The highly anticipated release of Magento 2.4.6 is finally here! Starting March 14, 2023, you can download the latest version of this e-commerce platform.
So, what’s new in Magento 2.4.6 and why should you be interested? Well, this release brings support for PHP 8.2, ensuring faster performance and enhanced security for your online store. Additionally, it includes over 300 quality fixes and improvements, making it the most refined version of Magento to date.
But wait, there’s more to get excited about! With upgraded core composer dependencies and third-party libraries, this release aims to elevate your online selling experience to new heights. Whether you’re a store owner or a developer, there’s something for everyone to appreciate in Magento 2.4.6.
In this blog post, we’ll delve into the latest updates and enhancements in Magento 2.4.6. So, let’s jump in and discover what all the buzz is about!
Why Do You Need A Magento 2 Upgrade?
From June 2020, Adobe ceased providing official support to Magento 1 users. Consequently, users are no longer receiving new security patches, leaving their websites vulnerable to malware attacks.
It’s crucial to understand that each security patch addresses threats or vulnerabilities that were not identified during the initial software release.
However, migrating your website to Magento 2 offers more than just security benefits. Here are four additional advantages of making the switch:
Improved Performance: Magento 2 is designed for optimized speed and performance, resulting in quicker loading times for your online store.
Enhanced Features: The latest iteration of Magento 2 introduces a host of new features and functionalities that can elevate the overall performance of your online store.
Streamlined User Interface: Magento 2 boasts a more modern and user-friendly interface, simplifying navigation and management of your online store.
Future Compatibility: Upgrading to Magento 2 ensures compatibility with upcoming Magento releases, granting access to ongoing support, updates, and new features as they become available.
Magento 2 Upgrades
Let’s explore the specific upgrades that come with the latest Magento release:
Security Enhancements
The Magento 2.4.6 version brings essential security updates and platform enhancements, including:
Eight additional security fixes to protect customer data from unauthorized access, ensuring secure online transactions.
Stabilized reCAPTCHA for a seamless checkout process, effectively deterring interference or suspicious activities during transactions.
Comprehensive inspections across grid views, mass actions, and exports, enhancing admin log monitoring to track activities and identify any questionable behavior effectively.
Platform Improvements
Magento 2.4.6 platform upgrades include enhancements and compatibility with high-performing PHP 8.2:
PHP 8.2 optimizations, such as faster execution times and reduced memory consumption, lead to quicker page load times and improved website performance.
The Adobe Commerce 2.4.6 upgrade no longer supports the older PHP 7.4 version.
Scalability Enhancements
The latest Magento 2 upgrades offer improved scalability, streamlining operations involving numerous customer segments:
Tasks like handling and organizing customer data based on specific criteria or attributes and processing customer segments are now completed more efficiently.
These scalability upgrades are particularly beneficial for stores with a large customer base or heavy reliance on customer segmentation for marketing or personalization strategies.
Accessibility Enhancements
Magento 2 introduces significant accessibility advancements to enhance the user experience for individuals with visual, hearing, and other impairments:
Sign-in button alignment with its accessible name, aiding users relying on assistive technologies like screen readers.
Descriptive button names on the store front end for clarity and usability.
Verbal descriptive labels for “Has Video” checkboxes in search filters, aiding screen reader users in understanding filtering options.
Keyboard-only mode for navigating the store front end solely using the keyboard, ensuring accessibility for keyboard-only users.
Improved screen reader compatibility, including announcements for successful user login, total item count in search results, and indication of required input fields.
Enhanced sub-navigation accessibility via keystrokes, facilitating navigation for keyboard-only users through sub-pages.
These accessibility improvements in Magento 2 aim to meet the needs of users with special requirements, ensuring a more inclusive and user-friendly experience for all individuals interacting with your platform.
Performance Upgrades
Magento 2 has implemented numerous performance enhancements to boost speed and efficiency, including:
Category Tree Processing:
The category processing system has been optimized to handle nested children’s trees more efficiently. This improvement enables faster loading times and smoother performance when navigating and organizing categories, simplifying product organization in your online store.
Bulk Cart Operation Response Time:
Query response times for bulk cart operations have been optimized, facilitating the smooth addition of 500+ simple or configurable products to the shopping cart. Coupled with an enhanced inventory management system, this enhancement improves overall efficiency.
Limit Item Number in the Grid:
This feature enhances performance, particularly for stores with extensive product catalogs. Store administrators can now control the maximum number of products displayed in the grid using a system configuration setting, resulting in more efficient product catalog management.
Faster Imports:
Improved import speed allows for the rapid processing of large datasets, handling up to 100,000 records per minute. This enhancement saves time and increases efficiency when updating or adding new data to your system.
Quick Order Processing for Cloud Users:
Cloud users experiencing high order volumes (over 1000 orders per minute) can now enhance order processing performance by distributing the load across different database nodes. This ensures quick and efficient order processing, even during peak times.
