When a new version of any software package is released, there are usually plans to make the current version obsolete. Magento 2 was released in November 2015. When this occurred, both developers and merchants were warned that Magento 1 would eventually become obsolete. Originally, the drop-dead date was set for November 2018. This proposed end of support date caused some panic as there were not enough developers who could migrate all of the Magento 1 sites in time.
Worse, any site that was unable to make the conversion would be susceptible to security risks. This is because there were no security patches to be made available after that end-of-service date.
Fortunately, Magento responded well to these concerns. They decided to continue support until June of 2020. This would give merchants additional time to migrate either to Magento 2, or another platform altogether.
Magento Commerce 1 End of Life
The following applies to customers who are using Magento Commerce / Enterprise 1. Customers are advised to view their software lifecycle policy to determine whether or not their version of the Magento platform will allow them to continue to get fixes and security patches during this time period. Further, they should make sure that they have renewed their licenses and paid any applicable fees through the end of service date.
Magento Open Source 1 End of Life
Magento Open Source users will only be provided with needed security patches between now and June 2020. There will be no quality fixes to deal with any bugs during this period.
Important Details for Both Magento and Magento Open Source
The powers that be at Magento have clearly stated that they will only provide support for the core platform. They will not continue to support any extensions. The onus is on merchants to handle any security or quality updates for extensions for Magento 1 Commerce or Magento 1 Open Source.
Determining Your Version of Magento
To check the version you are running, log into Magento Admin. Scroll to the bottom of the page. You can see your version in the middle of the footer.
What Does Magento 1 End of Life Mean to Users
One thing is clear. Even if you have not updated or migrated, your Magento 1 website will still work. However, that doesn’t mean you aren’t taking a risk. YOu should still make plans to migrate well before June 2020. There are definite security risks if you do not, and your site could lose functionality.
Also, keep in mind that even though basic support is still being offered, no improvements will be made. Any competitors who have upgraded or moved to another platform will be in a better position to meet customer needs and improve user experience.
Security Concerns
If nothing else motivates users to migrate before June 2020, security concerns should be plenty. Currently, Magento automatically searches for security vulnerabilities and applies patches accordingly. All you have to do is ensure that you are updating regularly. After June 2020, this will no longer happen. Cybercriminals are aware of this, and it is believed that they will actively search for eCommerce websites that are no longer running a supported version of Magento.
Sites that are still running Magento 1 are particularly at risk for DDOS attacks that can cause entire online merchants to crash. Brute force penetration and spambot account registrations are also a very serious concern.
All of these attacks can leave you unable to conduct transactions with your customers at the very least. In addition to this, customer financial and personal data is also at risk of exploitation. This could create a PR nightmare, and worse, could cause you to violate applicable data protection laws.
Magento End-of-Life and Quality Fixes
Successful e-commerce merchants must understand that customer experience is key. Expectations are on the rise, and to be competitive they must meet customers’ needs on every platform across all channels.
The checkout process alone needs to be effortless, and provide users with a secure feeling. If this doesn't happen users are unlikely to continue. Instead, they will simply find another merchant who offers a better experience.
From this point forward there will be no quality fixes for Magento open source at all, and none for specific versions of Magento commerce. This means no more updates to improve the quality of customer experience. Anyone waiting too long to convert will find that their site gradually becomes low-performing when compared to their competitors who have upgraded.
Third-Party Extensions Details
Many Magento users have third-party sentence installed to provide customers with even better features, and improved interfaces. it is important to understand that the developers of these third-party extensions are also aware of Magento ending service for these products in June 2020. As a result of this, many are no longer providing updates to these extensions. Instead, they are focusing on their products that are supporting Magento 2 and other platforms.
Ending Magento 1 Support
One of the more important details to keep in mind is that ending support is quite literal. Magento support agents will no longer be able to help Magento 1 merchants who contact them about the product. The only remaining source of support will be through community forums and online documentation.
Concluding Thoughts
At this point, any merchant still using Magento 1 should be engaged in a serious effort to upgrade or migrate well before June 2020. While functionality may remain until the end of service date, it has been made clear that no further quality improvements will be made. In the competitive world of e-commerce, that’s simply not acceptable.