How to Update Magento 2.3 to 2.4.7 in 2024

How to Update Magento Version | DIY Guide vs. Professional Assistance

Updating your Magento version is a complex process that requires technical expertise and careful planning. Each update is unique, with custom modules and potential issues that can arise throughout the process. 

Adobe Certified Professional, a Magento 2 developer with 8+ years of software development experience, prepared a detailed guide on the Magento update process, deliverables, and pitfalls. Our expert, Pablo Poberezhnyi, has worked on many different projects, ranging from small parsers and SPA development to highload with a load of 10,000 clients per day. 

1. Pre-Update Preparations

1.1 Create Backups: Before starting the update process, ensure you have backups of your composer files and the entire database. It’s best to create a complete backup of your project to safeguard against potential data loss.

1.2 Check Magento Requirements: Review the Magento system requirements to ensure compatibility with your server environment, including PHP, MySQL, Elasticsearch versions, and other dependencies. Visit the Magento system requirements page for detailed information.

2. Initial Update Steps

2.1 Install the Required Magento Version: After verifying the requirements, install the needed Magento version on your server.

2.2 Run Composer Command: Execute the composer command to start the update. Be prepared for a list of errors that will need to be addressed. The older your current version, the longer the list of potential issues.

3. Handling Errors and Dependencies

3.1 Fixing Errors: You will spend a significant amount of time searching for extensions, installing them, and fixing errors during installation. Address each issue one by one.

3.2 Dependent Modules: Identify and solve issues related to dependent modules. If newer versions are unavailable, you may need to manually fix issues such as links to non-existing classes. 

Some modules may require physical deletion from config.php.

3.3 Document Changes: Create a list of changed or removed modules and store it for future reference.

4. Checking Custom Code

4.1 Composer Patches and Custom Code: Review all your composer patches and custom code in the app/code or app/design folders. Address issues related to non-existing classes or methods.

4.2 Compilation Commands: Run compilation commands (bin/magento setup:upgrade and bin/magento setup:di:compile). Resolve any errors that arise, which could be due to install scripts or other issues.

5. Testing and Debugging

5.1 Testing the Admin and Frontend: Test both the admin and frontend of your site to identify issues such as white or blank pages, errors with non-existing keys, and other problems. Check log files for hidden errors.

5.2 Integrations and Third-Party Apps: Ensure all integrations and third-party applications are working correctly. Verify their connections and address any issues.

5.3 Security Check: Conduct a security check to ensure there are no direct database queries in your .phtml files and that the object manager is only used in test classes. Avoid using deprecated classes and PHP functions.

6. Post-Update Checks

6.1 Service Functionality: Confirm that all services, including the frontend and cron jobs, are functioning correctly.

7. Professional Assistance With Custom Modules

Updating Magento can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, depending on the size and complexity of your project. The process requires experience, knowledge, and patience. The more time you spend on thorough testing, the fewer urgent fixes you will face later. Remember, professional help can save time and ensure a smoother update process.

If your project involves updating custom modules, we recommend seeking professional assistance. Custom modules often require extensive checks and fixes, including database schema updates, service contracts, and UI components. For example, you can convert install and upgrade schemas using Magento commands:

bin/magento setup:install --convert-old-scripts=1

bin/magento setup:upgrade --convert-old-scripts=1

Alternatively, generate a patch file:

bin/magento setup:db-declaration:generate-patch [options] <module-name> <patch-name>

Ensure you manually check and modify the generated db_schema.xml or newly created patches as needed.

Conclusion

While this guide provides a comprehensive overview, it’s important to emphasize that updating Magento is not a task to be taken lightly. The process involves intricate details and a high level of technical know-how. Attempting this on your own could lead to prolonged downtime, potential data loss, and new technical issues.

Our team at WebMeridian consists of certified Adobe Commerce experts with extensive experience in Magento updates and customizations. We have successfully navigated numerous Magento projects, ranging from small updates to large-scale overhauls. Our expertise ensures that your update will be handled efficiently, minimizing disruption and maximizing performance.

By choosing our professional services, you can avoid the common pitfalls and complexities of the update process. We will handle everything from initial backups to post-update testing, ensuring your Magento store runs smoothly and effectively.

Contact us today to ensure your Magento update is completed efficiently and correctly, allowing you to focus on what you do best—running your business.

Upgrading Magento 2.3 to 2.4: What’s New in Version 2.4.7?

