Still on Drupal 7 or Joomla 3? What 'end of life' means for your website

WordPress gets most of the attention, but plenty of UK charities, schools, clubs and small businesses run on Drupal or Joomla. Both are built on PHP, and both have versions that are now 'end of life': newly discovered security flaws in them will never be fixed.

Which versions are out of support?

• Drupal 7: support ended in January 2025
• Drupal 8 and 9: support ended in 2021 and 2023
• Drupal 10: security support is scheduled to end in late 2026, so plan the move to Drupal 11
• Joomla 3: support ended in August 2023
• Joomla 4: support ended in October 2025

Always check drupal.org and joomla.org for the latest dates.

Why it matters

Attackers keep lists of sites running old versions, because any new flaw found in them stays open for good. Old versions also tend to need old PHP versions, which are out of support too, so the risk adds up.

How to check which version you're on

• Drupal: log in and go to Reports → Status report.
• Joomla: log in and go to System → System Information.
• Or run our free quick check. It looks for the signs Drupal and Joomla leave in your homepage, and flags end-of-life versions where it can tell.

What to do if you're out of date

Moving from Drupal 7 or Joomla 3 is usually a rebuild or migration rather than a quick update, so it needs planning and a budget. Some companies sell paid extended support, which can buy time. In the meantime, keep add-on modules and extensions as up to date as possible, remove ones you don't use, and make sure you have working backups.

Not sure where you stand? Our Essential Assessment tells you which version you're on, what's exposed and what to do first, in plain English.