Update Drupal 8 using composer

How to Update Drupal 8 Using Composer

Keeping Drupal up to date is essential for security, performance, and compatibility. If you’re using Composer to manage your project (which is the recommended way), here’s a step-by-step guide to safely update Drupal 8.

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📝 Step 1: Check Your Current Version

Before updating, it’s a good idea to see which version of Drupal core you’re running and if updates are available.

composer show drupal/core-recommended --check
composer outdated "drupal/*"

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💾 Step 2: Take Backups

Always back up your site and database before making updates. You can use Drush for this:

drush sql:dump > /root/drush-backups/site-$(date +%F).sql
drush archive-dump > /root/drush-backups/site-archive-$(date +%F).tar.gz

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🛠 Step 3: Enable Maintenance Mode

Put the site into maintenance mode so users don’t run into issues while the update is in progress.

drush state:set system.maintenance_mode 1
drush cache:rebuild

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🔄 Step 4: Update Drupal Core

Run the Composer update command for core-recommended (which ensures the correct set of dependencies).

composer update drupal/core-recommended --with-dependencies

Then rebuild the cache:

drush cache:rebuild

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✅ Step 5: Disable Maintenance Mode

Once the update is complete, bring your site back online:

drush state:set system.maintenance_mode 0
drush cache:rebuild

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🔧 Optional Commands

Depending on your setup, you might also find these useful:

• Update drupal/core directly (not always recommended):

  composer update drupal/core --with-dependencies
  

• Update to a specific version:

  composer require 'drupal/core-recommended:^8.9' --update-with-all-dependencies
  

• Use the development branch (not recommended for production):

  composer require drupal/core-recommended:8.9.x-dev --update-with-all-dependencies
  

That’s it! Your Drupal 8 site should now be running the latest version.