Magento Open Source 2.4.7 brings numerous features, improvements, and bug fixes aimed to facilitate the operation of ecommerce stores. The primary highlights include PHP 8.3 support, the newest versions of Core Composer dependencies and third-party libraries, increased GraphQL coverage for custom attributes and GraphQL resolver caches, and support for FedEx and UPS services. Besides, the upgrade of Magento 2.3 to 2.4 fixes a set of existing problems for a hassle-free user journey.

Let’s examine the key progress areas.

Security improvements

Security threats pose ever-growing challenges to online businesses. The new Magento release removes security-related issues and introduces over a dozen upgrades. 

• Extra payment security: Payment information can now be transferred through REST or GraphQL APIs, and merchants can set rate limits.
• The default admin URL generation is optimized: The process minimizes the predictability of URL generation.
• The new cache configuration setting reduces the risks related to the HTTP endpoint.
• The implemented Subresource Integrity (SRI) support ensures script integrity on payment pages.

Platform improvements

The platform upgrades aim to comply with the best security and performance optimization practices. 

• Compatibility with Composer 2.5.x and Composer 2.2.x, PHP 8.3 and 8.2, RabbitMQ 3.11 and 3.12, and Varnish cache 7.4, 6.0.x and 7.2.x, Elasticsearch 8.11, OpenSearch 2.12 and OpenSearch 1.3, Redis 7.2. 
• The newest JavaScript libraries are now available, including moment.js library (v2.29.4), jQuery UI library (v1.13.2), jQuery validation plugin library (v1.19.5).

GraphQL

The new edition provides a variety of custom features, such as enhanced GraphQL’s caching opportunities and support for customer EAV attributes. 

The specific areas of upgrade include:

• Extra support for adjustable attributes in customer and customer addresses.
• Integrated caching for custom attributes. 
• Enhanced support for existing attributes in products.
• Reinforced page loading performance.

Page Builder

The Page Builder in Magento’s new release has promoted usability and regularity, thereby simplifying content creation and streamlining the consumer experience.

PWA studio

Magento Open Source 2.4.7 is compatible with PWA Studio version 13.2.x. PWA studio carries significant enhancements to drive accessibility.

B2B

The new release contains practical opportunities for businesses, making migration to Magento 2.4 a worthy investment.

• Sales representatives can instantly access the Quote and Customer Grids in the Admin interface to create quotes.
• Merchants can implement discounts in different ways, such as a fixed value, a percentage, or extended pricing on specific pieces in a quote.
• The Quote Detail view offers a wider functionality to B2B buyers and sellers.
• Inventory management offers tools to administer product supply.

How to Upgrade Magento 2.3 to 2.4.7 Correctly in 2024

Adobe Certified Professional, Magento 2 developer with 8+ years of software development experience, answered 5 questions about the smooth process of upgrade Magento 2.3 to 2.4.7. Our expert, Pablo Poberezhnyi, has worked on many different projects, ranging from small parsers and SPA development to highload with a load of 10,000 clients per day. He has worked with e-banking, e-shops, and web-scrapers.

Q1: What are the key steps to upgrade Magento from 2.3 to 2.4.7?

A1: Upgrading Magento involves crucial steps to ensure a smooth transition.

• Firstly, backups must be created to safeguard existing data.
• Then, it is essential to check the requirements for the new version, including Redis, Elastic, PHP, Nginx, and others.
• Next comes the investigation phase, where compatible installed module versions are identified.
• This is followed by creating comprehensive documentation detailing all updates and fixes required for each module.
• Subsequently, the actual updating process begins, with continuous testing and fixes applied as necessary.
• Once local testing is completed, the changes are deployed to the test server, with careful consideration given to downtime estimates for the production server.

Q2: What potential problems or errors might arise during the Magento upgrade, and how can they be avoided?

A2: During a Magento upgrade, potential problems or errors may arise, particularly with modules encountering issues such as incorrect implementations or modifications within vendor files. To mitigate these risks, thoroughly retesting all functionality and integrations is essential post-upgrade.

Q3: Are there any changes or important innovations in Magento 2.4.7 that should be considered during the upgrade?

A3: Magento 2.4.7 introduces numerous security patches, UPS updates, and fixes for API issues. Additionally, it’s crucial to ensure that server updates match the requirements of Magento 2.4.7.

Q4: What are the best practices for backing up and restoring data before upgrading Magento?

A4: Before upgrading Magento, I advise creating backups of composer files and database dumps. Sometimes, setting up a mirror or additional server identical to the current one can help avoid server downtime during updates.

Q5: Are there any known limitations or issues associated with upgrading to Magento 2.4.7 that should be addressed before initiating the process?