Enhanced Cache Efficiency:
Full-page cache is no longer flushed when an order is fulfilled unless it contains out-of-stock products. Category page caches remain intact when in-stock product quantities change, enabling quicker loading times from the cache rather than regeneration.
Extensions
Magento 2 has introduced several extensions to enhance overall e-store performance. Here’s what’s new:
Magento 2 Log Download:
This extension enables store owners to easily view and download log details from the admin panel.
Complete log details can be accessed and viewed in the log viewer directly from within the admin panel.
Store owners can effortlessly download logs without navigating to the var/log folder each time.
Magento 2 Upgrade Service Steps
Below is a general framework followed by Digital Silk professionals to deliver a comprehensive Magento 2 migration service. However, it’s essential to acknowledge that the specifics may vary based on your website’s unique requirements.
Analysis & Planning:
The initial step involves analyzing your current website and planning the upgrade process. This includes understanding your needs, assessing the compatibility of your existing setup, and determining the necessary steps for the upcoming upgrade
Environment Setup Development:
A separate environment is established to minimize downtime and enhance security. This environment replicates the required infrastructure, including server configurations, software dependencies, and extensions.
Data Backup:
Prior to proceeding with the upgrade, a complete backup of your website’s data is performed. This ensures data protection and enables restoration in case of any issues during the upgrade process.
Magento Upgrade:
The Magento 2 version is upgraded in the development environment. This includes installing the new Magento version and migrating existing configurations, themes, extensions, and data to the upgraded platform.
Theme & Design Migration:
For custom themes or designs, modifications may be necessary to ensure compatibility with the new Magento version. This step involves migrating and adapting your theme to maintain a consistent and visually appealing website post-upgrade.
Extension Compatibility Check & Update:
Third-party extensions and customizations are reviewed for compatibility with the new Magento version. Any incompatible extensions are identified, and updates or alternative solutions are implemented to ensure smooth functionality.
Testing & Quality Assurance:
Thorough testing is conducted to verify the correct functioning of all website features, including checkout processes, payment gateways, and extensions, on the upgraded Magento 2 version. Any identified issues or bugs are addressed.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT):
Before deploying the upgraded website to the live environment, a UAT phase is conducted. This allows you to review and test the upgraded website to ensure it aligns with your expectations and requirements.
Data Migration:
If there are any new or updated data requiring transfer from the live website to the upgraded environment, final data migration is executed to ensure the latest information is available on the upgraded Magento 2 version.
SEO Audit:
Before the go-live stage, an SEO audit is conducted to maintain your website’s visibility and traffic during the migration. Implementation of 301 redirects ensures proper redirection of old URLs to new ones, while updating internal links reflects the new URL structure, minimizing broken pages.
Go Live:
Once all necessary steps are completed, the upgraded website is deployed to the live environment. This involves switching the domain or updating the existing website to the upgraded version with minimal potential downtime.
Magento 2 Upgrade Challenges
Transitioning from Magento 1 to Magento 2 may present various challenges, but fear not – Digital Silk is here to assist you in preparing your business for a seamless transition. To help you anticipate and overcome potential obstacles, please review the following six common challenges we often encounter during Magento website migrations:
Data Migration:
Transferring data from Magento 1 to Magento 2 can be intricate and time-consuming due to differences in data structures and database schemas between the two versions.
Extension Compatibility:
Many extensions and customizations designed for Magento 1 may not be compatible with Magento 2, necessitating the search for alternative extensions or investment in custom development to replicate desired functionalities.
Theme & Design Migration:
Magento 2 introduces a new theme structure and layout system, rendering direct migration of existing Magento 1 themes impossible. Thus, themes and designs must be redeveloped or customized to align with the new structure.
Code Customizations:
Custom code modifications implemented in Magento 1 may not seamlessly translate to Magento 2 due to architectural and codebase disparities. These customizations must undergo review, modification, and rewriting to ensure compatibility with Magento 2.
Performance Optimization:
While Magento 2 boasts improved performance over Magento 1, optimizing the performance of the upgraded store can still pose a challenge. This may involve configuration tuning, cache management, and server optimization to achieve optimal performance levels.
Testing and Quality Assurance:
Thorough testing is paramount to ensure the proper functioning of your upgraded store. The testing process should encompass all aspects, including functionality, integrations, extensions, and performance. This phase can be time-consuming, especially for complex and heavily customized stores.
Conclusion
Transitioning to Magento 2.4.6 presents a strategic move for any eCommerce venture aiming to maintain a competitive edge. This update offers enhanced security features, improved performance, and bug fixes, resulting in an enhanced user experience for both customers and administrators.
However, before proceeding with the upgrade, it’s crucial to ensure that your system meets the necessary requirements. Refer to the table of third-party software dependencies provided by Adobe to confirm compatibility with your system.
In summary, the advantages of upgrading to Magento 2.4.6 are clear. Seize the opportunity to benefit from the enhanced performance and security measures offered by this update.
Why delay? Embrace Magento 2.4.6 today and propel your eCommerce business to new heights!
