Step Guide to Magento Migration Tips, Best Practices

Nowadays, E-commerce has emerged as a one-stop solution for the consumers and this pandemic time has supported this e-commerce platform to flourish. And considering this, Magento has also developed a new space as it is considered to be the most apt platform for developing e-commerce platforms. Companies hire magento developers to get their platforms developed and revolutionize their business products and services. And Magento keeps on upgrading and comping up with the new versions like recently they came up with Magento 2.

The Magento Development Company needs to understand the importance of switching to Magento 2 or else they will face different kinds of issues related to support and performance. Also, as the picture of Magento 1 already ended on 30th June 2020, so still if the person does not switch to Magento 2, then they will have to pay much overhead expenses to maintain their website which is built on the older version. The certified Magento developers are well versed with the process of migration of Magento, and they do it in a very economic and efficient way.

NECESSITY TO MIGRATE FROM MAGENTO 1 TO MAGENTO 2:

We should first understand that why is it necessary to move from Magento 1 to 2 and how will it help us,

1 )It will be really difficult to implement new changes on the old version of Magento 1 as it will not just be time-consuming but also a costly affair.

2) The company hire full time developers who can experiment on different pricing models and tools with the help of numerous extensions given on Magento Marketplace. It helps them to customize payment, accounting, customer care service or various other aspects for the website.

3) Magento 2 offers an optimum performance and quicker response time on the same set of hardware

4) The API driven approach facilitates numerous third-party integrations.

5) Also, running on Magento 1 might lead to severe security issues and loss of customer data.

6) Lot many possibilities for the endless customization

7) Developing a SEO-friendly website will be easier than ever. Also, the websites powered by Magento 2 are very mobile-responsive and adapts to different screen-sizes.

MAJOR FEATURES OF MAGENTO 2:

The developers should also look into the advantages they will get in adopting Magento 2 which are given as below:

  1. The speed of the website increases.
  2. The admin panel can be customized as per the requirement.
  3. The search is more improved than before.
  4. Due to API enablement, third-party integration gets very easier.
  5. The checkouts on the website are much more streamlined now.
  6. Supports the cloud-infrastructure.
  7. The layouts are more structured and optimized.
  8. It undoubtedly improves the performance and scalability.
  9. Two factor authentication process ensures security.

MIGRATION FROM MAGENTO 1 TO MAGENTO 2:

Before we go ahead with the migration process, below jotted are the major components to be involved in the migration process:

  1. Data- It includes the data related to customer, data, configurations of store, and many other details.
  2. Customization of code- The codes need to be formulated as per the requirement and functionalities of the store.
  3. Extensions- These make the Magento enabled websites more useful.
  4. Themes- A detailed library of themes are available to select from which suits the requirement of the customer and their product and services.

Now let’s get into the detailed process of the migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2. It is completed by following the below mentioned steps:

Develop a Migration Plan

The first and foremost step is to develop a blueprint of the processes by having a joint meeting with all the respective teams. It ensures that everybody knows about the steps and adhere to it accordingly. The specifications of the project, the detailing, the road-maps of the project, respective deadlines, data related to the product, categories, content, and orders need to be aligned.

Check on all Hardware and software requirements

Magento 2 won’t work on PHP 5 and will perform poorly on the outdated software. The server should fulfill the below requirements:

a) The required PHP version is 7.0.13+ or 7.1.x

b) MySQL: 5.6, 5.7 or MariaDB 10.0,10.1,10.2 or Percona 5.7

Also, below are the hardware requirements:

  1. 24GB+ SSD (Solid State Drive)
  2. RAM should be of 2GB minimum

3) Prepare Dedicated Testing environment

It should not happen that while you are migrating from Magento 1 to 2, the website is slowed down or shows some kind of error which will create discomfort to the customers. Thus, it is always advisable to create a separate testing environment so that it does not cause downtime for the website. SO, one has to install a fresh copy and the latest version of Magento 2. Once it is downloaded, one can install it on Virtual Private Server. So, this step ensures that everything is ready to run the show.

4) Theme Migration

The new version of Magento 2 has several new technologies and methodologies to enhance the shopping experience of the people. So, the developers can use these themes in order to modify the current ones so that it is compatible enough to work as per Magneto 2.

If one does not want to go for theme customization then they can download as it is theme from the Magento marketplace.

5) Extensions Migration

The migration blueprint helps one to identify those which plugins or extensions are compatible with the Magento 2. There are several extensions available like- Shipping solution, customer’s payment gateway, easy check outs, selecting products and putting them in basket and more functionalities.

These extensions actually help to improvise the customer experience and they then spend more time on the e-commerce website, do more shopping, browse a bit more and this increases the value of the customers.

6) To customize the functionality

Magento Data Migration Tool helps to customize various functionalities of the website. This Code migration toolkit helps to manage the differences between the two platforms. Additional efforts are required to ensure that code is customized successfully to integrate with the Magento 2 store.

Sometimes, it is even suggested to develop some of the features from scratch as it will take a totally different shape and it will be easier to embed some features in the same. And what features to be included should be decided by the mutual meeting and also by considering the budget of the company.

7) Migrating the Data

The last and the important step is to migrate the settings and the complete data from Magento 1 to Magento 2. And this is enabled through the Data Migration tool. This tool helps to migrate the data and settings through CLI commands. This helps in the easy process of migration. This tool is based on certain set rules and procedures.

8) Test, Test & only Test

The important step here is to test thoroughly whatever changes you made. The testing ensures that the operations run smoothly. And if there is any problem then it can sort then and there. Once everything is tested that all the functions are acting well, then it’s time to launch the website in the smoothest possible way.

CONCLUSION:

The above statements clarify that the Magento 2 has multiple benefits and it has already created buzz in the market due to the advantages it has been giving to the respective customers. It is the utmost used platform for developing the e-commerce websites and offers the end-to-end solution for the digital friendly users.