Migrating Umbraco 8 to 13 Using uSync Migrations: Tips and Tricks
Sorry it took so long, had a busy period at work (also by doing migrations). Here's the sequel!
This sequel aims to dive deeper into leveraging uSync migrations to make the migration smoother and more consistent, ensuring all configurations are transferred correctly between environments. Here are some useful tips and best practices for effectively using uSync during your migration.
Why Use uSync for Migration?
uSync is an incredibly powerful community-built package that makes it easy to move configurations between different Umbraco environments. By serializing settings, document types, templates, and other components, uSync helps ensure consistency, minimizes manual configuration and significantly reduces the chances of mistakes. This is particularly useful when migrating across major versions, such as moving from Umbraco 8 to 13.
Step 1: Preparing for the Migration
Before you start with uSync migrations, ensuring your site is in the best possible state is essential. Proper preparation makes the migration more predictable and helps avoid unnecessary issues.
- Validate Functionality in Umbraco 8: Make sure everything in your Umbraco 8 site is functioning properly before migration. Fix any existing issues, especially with document types, media, or forms.
- Backup Everything: Create full backups of both your database and uSync exports. Having backups ensures that you can easily roll back if anything goes wrong during the migration.
- Export uSync Files: Use uSync to export all your site configurations, including content editions. This step is crucial to ensure that all site settings are transferred correctly during the migration process.
Step 2: Setting Up Umbraco 10 Environment
Instead of directly migrating to Umbraco 13, it is recommended to first upgrade to Umbraco 10. This intermediate step allows for a smoother transition.
- Database Migration: First, upgrade your Umbraco 8 database to be compatible with Umbraco 10. Validate that document types, templates, and settings are correctly mapped after the upgrade (uSync Migration Guide on GitHub).
- Use uSync for Configuration Migration: Copy the uSync files exported from Umbraco 8 to the Umbraco 10 project. Follow the uSync Migrations Getting Started Guide to set up your environment and avoid common pitfalls.
- Converting Legacy Content: With Umbraco 10, Nested Content is considered legacy. Use tools like the "NestedContentMigrator" from uSync Migrations to convert legacy Nested Content to Block List Editor (GitHub - NestedContentMigrator). If you encounter issues, consider using a local version of uSync Migrations, as this will make debugging much easier.
Step 3: Moving to Umbraco 13
Once you have completed the upgrade to Umbraco 10, you can proceed with upgrading to Umbraco 13.
- Backup Again: Just as before, take a complete backup of the Umbraco 10 setup, including both the database and uSync files.
- Import Everything Using uSync Migrations: Import all configurations using uSync Migrations to ensure consistency. The uSync Migrations Getting Started Guide provides detailed instructions to help you perform a successful import.
- Upgrade the Environment: Install a fresh Umbraco 13 project and connect it to the upgraded database. Ensure that all uSync files are imported to carry settings, templates, and document types forward.
- Rebuild the Site: Begin rebuilding the site by using the cshtml views and models generated from the ModelBuilder. Focus initially on recreating the basic structure to ensure document types and templates are in place. Then proceed to add services and other business logic. For detailed guidance, check out the Umbraco Documentation - ModelBuilder.
Step 4: Finalizing the Migration
After successfully upgrading to Umbraco 13 and rebuilding the site, the next step is finalizing the migration to ensure everything works correctly.
- Testing and Validation: Rigorous testing is vital. Validate all uSync imports, configurations, and ensure that all content appears as expected. Special attention should be given to Block List conversions to confirm that previously nested content renders as intended.
- Manual Adjustments: Be prepared for some manual adjustments. While uSync transfers the majority of configurations, some content types or properties may require manual intervention due to breaking changes introduced in newer versions.
Common Pitfalls and Tips for uSync Migrations
During the migration process, there are several common pitfalls that developers may encounter. Below are some of the most common issues and tips to address them:
- Pitfall 1: Missing Dependencies: Sometimes dependencies such as plugins or custom components may not be compatible with newer versions of Umbraco. Make sure to audit your site for any outdated plugins and see if newer versions are available.
- Tip: Check the compatibility of plugins with Umbraco 10 and 13 beforehand and remove or replace unsupported components.
- Pitfall 2: Incorrect Configuration Mapping: During migration, some configurations may not map correctly, leading to broken document types or missing properties.
- Tip: After importing with uSync, manually validate each document type and property to ensure they have migrated correctly. Using the uSync Migrations Getting Started Guide can help avoid common misconfigurations.
- Pitfall 3: Nested Content to Block List Editor: Converting legacy Nested Content to the new Block List Editor can be challenging.
- Tip: Use the "NestedContentMigrator" tool from uSync Migrations to handle this conversion efficiently. Running it locally will help with debugging any errors during the conversion.
- Pitfall 4: uSync Import Failures: uSync imports can fail for various reasons, such as mismatched versions or missing references.
- Tip: When you encounter errors during import, run uSync locally to debug the issues. Additionally, split large imports into smaller parts to identify where the failure occurs.
- Pitfall 5: Performance Issues: Migrating large amounts of content or configurations can lead to performance bottlenecks.
- Tip: Perform migrations in stages to avoid overwhelming the server. Make sure to use a local environment to test the process before moving to production.
- Use Community Resources: The Umbraco community is a valuable resource for troubleshooting. Make use of forums such as Our Umbraco to ask questions or seek guidance. The community often shares tools, scripts, and workarounds that can save time and effort.
Final Thoughts
Migrating from Umbraco 8 to 13 is not a trivial process, but using tools like uSync can significantly simplify the transition. Breaking the migration into stages—first moving to Umbraco 10 and then to Umbraco 13—helps in managing the complexities of such a major upgrade. Remember that thorough preparation, proper backups, and rigorous testing are essential to ensure a successful migration.
Additionally, for more community discussions and detailed guides, visit uSync's GitHub repository.