more frequent changes that keep your system in good health.

• Bug fixes: Corrections for issues and bugs found in the current version of Craft, helping to reduce errors for editors and users.
• Security patches: Security updates that address vulnerabilities and keep your Craft CMS site protected.
• Performance improvements: Enhancements that make the CMS and front end run more efficiently, improving load time and overall experience.
• Minor feature additions: Small new features or improvements that extend the CMS without changing your workflows dramatically.

Updating within the same major version of Craft CMS (for example Craft CMS 4.1 to 4.2, or Craft CMS 5.0 to 5.1) is usually straightforward and involves:

• Checking the Craft CMS release notes for important changes or deprecations in that version of Craft.
• Backing up the site files, database, project configuration and any important content drafts or entry versions.
• Running the update process through the Craft CMS control panel or via Composer in your development environment.
• Verifying that the update has not disrupted templates, fields, components, forms, modules or plugins.

We handle this for you as part of our monthly Craft CMS maintenance service, so your website always benefits from the latest security support, security patches and fixes without you needing to think about it.

Upgrading Craft CMS

Upgrading means moving between major versions, such as an upgrade to Craft CMS 3 from Craft CMS 2, upgrading from Craft CMS 3 to Craft CMS 4, or upgrading from Craft CMS 4 to Craft CMS 5. A major upgrade to Craft CMS is a larger project than a simple update and often involves more visible changes to the system.

• Major new features: Significant functionality changes that affect how editors manage content, entries and user accounts.
• Overhaul of existing features: Bigger improvements to fields, the control panel and the authoring interface that may change your workflows.
• Architecture changes: Updates to the underlying code structure, element queries and configuration, which may require adjustments to custom code, plugins and modules.
• Breaking changes: Changes that are not fully backwards compatible and need extra work so templates, integrations and settings continue to function correctly.

Upgrading between major Craft versions is more complex than updating and usually involves:

• Reviewing the official Craft CMS upgrade guides and release notes to understand changes between Craft CMS 3, Craft CMS 4, Craft CMS 5 and future versions such as Craft CMS 6.
• Preparing for the upgrade by setting up a dedicated development or staging environment, so you are not performing the upgrade directly on the live site.
• Updating or rewriting custom plugins, modules, element queries and project-specific code so they are compatible with the new version of Craft CMS.
• Running database migrations and configuration changes to update schemas, fields and system settings safely.
• Carrying out thorough quality assurance testing of templates, forms, components, third-party integrations and key user journeys to make sure everything works as expected.

Key differences between a Craft CMS ‘update’ and an ‘upgrade’

1. Scope of changes:
   • Updating: Smaller changes within the same major version of Craft CMS. You mainly get bug fixes, security patches and minor performance improvements.
   • Upgrading: Larger changes when moving between major versions such as Craft CMS 3, Craft CMS 4, Craft CMS 5 and beyond. These upgrades often include new features, architecture changes and more breaking changes.
2. Complexity:
   • Updating: A simpler process that can usually be completed quickly with limited risk when good backups are in place.
   • Upgrading: A more complex project that touches many parts of your system, requires careful planning, and needs structured testing at each step of the upgrade process.
3. Impact:
   • Updating: Minimal impact on how your team uses the CMS and how the site operates day to day.
   • Upgrading: More noticeable changes to workflows, the control panel, and sometimes your front end, so you need training, documentation and clear communication with your team.

Why should we upgrade our Craft CMS website?

Upgrading your Craft CMS website keeps you on a supported, secure and modern version of Craft. Moving to the latest version of Craft CMS gives you access to new features, performance enhancements, better security updates and an improved authoring experience for your team.

A planned programme of Craft CMS upgrades also makes technical life easier. You stay aligned with the current PHP version, database versions and modern hosting platforms, which helps avoid sudden compatibility issues later.

If you are several Craft versions behind, for example still on Craft CMS 2 or Craft CMS 3, a structured upgrade to Craft CMS 4 or Craft CMS 5 is important. Older Craft versions eventually lose security support and limit the tools your team can use, from image handling and forms through to user permissions and content workflows.

Ultimately, regular Craft CMS upgrades protect sensitive data, make your editors’ day-to-day work easier, and help your website continue to support your business goals.

What does upgrading Craft CMS involve?

