Case Study: Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 Upgrade
BlikOpNieuws Upgraded: From Drupal 7 to 10 with Zero Data Loss
Dutch news platform with 300,000+ articles migrated to Drupal 10 with no content loss
https://www.blikopnieuws.nlDutch News Platform
BlikOpNieuws is a Dutch online news platform serving all 12 provinces. With a lean team, the site handles over 300,000 articles and sustains heavy daily traffic.
300K+ Article Migration
Migrate their outdated Drupal 7 system to Drupal 10 with no content loss, no long downtime, and full retention of SEO structure and functionality.
The Approach
Mapping the Old System
We studied their Drupal 7 setup—articles, categories, views, custom layouts, and search index (SOLR). Several outdated modules required full replacement or rewriting.
Automation & Upgrade Path Design
Created AI-assisted scripts to automate core migration steps: content export, field mapping, and reimport. Special care was taken with region-based taxonomy and editor tools.
Theme and Module Overhaul
Converted legacy templates to Twig. Rebuilt critical views and admin experiences. Preserved the editorial workflow, keeping it familiar for their team.
One-Weekend Switch
We scheduled go-live for a quiet news weekend. Final sync was fast: site was offline only briefly.
Automated Testing & QA
Used BackstopJS and custom scripts to validate all content, design, and function. Compared 1,000+ screenshots to ensure no breakage. Fixed mismatches before handover.
Editorial-First Backend Modernization
BlikOpNieuws now runs on Drupal 10 with their full archive intact. Editors kept their workflow. Search is faster. The upgrade introduced no visual changes—just a safer, stronger backend.
Key Matrics
- 100% article and category accuracy
- 1 weekend downtime, zero business interruption
- Search index tuned for 300k+ articles
- Completed within budget in 5 months