A5: Before initiating the upgrade process, ensure compatibility with PHP, Elasticsearch, Redis, Nginx, and other essential components. Additionally, prepare for server downtime during updates and always prioritize backing up data.

Read on our Success Story: Know-How Luis Created a Better Shopping Experience With Magento Upgrade from 2.3.x to 2.4.2-3

7 Mistakes To Avoid in Magento 2 Upgrade

Upgrading Magento 2 is a tricky thing, and we at Webmeridian have seen it all. Over the years, we’ve encountered common pitfalls that always turn a smooth upgrade into a nightmare. Ready to dive in?

Overlooking Extension Compatibility

Ignoring extension compatibility is a frequent mistake. Magento updates can sometimes introduce changes that render your current extensions incompatible. Check the compatibility of every installed extension before initiating the Magento upgrade. Otherwise, you can find your website with broken features, or worse, a non-functioning website at all. Also, do not rush to update to the newest version of Magento. Wait for the first 1 or 2 months when the new version is finally battle-tested. 

Neglecting Database Optimization

When you upgrade Magento, the database often undergoes significant changes. Neglecting to optimize your database can lead to performance issues or even data corruption. We make it a point to clean up and optimize the database before starting any upgrade process. This includes removing unnecessary data, optimizing tables, and ensuring that everything is in top shape. A well-optimized database ensures that the upgrade process runs smoothly and that your Magento store performs well afterward.

Modifying Core Files

Modifying Magento core files is a bad practice that can cause severe headaches down the road. We’ve seen many developers tweak core files to quickly meet customization needs, only to face major issues during subsequent updates. 

To modify core files, create your own and override Model, Controller, Block, etc., using Magento’s class rewriting. This way you ensure that when Magento is updated, your customizations remain intact and don’t interfere with the new code. 

Component Dependency Conflicts

A common technical issue when you upgrade Magento 2 is component dependency conflicts. This typically happens when third-party extensions rely on outdated components or when there are incorrect edits to the composer.json file. At Webmeridian, we always ensure that the composer.json file accurately reflects the necessary dependencies before proceeding with any upgrade. Additionally, it’s crucial to check whether the extensions causing the conflict need updating and to install their latest versions to avoid these conflicts.

“Cannot Allocate Memory” Error

Running into the “Cannot Allocate Memory” error is another technical hurdle many face during a Magento 2 upgrade. This error occurs when the system exhausts all available memory or swap space. We address this by identifying and optimizing extensions that consume excessive memory. If necessary, we also recommend upgrading the server RAM to handle the demands of the Magento upgrade. Detecting and fixing any memory leaks beforehand can prevent this issue from derailing your upgrade process.

Loading the Same Model Repeatedly

A subtle but impactful mistake is loading the same model repeatedly during an upgrade. This can lead to performance degradation, as each load() function triggers multiple database queries. Webmeridian team always ensures that our developers avoid unnecessary model loads, optimizing the upgrade and maintaining site performance. 

Instead of reloading models, we use cached data wherever possible, which significantly speeds up the Magento update and reduces server load.

“Cannot Create the Directory” Error

During a Magento upgrade, you might encounter the “Cannot Create the Directory” error. This problem usually arises due to incorrect file and directory permissions within the `var` subdirectory of Magento. To resolve this, you can run the `php bin/magento setup:di:compile` command, which helps reset and correct the permissions, ensuring that all necessary files and directories can be created without any hiccups. Properly setting these permissions is crucial for a smooth Magento 2 upgrade process.

And 5 More Mistakes to Keep in Mind…

While these may seem trivial, they’re still worth mentioning just in case. These Magento update mistakes are common but can cause significant headaches if overlooked.

1. No Backup Before The Update
2. Not Checking Your Current Magento Version
3. Irregular Backups
4. Overlooking Your Store’s Current Customization Level
5. Improper Technical SEO Strategy

End Of Support For Magento 2.3 | When Will It Happen, and What Should I Expect?

Since November 2018, we’ve been using Magento 2.3. Magento 2.4.X updates, however, have overtaken Magento 2.3, and Adobe has officially confirmed that Magento will be phased out (End Of Life). Magento’s official support for this edition will cease on September 28, 2022.

That may have you wondering what will become of Magento 2.3. What should you anticipate, and should you switch to Magento 2.4.3 before September? In this article, we’ll go over everything you could want to know regarding Magento 2.3’s end of support and how to update Magento 2.3 to 2.4. Let’s get started!