How to migrate a CMS: Drupal to WordPress

Content Management System (CMS): Drupal to WordPress

What are Drupal and WordPress? 

Drupal and WordPress are two of the most common open-source Content Management Systems (CMSs) in use on the Internet. Drupal is better suited for enterprise-level websites and web applications requiring a rich set of security features. WordPress is considered easier to use with less overhead and learning curve involved. In addition, WordPress boasts a significant worldwide user community of enthusiasts who like to extend its functionality with plugins and themes.

More about migrating Drupal to WordPress

Drupal is a flexible CMS built on the LAMP stack. Migrating your website may sound like a complicated task. However, WordPress makes it easy even for novice users to perform a full migration independently.

Drupal vs. WordPress

Before we get into the nitty-gritty specifics, let’s take a brief look at the CMS – Drupal-WordPress Comparison. We love both Drupal and WordPress. Both Drupal and WordPress have a great many community-supported plugins. Hence, it’s impossible to say whether WordPress or Drupal is “better.” It would be best if you concentrated on selecting the best tool for your project rather than trying for a blanket statement that one is always better than the other.

Drupal vs. WordPress: Who is the Winner?

User-friendly WordPress wins for non-programmers

Drupal may be a better choice if you’re creating a site with a complicated data structure that needs to be customizable and changeable. In conclusion, Drupal is the perfect choice for developers with higher custom design needs.

However, in terms of plugin availability and variety for the current version of WordPress, WordPress wins. It’s a lot easier to go from “nothing” to a “fully functional website that looks excellent” with WordPress. WordPress is far more user-friendly, especially for those who aren’t programmers.

Step #1: Install the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin

The WordPress plugin FG Drupal to WordPress converts Drupal content, custom taxonomies, images, comments, users, and attachments to the WordPress equivalents. The free version does everything you need for a simple Drupal installation. However, it is recommended that you upgrade the plugin if you have a large business with many Drupal customizations.

The following instructions assume you’re using WordPress.org rather than a WP.com installation.

Step #2: Run importer

Once it is installed and activated, go to Tools > Import and just click the Run Importer link to start the import process. 

Above is the screen you will see. You will also be given the option of removing WordPress content when you import from Drupal since you are inside a WordPress installation. You can remove the WordPress contents. Please do not remove the site or installation.

You can import articles, stories, pages, images, categories, and tags from your old site with the free version of FG Drupal to WordPress. If you have custom taxonomies or want to import users, too, you can use the premium version.

Step #3: Get the Drupal website & database parameters

You can test the media connection by entering the URL of the live Drupal website.

Now you will need to locate a few specific parameters. These are your Drupal username, password, hostname, and database name and prefix. You probably already know a few of these. The rest can be found by exploring your Drupal installation’s core files over FTP.

We recommend filezilla. Connect your FTP client and navigate to the /public_html/sites/default directory of your Drupal installation. There you’ll find a file called settings.php. Open settings.php, and you shall see the information you seek.

Put those values into the WP dashboard and hit the Test the Database Connection button. You should see a green “Connection Successful” message.

It is essential to include the underscore in the Drupal Table Prefix (just called prefix in the settings file). Without it, the connection will fail.

Step #4: Customize & import drupal to WordPress 

Next, you’ll need to configure how the plugin will import your Drupal post summaries and media files. You currently wind up at the Behavior segment of the relocation. Make sure everything is set up the way you want it.

When you choose Import Summary > to the Content, they will be imported as a Read More link. Choose whichever option you prefer before moving onto the Medias section. 

Now coming to Medias section, tick the box next to the Skip Media option if you don’t want the plugin to import your media. You can also specify which photographs for your posts and pages should be set as featured and a few other options connected to external media.

Click the Start/Resume Import button once you’ve got everything set up. 

A success message “Import Completed” will display on the screen when the migration is complete.

You’ll have a detailed record of everything that transpired during the move.

Step #5: Modify internal links

Before leaving this page, scroll down to the section titled “After the Migration” and click the Modify Internal Links button.

Any internal links on your site will be updated to fit the new structure. 

We recommend testing some of your pages and posts once you’ve used them to ensure that internal links are working correctly.

That’s all there is to it! You’ve completed the Drupal to WordPress migration successfully!

What should you do now that your Drupal site has been converted to WordPress? Customize!