Why It’s Time to Migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2
If you’re still running your online store on Magento 1, it’s time to consider upgrading to Magento 2. Adobe ended support for Magento 1.x on June 30, 2020, and many store owners have yet to make the switch. But why is this upgrade so crucial? Let’s break it down in a way that’s easy to understand.
Magento 1 vs. Magento 2: What’s the Big Deal?
1. Modern Architecture and Technology Stack
Magento 2 is built on PHP 7, which means it supports the latest and greatest web technologies:
- HTML5 for better user experiences.
- MySQL Percona 5.6+ for robust database management.
- Zend Framework 1 & 2 for better performance.
It also includes technologies like NGINX for faster content delivery, Varnish for web application acceleration, Composer for managing dependencies, Symfony to speed up development, and Redis for full-page caching.
2. Improved Performance
If your store’s pages are slow to load, Magento 2 can help. While Magento 1 averages over two seconds for page loads, Magento 2 significantly reduces this time. With integrated Varnish Cache, Magento 2 loads pages in less than 1.5 seconds and processes checkouts 38% faster. It can handle up to 10 million page views per hour, compared to Magento 1’s limit of 200,000.
3. Enhanced Security
Security is critical for any online store. Magento 1 lacks essential security patches and is not PCI compliant. Magento 2, on the other hand, offers:
- Two-factor authentication.
- SHA-256 encryption.
- Admin access protection.
- A built-in Security Scan tool.
- Enhanced password management.
Magento 2 Commerce edition is PCI DSS Level 1-compliant, protecting your store from cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. Plus, Magento 2 releases regular security patches to keep your store safe.
4. SEO Improvements
Magento 2 comes with several SEO enhancements:
- Canonical Tags to prevent duplicate content issues.
- Rich Snippets to make your products stand out in search results.
- Meta Tags customization for individual pages and products.
- Mobile-Friendly Design, which boosts your site’s ranking on search engines.
5. Better Customer Support
With Magento 1, customer support is no longer available. Magento 2, however, offers different levels of support based on the version:
- Magento Open Source: No customer support.
- Magento 2 Commerce Edition: Account management and customer support features.
- Magento Commerce Cloud: 24/7 dedicated customer support.
Why Should You Migrate to Magento 2?
Upgrading to the latest version of any software is always a good idea. Not only do you get security fixes, but you also benefit from new features. The latest Magento 2 version supports PHP 8.1 and includes enhanced B2B & B2C features and headless support. With nearly 250 quality fixes and enhancements, Magento 2 is designed to offer a superior eCommerce experience.
In short, migrating to Magento 2 ensures that your online store remains secure, fast, and equipped with the latest features to enhance both merchant and user experiences. If you’re ready to make the move, follow a detailed migration tutorial, and enjoy the many benefits Magento 2 has to offer.