The date is set for the end of Magento 2.2 support.

This has surprised and alerted all merchants who have been using Magento 2.2.x or recently started using it. It doesn’t mean that you can’t use that version but you will no longer receive security updates for that version. To complicate matters further, even the PCI compliance support for Magento Commerce 2.2.0-2.2.9 is becoming risky due to the end of support for PHP 7.1.

After reading this article, you will understand why Magento 2.2 will become extinct and Magento 2.3 will gain dominance in the near future. But before we go any further, let’s look at the end dates of software support of other Magento versions. 

Magento Release End of Software Support
Magento 1.x 06/2020
Magento 2.0.x 03/2018
Magento 2.1.x 06/2019
Magento 2.2.x 09/2019 (Open Source) & 12/2019 (Magento Commerce)

Why is Magento Ending Support for 2.2 Version?

According to Charles Darwin’s theory, only the fittest can survive in this world. Originally meant for humans, this theory applies to technology as well due to the pace of digital transformation.

Magento is the ultimate eCommerce platform that we can think of and it always goes the extra mile to make online retailing better and safer. On this journey, some of the versions become susceptible to security threats and other bugs also crop up. Thus, they cannot survive and there is a need for version upgrade.

Why Should You Upgrade to Magento 2.3 Immediately?

The two key reasons why you should start your journey to Magento 2.3 migration are as follows:

  1. Security concern: No support for old versions gives an open threat to Magento 2.2.X and below based built eCommerce store owners’ Permanent loss of data and malfunctions.
  2. PCI compliance is at risk: Misplacement in credit card transactions can take place as Magento has also decided to end support for PHP 7.1 and PCI compliance is vulnerable.

These are the problems associated with the existing versions of Magento. Now, let me tell you what you’ll get after upgrading to Magento 2.3. 

Advantages of Magento 2.3

GraphQL Support

GraphQL is a query language that allows PWA to extract and deliver the information from Magento platforms into small data packets that can be identified and securely used in the future. You also need not worry about requesting data every time as GraphQL in Magento 2.3 allows merchants to make data requests whenever they need it.

PHP 7.2 Support

Magento 2.3 has worked to make the performance of your online store stable and effective by supporting PHP 7.2. This also improves the security of the platform.

It Supports Progressive Web Applications (PWA)

Mobile e-commerce is growing at an astronomical rate. In fact, it accounts for 34.5% of total e-commerce sales in 2017 and is expected to rise to 54% by 2021. However, the problem is, most e-commerce owners experience low conversion rates and difficulty in creating and managing the user experience. This is due to the lack of support for PWAs.

The old versions of Magento Commerce didn’t support PWA whereas Magento 2.3 fully supports progressive web apps. These apps provide an immersive experience to users without the need of downloading them.

Multi-Source Inventory (MSI)

Managing one store at a time is tedious for merchants, but Magento 2.3 comes with the striking feature of MSI. They can now easily manage all the inventories from a single place. MSI also empowers merchants to keep a record of different locations in a seamless way.

ElasticSearch

The MySQL search engine is quite weak and has a lot of issues that are difficult to solve. Besides that, it causes a lot of performance problems when you use it to create features such as full-text search, product listing source, and faceting. This is why Magento created the ElasticSearch to solve the problems and make the search more relevant.

ElasticSearch is a third-party search engine that can run on any dedicated server. Previously available in Magento commerce, it will also be incorporated into the new Magento 2.3. It is a feature that powers the Magento site search with a faceted search.  Ultimately, it improves the speed and relevance of your online store search results.

Declarative DB Schema

The simplest way to install and upgrade Magento versions is implementing through Declarative schema. Earlier, each time developers had to write database scripts in PHP for the new version of Magento. Now, write code with InstallSchema and UpgradeSchema features in the current version of Magento and change a Magento database easily. However, with the new Magento 2.3, you can make the changes by using a declarative database schema. Thus, you can easily delete data when you uninstall a module.

Two Factor Authentication: Users can’t access your store straightaway. They will have to provide additional information sent by Google after entering the login credentials. This will protect your website from spammy users and vicious attacks. 

Google Recaptcha: This feature adds one more security level to Magento 2.3 that helps in figuring out whether the user who is trying to access it is a human or a robot.

Summing it Up

You can continue using Magento 2.2 even after this year ends, but your online business will be at stake. Do not take any unnecessary risks.

Migrate to Magento’s latest version today and experience the difference!

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