Umbraco 8 End of Life: Next Steps and Support

Umbraco 8 reached its end of life on February 24, 2025 - it’s now vital to start moving to a new supported version of the CMS to continue having a secure and supported CMS for your website. 

Umbraco 8 is no longer supported by Umbraco Headquarters, meaning no more security updates, fixes, or support will be provided for this version. You should consider what that means for your website needs for handling user traffic, keeping sensitive information secure, and safeguarding against evolving online security threats. 

Umbraco 8 EOL: .NET Framework to .NET Core

Switching from Umbraco 8 is a bigger move than previous versions as it means moving from a .NET Framework to a .NET Core.

This means it’s not a simple case of transferring to a new version of Umbraco. Now, you need to rebuild your website or consider migrating your website to the new version. 

This large-scale project might sound intimidating, but it’s a great opportunity to fine-tune your user experience and optimise content structures. 

Don’t worry yet, because you still have plenty of time to do all this. As Umbraco Web & CMS development experts, I-Finity can guide you through your options and the migration process clearly so you can follow a suitable path.

Enquire now for expert technical guidance on planning, rebuilding, and website design for your Umbraco website.

When is Umbraco 8 End of Life?

Umbraco 8 reached its official end-of-life on 24th February 2025, which means you will, in time, begin to see issues with security vulnerabilities and outdated capabilities.

Plus, competitors who continually update and upgrade their website platforms benefit from providing ongoing improvements and better user experiences whilst keeping their customers secure and protected on their sites. 

Here are some key dates about Umbraco 8:

February 2019: Umbraco 8 was released

24th February 2024: Security phase for Umbraco 8 ended

24th February 2025: End-of-life for Umbraco 8

Like Umbraco 7, Umbraco 8 had a 6-year lifespan, which is significantly longer than other versions of the platform compared to 9, 11, and 12. If you’re looking for a long-term, modernised content management system, then you will need another long-term model. For short-term uses, one of the versions with a more imminent upcoming end-of-life might suffice.

How to pick a new version of Umbraco

Choosing your new version of Umbraco doesn’t just mean selecting the latest one. You must consider your existing needs as well as your project goals, tech stack, and how long you will need the CMS for.

As Umbraco 8 is .NET Core-based, the process also requires .NET development as there is no direct upgrade path to the latest LTS versions (Umbraco 10 or 13). 

Moving from a .NET Framework to a .NET Core means you need a rebuild, not just upgrade. You should therefore pick a version that’s stable, modern, and won’t go out of support quickly.

Umbraco Releases and Support Timeline

I-Finity’s Umbraco 8 Upgrade Recommendations:

Short-term support versus long-term support (STS, LTS)

• STS: Short-term support is good if you adopt it early, want the latest features, and are happy with frequent upgrades. This usually means you get 6 months of support and 3 months of security fixes. Startups and MVPs can operate on this.
  
  
• LTS: Long-term support is ideal for business-critical sites that require long-term stability, fewer upgrades, and lower maintenance overhead. Generally, provides 2 years of support and 1 year of security updates. Better for larger, content heavy sites and business-critical platforms.

Our recommendation? Long-term support

If in doubt, we’d advise to go with LTS. It provides a safer and more future-proofed choice for businesses, granting a long lasting and durable solution for your needs.

Umbraco Rebuild: What to Consider

An Umbraco rebuild involves rebuilding your website as if starting from scratch. While that might sound daunting, it’s an opportunity to revamp and optimise your content and website structure to improve user experience. Consider:

• Architecture: Consolidate and tidy up how your content is structured, helping search engines and users recognise its high-quality user experience.
  
  
• Content editing: Rebuild the back-office to create an intuitive, streamlined editing experience tailored to your content editors’ needs.
  
  
• Navigation & URL structure: Restructure your site’s navigation and URL hierarchy to improve user journeys and enhance SEO performance.
  
  
• Functionality: Rebuild custom website features including on-site search, contact forms, user sign-ups, and bespoke tools specific to your business.
  
  
• Third-party integrations: Connect your website with integrations or APIs like payment providers, CRMs, or booking tools.
  
  
• Design & responsiveness: Ensure your templates are fully mobile-responsive, with options to refine or redesign layouts for better user experience and accessibility.
  
  
• SEO: Review and update SEO practices including alt tags, meta descriptions, keyword-friendly markups, and performance optimisations.
  
  
• Quality Assurance Testing: Ensure end-to-end testing across mobile devices, browsers, and accessibility standards, ensuring everything works as expected.
  
  
• Technical SEO & tracking: Implement XML sitemaps, robots.txt, and redirect mapping from old URLs to new. Also consider setting up GA4 and other analytics tools to monitor performance.
  
  
• Security: ensure secure hosting practices are put into place, secure your website with a SSL certificate and ensure compliance with Cookie Policies.

Can you use Umbraco 8 After the End-of-Life (EOL) Date?

Yes, you technically can. But it’s not recommended by Umbraco or any reputable web agency. There are several notable risks involved if you do:

• Security issues: Without the appropriate security updates, fixes and patches, your website becomes vulnerable to cyber threats, which not only damages the integrity of your website but jeopardises your compliance requirements.
  
  
• Outdated features: Your website will have features that are outdated or lacking, decreasing the quality of your site’s functionality and your user experience.
  
  
• Giving advantage to your competitors: Your competitors who have upgraded their CMS to the latest Umbraco model will have an edge by showcasing the capability that is not available on your website. A company that continually upgrades shows its customers they care about security and protecting their end customers.

Umbraco 8 Support for End of Life

Custom Umbraco Development