In June 2020, Magento 1 will no longer be supported and no security updates will be issued. Thus, Magento store owners should consider upgrading their websites to Magento 2.

Migrating to the latest version of Magento 2 comes with different benefits such as improved performance, high scalability, strong security, mobile responsiveness, better SEO, improved checkout process, easy integration of third-party extensions, advanced reporting, marketing automation, and streamline dashboards.Magento 2 migration may seem like a daunting task if it’s not planned and executed properly. Read below the checklist for a Magento 2 upgrade to help you make a smooth transition.

Step 1: Create a migration plan. Before starting the migration process, the stakeholders, project management, and development teams have to gather together and plan the whole Magento migration process so everyone knows what to do.Divide planning into three phases:migration details for data; project specifications; project planning.

Step 2: Prepare a testing environment. Try to perform every phase of migration in a separate environment (on an allocated server). This way you can run your existing store without downtime. Before writing the code, prepare the test and development environments. To ensure that everything is ready to implement in the project, install the default Magento 2 platform (Open Source, Commerce, or Cloud), and configure the version control system (Git).

Step 3: Install extensions and develop specific functionality. Modules that have been installed on M1 cannot be moved to M2, as they are completely incompatible. Visit the Extensions Marketplace and check if there is a version of M1 extension for M2. If there is no such extension, then implement an extension with similar functionality or develop a custom extension.

Step 4: Data migration. Magento data migration is a crucial aspect during the migration, as all your website’s data (products, categories, customers, orders, store configurations, settings, and orders) will be moved to the new platform.

To complete data migration successfully, you should apply the Magento Data Migration Tool. This tool transfers all the data to your new store smoothly with the exception of files, layouts, media, custom code, and control access configurations.

Step 5: Create a design for Magento 2. In contrast to data migration, Magento doesn’t offer a standard tool that will manage your theme migration. The frontend themes and their codes from Magento 1 and Magento 2 are different and incompatible.

You could either purchase a Magento 2 template that fits in with your store’s style or design a custom theme. If time is a concern, a ready-made theme is a good option.

Step 6: Test the design and perform database synchronization. After making the changes and testing the design, you should configure the hosting server due to the new system requirements for Magento 2. Then you can synchronize a final database, so no orders are left behind in migration.

Step 7: Magento 2 store launch on a live server. The last stage of migration is the launch day. If everything was done properly and according to the plan, your development team will carry out the smooth transition to the new Magento 2 store so you can go to market right away.