Upgrading Craft CMS means moving between major versions in a controlled way. Typical upgrade paths include:

• Upgrade to Craft CMS 3 from Craft CMS 2
• Upgrade to Craft CMS 4 from Craft CMS 3
• Upgrade to Craft CMS 5 from Craft CMS 4

Each upgrade path has its own requirements and upgrade steps, but the approach is similar:

• Audit your current Craft CMS version, plugins, modules, custom code, entry structures and content fields.
• Review plugin and integration compatibility with the target Craft CMS version, highlighting any products or tools that need replacing.
• Update your development environment and staging environment so you can safely test migrations and deployment.
• Run the upgrade on staging first, fix deprecations, adjust templates and address any breaking changes raised by the system.
• Carry out structured testing, then schedule a controlled deployment of the new version to the live site.

This way of working keeps your data migration controlled, your content safe, and removes a lot of the risk from performing the upgrade.

How long does the upgrade process typically take?

The length of a Craft CMS upgrade project depends on:

• The size and complexity of your website, including how many templates, components and layouts you use.
• The number of custom fields, sections and entry types in your content model.
• How many third-party plugins, custom plugins and external integrations your system relies on.
• How many Craft versions you are moving through in one project, and how far behind you are on the current release cycle.

A smaller upgrade to Craft CMS 5 on a simple site can sometimes be completed in a few days, including testing and quality assurance. Larger multi-site installations with complex workflows may need several weeks across multiple stages to plan, implement, test, adjust and launch.

We agree a clear timeline with you at the outset so your team knows what will happen at each step and how it fits around other business priorities.

Will there be any downtime during the upgrade?

We always perform the upgrade in a separate development or staging environment first. That means your live site continues to operate while we work through data migration, configuration changes and template updates.

When everything is tested and ready, we plan a short deployment window to move the upgraded version to the live site. Any downtime is usually limited to this final step. We schedule this during off-peak hours and agree it with you so the impact on users, clients and your team is kept as low as possible.

What are the risks associated with upgrading?

Any major CMS upgrade brings some risk if it is not managed carefully. With Craft CMS, the main risks include:

• Plugin compatibility issues: Some plugins may not support the new version of Craft CMS and could need replacing, refactoring or removing.
• Breaking changes: Changes to element queries, templates, fields, or the way the system behaves can cause errors until code is updated.
• Workflow changes: Editors may see updates to the interface and control panel, which can affect how they publish, manage drafts and approve changes.
• Potential disruption: If something unexpected happens during deployment, parts of the front end or control panel can be affected until the issue is resolved.

A clear plan, good backups and careful testing of each step reduce these risks. Our focus is on security, stability and giving your team a consistent experience throughout the upgrade.

How will the upgrade impact our existing plugins and custom plugins?

Major upgrades can have a significant impact on both third-party plugins and custom plugins. As part of the upgrade to Craft CMS we:

• Review every plugin installed on your site and check compatibility with the target Craft CMS version.
• Update plugins to their latest versions where possible and confirm they still meet your business requirements.
• Identify plugins that are no longer supported or have been abandoned, and suggest safer alternatives.
• Replace unsupported plugins or rebuild the required functionality using custom modules, fields or integrations.

Custom Craft plugins and modules often need code changes when upgrading between versions, for example moving from Craft CMS 3 to 4 or from Craft CMS 4 to 5. Our developers refactor and test these so they continue to work reliably after the upgrade. For more detail on this side of the work, see our Custom Craft CMS Plugin Development service.

Do we need to update our server environment for the new version?

Often, yes. New versions of Craft CMS usually have different system requirements. These can include a newer PHP version, updated database versions, and specific PHP extensions. For example, Craft CMS 5 has stricter requirements than Craft CMS 3.

As part of the upgrade project we:

• Review your current hosting platform, PHP version, database setup and caching strategy.
• Check that your environment meets the official Craft CMS requirements for the version you are moving to.
• Recommend updates such as raising the PHP version, changing configuration or moving to a platform better suited to modern Craft CMS websites.

Aligning your server and CMS upgrades together gives you a more stable, secure and future-proof base for the next stage of your website.

How do you handle data migration during the upgrade?

Data migration is a core part of any Craft CMS upgrade. When we move you to a new version we:

• Take complete backups of databases, files, assets and project configuration before we begin.
• Run Craft’s database migrations in a staging environment so schema changes, content structures and settings are updated safely.
• Check important content types, entries, user accounts and fields after the migration to confirm data consistency.
• Test end-to-end workflows, from editing an entry through to viewing it on the front end, with particular attention to forms, images and content blocks.

