With Magento 1 reaching its end of life on June 1, 2020, Magento store owners should make the tough decision whether they should continue operating their ecommerce websites on Magento 1 or upgrade to Magento 2.
If your operation is B2B, you need a B2B Magento development expert to help you with your business. They can offer exceptional experience and expertise in customizing and developing Magento e-commerce platforms for companies that sell products or services to other businesses. They understand the unique needs and requirements of B2B e-commerce transactions and can customize Magento to meet those needs.
This article will help many such people to make the right decision. We will look at the key differences between Magento 1 vs 2, analyze when you should consider upgrading to Magento 2 and how problematic it is to migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2.
Key differences between Magento 1 vs Magento 2
- The major difference is that, unlike Magento 1, Magento 2 will continue to receive support and there are currently no plans to end that.
- The Magento development team has modified the stack by adding different new technologies – Apache, NGINX, Varnish, Composer, Symfony, Redis, and more. The architecture of Magento 2 now supports the PHP7 version, which essentially means even better chances for optimization and customization.
- If we’re talking about Magento performance, Magento 2 became faster all around: on the product, category, and home pages. Now, these pages load in less than 1.5 seconds, even without using frontend caching. A lot of new technologies were added to Magento 2 that helped to optimize pages for fast delivery, reduce the server response time for site activities, and make backend operations more effective.
- The admin panel in Magento 2 is user-friendly and interactive. Thus, you can find information quickly, navigates to all parts of the admin panel and manages your store more efficiently. An advanced dashboard is what Magento 1 was missing. Magento 2 admin dashboard displays last, new, and average orders, bestsellers, etc.
- With the Magento 2 introduction, there have been significant advancements in security options for the eCommerce website. One of them is SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256) for passwords, which makes it less possible for a dictionary attack to succeed. Moreover, Magento 2 comes with the fraud protection system Signifyd. It allows the platform to determine and reject orders that seem to be scams and deliver 100% chargeback protection.
- Security vulnerabilities in Magento 1 have been exploited in the past, and Magento 1 has reached the end of its life and no longer receives security updates which means that staying with Magento 1 will put your online store at risk. Magento 2, on the other hand, is actively maintained and receives regular security updates.
- Upgrading Magento 2 can help your store comply with current web development standards and technologies. This can improve your store’s overall performance, security, and usability and help ensure that your store is ready to compete in today’s e-commerce market.
- With Magento 2 installing and updating new extensions has become more comfortable, pocket-friendly and simpler because of the new technologies (HTML5, CSS3, Require.js) integrated into new version.
- One of the major Magento 1 vs 2 functionality differences is the introduction of Ajax Add-To-Cart to Magento 2. In Magento 1, when a product is added to the cart, the system reloads the page, leading to deteriorated performance. With Magento 2, by adding Ajax Add-To-Cart, the new system doesn’t need to reload the page when a new product is added to the cart. Moreover, checkout functionality has also been simplified and now it’s easy for customers to navigate. Magento 2 also provides advanced reporting and marketing automation.
- When Magento 1 was launched in 2005, it lacked significant functionalities for SEO. Magento 2 has introduced many enhancements in search engine optimization: duplicate content; meta title, meta description, meta keyword; mobile-friendly.
- Pricing and this could be the only aspect where Magento 1 wins the battle, as the Magento 1 license is cheaper than Magento 2. With so many updates, new functionalities, and the latest features, it’s obvious why the Magento 2 license costs a pretty penny.
Magento EE license cost: starts at $18,000 yearly.
Cost of Magento 2 EE: starts at $22,000 yearly.
Magento 1 vs Magento 2: Should you Migrate?
If you have no plan to migrate to Magento 2 for the next year, there’s no rush to upgrade if you have Magento 1 store. However, if you’re thinking about the long term, you should already be developing plans for upgrading to Magento 2. But the size of your business and your budget are two deciding factors.
You should think about performing a Magento 1 to 2 upgrade if:
– your existing Magento 1 store has performance problems;
– you’re building a new ecommerce store;
– you’re planning to introduce significant modifications;
– you’re planning to redesign your store;
– your ecommerce website is running on an already outdated version.
How challenging is it to migrate your Magento 1 store to Magento 2?
Let’s face it – migrating your store is a significant step and requires your rapt attention. Moreover, Magento 2 has a brand new architecture and functionality. So technical progress itself makes migrating complicated. All extensions and custom code must be reviewed, rewritten, and made compatible with Magento 2 and the latest versions of PHP.
It’s a complex upgrade and requires a significant amount of planning and development work. One of the biggest challenges of migrating a Magento 1 store to Magento 2 is that the two platforms are not backward compatible. All of the customizations, extensions, and integrations built for the Magento 1 store will need to be rebuilt or re-implemented for the Magento 2 store. This can be time-consuming and complex, especially for stores with many customizations and integrations.
Let’s look at the Magento 2 migration process. There are seven major steps in Magento 1 to 2 upgrade:
1. Create a migration plan
During the planning process, you will consider the data details, project planning, and project specifications. A plan is essential in making the right decisions and in saving a lot of time during the development process. At the initial stage, you hold a meeting with the internal team, shareholders, and external team, and decide on an effective plan. Upon getting to an agreement, the code can be written.
2. Prepare the testing environment
Any tests that require to be done should be undertaken in a separate environment to avoid causing harmful changes to the current store. So at this point, you should prepare a test development environment and install the default Magento 2 platform (Open Source or Commerce), and configure the version control system (Git/SVN) to make sure everything is ready to run the project. It’s also important to involve a good DevOps engineer at this step.
3. Installation of extensions and custom development
After testing, install the custom development and extensions. At this step, you can also develop additional features and custom extensions.
4. Magento data migration
Magento 2 features an integrated tool that makes it easier and manageable to undertake data migration. This is a key and essential feature in the migration move, as it involves the content of your eCommerce site. It allows you to move all the bulk information and includes an automated tool for all the data transfers. Magento 2 is an upgrade from Magento 1, which makes this move easier and manageable.
5. Design your Magento 2 site
The themes present in Magento 1 and those in Magento 2 are incompatible.Although, it is possible to copy your current theme for Magento 1.x to Magento 2, but this will require some elbow grease, and we highly recommend updating the design because so many more features are available in Magento 2.If you have difficulties with the design process, it’s best if you get a default theme from the marketplace.
With the theme set, your site will be almost ready for launching, since you have tackled the challenging part of the migration.
6. Launching
After concluding with the design process, it’s about time you undertake final data synchronization. This ensures that all pending orders are well tackled and that no stone is left unturned during the shifting process. When everything is working well, you can now confirm that the site is ready for launching. With all the information in order and with everything working out as you anticipated, it is easier to make any operation on the site. Once you’ve tested the final version and ensured everything works, the store is ready to launch.
7. Magento 2 store launch on a live server
This is the last step of migration — launch day. If everything was done correctly and according to the plan, your engineering team will perform a smooth transition to the new store so you can start selling and shipping products right away.
The cost to upgrade to Magento 2 starts from $3,000 and may reach tens of thousands of dollars based on your technical requirements for the new store. Usually, you have to use your budget for purchasing a new theme, buying extensions, and employing a credible Magento agency to conduct the migration process.
Key Points: Magento 1 vs Magento 2
In Magento 1 vs 2 comparisons, Magento 2 wins the battle hands down as it is the more robust and efficient solution to base a retail business on. With M2 you get a total omnichannel platform with advanced functionality.
If you decide to outsource your Magento 2 migration to an agency – we’re always available to help you upgrade your store to Magento 2. Check out our Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration services. And please feel free to contact us with any questions.
