D11 Project Update - Countdown is on!
The D11 project is on track to launch at the end of this year. The plan is to update the GovCMS distribution from Drupal Core 10.5.x to 11.2.x, with automated upgrades scheduled for February to April 2026.
The key milestones between now and then are:
- 12 August - 2 September - [agencies] to complete the Drupal Core 10.5 preview
- End September date TBC– update the distribution to Drupal Core 10.5
- September date TBC – publish D11-release candidate (4.0.0-RC1)
- Early/Mid November date TBC – publish 2nd D11-release candidate (4.0.0-RC2)
- November-December – Complete the Security Assessment based on 4.0.0-RC2
- December - Drupal Core 10.4.x in end of life
- January – Officially launch the D11 distribution
- February – April – undertake the automated upgrades
Important - June 2026 - Drupal 10 reaches End of Life
Key priority for you now
The main thing you need to focus on for D11 preparation is the Drupal Core 10.5 previews. We’ve created a preview environment for each SaaS website. You also have a proactive service desk ticket to track the preview progress. If you don’t have one let us know ASAP.
Register for our Upcoming Information Session
We’re excited to build momentum for our online D11 information sessions. We’ll walk you through the stages and changes and provide a space to ‘Ask Us Anything’. The next one will be on Friday 29 August 2025. Keep an eye on the D11 section of the website for the meeting details. The meeting invite will be in GovCMS GovTEAMS so the whole community will automatically get an invite. It’s only an hour but will give you peace of mind about all things D11.
If you’re not currently a member of GovTEAMS you’ll need to set up an account. Find out more about the GovCMS GovTEAMS community and how to join on our GovCMS GovTEAMS Community page.
Key changes coming in D11
New modules being added to the distribution:
- Book module
The book module is being removed from D11 core, and now available as a contributed module. - Better Exposed Filters (BEF) Module
This module will be required by Facets module going forward - Session Limit Module
This is a security enhancement for GovCMS.
On the front-foot
The best way you can prepare for the D11 upgrade is to review your website and remove legacy technical debt. By now you should have heard from us through our raising of proactive tickets for impacted websites. If you haven’t heard from us, or are unsure if you are affected, get in touch and we’ll confirm if any of the listed modules form part of your website. You can review the full list in the D11 readiness Knowledge Base article.
What next?
The team at GovCMS is ready to support you. Get in touch to discuss your plans or if you need help getting started.
If you are planning to incorporate upgrade support from a developer, don’t forget that last year we added new suppliers to the Whole of Government Drupal Services Panel. There are currently 31 suppliers on this panel with the necessary skills and expertise to help you move to D11.