How to Make Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration Secure?

The official support for Magento 1 is ending in 2020. That means no more feature updates and no more security updates. As a result, merchants who run Magento 1.x (Community or Enterprise) need a secure Magento 2 migration. Magento 1.x will still work, but it will not get official support. First, create a thorough migration plan and test it. I hope the recommendations below help your move. You can also read more about the platform on the official Magento website.

Steps to follow for a secure Magento 1 to 2 migration

Step 1: Backup

Before you change anything on the website, take a backup of all its data. This applies to a migration and to an upgrade. It is a basic step, but a very important one. If anything fails, the backup helps you recover your sensitive data.

Step 2: List the current website extensions

Identify, review and list every extension on the existing website. Then the developer checks which versions are available for Magento 2. In some cases, an upgraded version of an extension exists for Magento 2.

Step 3: Prepare the Magento 2 store environment

Set up Magento 2 with a network and design arrangement similar to the Magento 1 website. Then the developer installs the required Magento 2.x version with all available modules and the data migration tool. You can also customize the tool to fit your requirements.

Step 4: Run a dry run in a testing environment

Test the migration steps on a staging environment before you touch the production server. For example, copy the Magento 1 store to the testing environment and migrate that copy to Magento 2. Then test the result.

Step 5: Begin the production server migration

The Magento migration has three modes: settings mode, data mode and delta mode. Settings mode migrates the configuration of the Magento 1 website. Data mode migrates the data. Delta mode migrates the incremental changes made in Magento 1 during the migration.

First, give the data migration tool network access so it can connect Magento 1 with Magento 2. Then stop the admin activities, except order management. Next, stop the cron jobs. If a cron job must keep running, make sure it does not create new database entities.

After that, use the data migration tool to migrate the settings and the database. However, you must transfer the media files manually from Magento 1 to Magento 2. Some extensions cannot migrate to the latest version. In that case, install them manually and map their files to the Magento 1 extension files.

Step 6: Design and theme implementation (if required)

Implement the necessary design changes on the Magento 2 website, including themes if required. Merchants also need to focus on design during the migration. The look and feel for the end user should not change when the website moves to the updated version.

Step 7: Update data on the Magento 2 website

After the data migration, update the data that customers added to the Magento 1 store in the meantime. Then transfer it to the Magento 2 store. This is the third mode of the migration, the delta mode. It moves the incremental data from the existing version to the updated version.

Step 8: Go live

Once the Magento 2 site is up to date, take the Magento 1 website down. Then set up the cron jobs, reindexing, DNS and load balancers for the Magento 2 website. When the Magento 2 store is live, you can start all activities on it.

Plan your secure Magento 2 migration with enough time

After the official news for Magento 1, merchants must keep their platform running smoothly. After 2020, migration will not be a choice for Magento 1 merchants. The migration also takes time. So before you plan it, make sure you can dedicate the time. The investment brings more enhanced services for your business. If you need a hand, see our web development services.