Umbraco 8 reached its end-of-life on February 24, 2025. This websites using the Umbraco 8 CMS will no longer get security updates, fixes, or support. It is vital to move to a new, supported version of the CMS to ensure you have a secure and supported platform for your website.
Using an unsupported and out of date CMS could affect your website’s capabilities, from handling user traffic, keeping sensitive information secure, and safeguarding against evolving online security threats.
Moving your website from Umbraco 8: .NET Framework to .NET Core
Switching from Umbraco 8 is a bigger move than moving between previous Umbraco versions because it means moving from a .NET Framework to a .NET Core. 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.
Whilst this large-scale project may sound intimidating, it’s a great opportunity to fine-tune your user experience and optimise content structures as you move.
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 design for your Umbraco website.
When was Umbraco 8 end-of-life?
Umbraco 8 reached its official end-of-life on 24th February 2025. Now, over a year since the end-of-life, you may see issues with security vulnerabilities and outdated capabilities because the CMS is no longer supported.
The Umbraco 8 timeline:
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 many other versions of the platform like Umbraco 9, 11, and 12.
How to pick a new version of Umbraco for your website
Rather than simply moving to the latest version of Umbraco, you should consider your existing needs and project goals as well as your tech stack and how long you will need the CMS for.
As Umbraco 8 is .NET Core-based, there is no direct upgrade path to the latest LTS versions. This means that the process also requires .NET development.
Moving from a .NET Framework to a .NET Core means you need a rebuild, not just upgrade. Therefore, you should pick a version that’s stable, modern, and won’t go out of support quickly.
Umbraco Releases and Support Timeline
Version | Release Type | Release Date | Security Phase | End-of-Life |
Umbraco 7 | N/A | Nov 2013 | 31st July 2021 | 30th Sept 2023 |
Umbraco 8 | N/A | Feb 2019 | 24th Feb 2024 | 24th Feb 2025 |
Umbraco 9 | STS | Sept 2021 | 16th Sept 2022 | 16th Dec 2022 |
Umbraco 10 | LTS | June 2022 | 16th June 2024 | 16th June 2025 |
Umbraco 11 | STS | Dec 2022 | 1st Sept 2023 | 1st Dec 2023 |
Umbraco 12 | STS | June 2023 | 29th March 2024 | 29th June 2024 |
Umbraco 13 | LTS | Dec 2023 | 14th Dec 2025 | 14th Dec 2026 |
Umbraco 14 | STS | May 2024 | 2nd Mar 2025 | 30th May 2025 |
Umbraco 15 | STS | Nov 2024 | 14th Aug, 2025 | 14th Nov, 2025 |
Umbraco 16 | STS | Jun 2025 | 12th Mar, 2026 | 12th Jun, 2026 |
Umbraco 17 | LTS | Nov 2025 | 27th Nov, 2027 | 27th Nov, 2028 |
Umbraco 18 | STS | Jun 2026 | 25th Mar, 2027 | 25th Jun, 2027 |
Umbraco 19 | STS | Dec 2026 | 10th Sep, 2027 | 10th Dec, 2027 |
Umbraco 20 | STS | Jun 2027 | 24th Mar, 2028 | 24th Jun, 2028 |
Umbraco 21 | LTS | Dec 2027 | 9th Dec, 2029 | 9th Dec, 2030 |
I-Finity’s Umbraco 8 Upgrade Recommendations:
Version | Type | Security Phase | EOL |
Umbraco 17 | LTS | 27th Nov 2027 | 27th Nov 2028 |
Umbraco 18 | STS | 25th Mar 2027 | 25 Jun 2027 |
Umbraco 17
For most organisations moving away from Umbraco 8, Umbraco 17 is now the strongest long-term option. It is the current long-term support (LTS) version of Umbraco CMS and is supported until November 27, 2028.
Umbraco 17 features:
.NET 10 LTS: Microsoft’s .NET 10 LTS gives development teams access to a modern, supported platform designed for performance, security and scalability.
Long-term support until November 2028: As an LTS release, Umbraco 17 provides a longer support window than Standard-Term Support versions, helping you reduce the risk of another major upgrade decision in the near future.
Improved scalability: Umbraco 17 allows the backoffice to run across multiple servers, helping larger content teams and more complex websites improve resilience and performance.
More reliable date and time handling: Umbraco 17 stores and exposes system dates in UTC, making publishing, scheduling and multi-region content workflows more consistent.
A more modern editing experience: Umbraco 17 builds on the newer backoffice architecture introduced in recent versions, giving editors and developers a more modern CMS foundation.
Better cloud and add-on alignment: Umbraco 17 is available on Umbraco Cloud and aligns with Umbraco’s supported add-ons, including Forms and Deploy, making it easier to maintain a stable, compatible CMS setup.
Short-term support versus long-term support (STS vs LTS)
Umbraco provides two types of systems - short-term and long-term support.
STS: Short-term support is good if you adopt it early, you want the latest features, and you are happy with frequent upgrades. STS usually means you get 6 months of support and 3 months of security fixes. Startups and MVPs can operate with this level of support.
LTS: Long-term support is ideal for business-critical sites that require long-term stability, fewer upgrades, and lower maintenance overhead. Generally, Umbraco provides 2 years of support and 1 year of security updates. This level of support is better for larger, content heavy sites and business-critical platforms.
Our recommendation? Long-term support
If in doubt, we’d advise going with long-term support (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. It might sound daunting, but it’s an opportunity to revamp and optimise your content and website structure to improve user experience.
Elements to consider in your Umbraco rebuild
Architecture: Consolidate and organise the way your content is structured to help search engines and users recognise its high-quality user experience.
Content editing: Rebuild the backoffice 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
As an Umbraco Registered Partner, we have over 10 years’ expertise building, upgrading, migrating, and rebuilding Umbraco websites across all versions. We assist with:
Website design and development for new Umbraco versions.
Website upgrades, migrations, and rebuilds to newer or current Umbraco versions including minor and major releases.
Migrating existing websites from other platforms like WordPress to Umbraco CMS.
Custom Umbraco Development
Our Umbraco services are tailored to the unique needs of our customers, allowing us to deliver seamless, on-brand website experiences every time.
Contact our experienced team today for guidance, planning, and technical support throughout your website rebuild.