The aim is that nothing is lost and everything ends up in the right place, with editors able to continue their work without disruption.

What if we have a multi-site setup?

Multi-site Craft CMS setups introduce extra complexity because each site may have different languages, content, navigation and permissions. During an upgrade we:

• Review the configuration of every site in your multi-site setup, including URLs, environments and localisation settings.
• Run the upgrade in staging and test each site individually, checking menus, content, navigation and search.
• Confirm that localisation, URLs, fields and entry types continue to work correctly on every site after the upgrade.

This keeps all sites on a consistent Craft CMS version, making future updates and security patches easier to manage.

How do you ensure that third-party integrations and APIs continue to work?

Many Craft CMS websites rely on integrations with CRMs, email tools, payment gateways, analytics platforms, marketing automation tools and other APIs. As part of an upgrade we:

• Audit the integrations that rely on Craft CMS modules, plugins, webhooks or custom code.
• Test API calls, authentication flows and webhooks in the upgraded staging environment to ensure they still work correctly.
• Update SDKs, libraries and configuration where providers have changed versions or endpoints.

Only when these checks are complete do we deploy the upgraded version to the live site, so your critical business systems continue to operate without surprises.

What happens if an issue arises during the upgrade?

Issues are most likely to appear while we are testing in the staging environment. That is the point at which we want to find them. If something unexpected does appear, we:

• Investigate the cause and adjust code, configuration or migrations to resolve the issue.
• Re-run tests across the affected areas so we are confident the problem is fixed.

When upgrading the live site, our first priority is to protect your data and keep disruption low. Because we work with full backups in place, we can roll back to the previous version if needed, adjust the plan, and repeat the final deployment step at a safer moment.

How do you handle training and documentation updates post-upgrade?

Major upgrades can change the interface, field layouts, permissions and how editors work with entries, images and content. To support your team after the upgrade we:

• Update or create internal documentation that reflects the new Craft CMS version, including screenshots and step-by-step workflows.
• Record short training videos that show common tasks in the updated control panel, from creating new entries to managing drafts and publishing changes.
• Highlight the most useful new features so your team can take advantage of them straight away.

This post-upgrade training helps your team feel confident and reduces the time they spend figuring out what has changed.

What are the costs associated with upgrading?

The cost of a Craft CMS upgrade depends on several factors:

• Which Craft CMS version you are on now and which version you are upgrading to.
• The size and complexity of your website, including any multi-site setup, custom workflows and content types.
• The number of plugins, integrations and custom modules involved in the project.
• How much planning, testing, training and ongoing support you need from our team.

After an initial assessment of your website we provide a clear estimate and transparent pricing for the upgrade work. This includes the stages of the project, the time involved and the level of support you can expect.

How often should we consider upgrading our Craft CMS website?

Major Craft CMS upgrades are typically worth planning every few years, based on the official release cycle and security support windows. If your site is several major versions behind, it becomes more important to schedule an upgrade project so you do not miss critical security updates.

Smaller Craft CMS updates within the same major version should be applied more regularly as part of a maintenance routine. This keeps your system on a supported version, reduces the size of each change and makes the next major upgrade smoother when new versions such as Craft CMS 5, Craft CMS 6 and beyond arrive.

What support do you offer after the upgrade?

Once your upgrade project is complete, your site should be running smoothly on a supported Craft CMS version with all key workflows tested. To keep it this way we offer ongoing support through our Craft CMS Support & Development Retainers and Craft CMS Maintenance services.

This support covers troubleshooting, bug fixes, performance tuning, future Craft CMS updates, and advice on how to use new features as they are released.

How do we prepare for the upgrade?

Preparing properly makes Craft CMS upgrades safer and more predictable. Before we begin any work on your live site we:

• Audit your current Craft CMS version, fields, entries, plugins, integrations and server setup so we have a full picture of the system.
• Identify high-risk areas such as unsupported plugins, heavy customisation or old PHP versions that may affect the upgrade path.
• Agree a clear upgrade plan and deployment window with your team, including who needs to be involved and what will be tested.
• Confirm test cases for the control panel, content workflows and front-end user journeys so everyone knows what “working” looks like.

We guide you through each step of preparing for the upgrade so that when the time comes to move your live site to the new Craft CMS version, everything is in place and everyone knows what to expect.