The next chapter of Umbraco
Umbraco 17 has officially entered its beta phase, and for those who live and breathe this CMS, it feels like a fresh start.
This isn’t just another update, it’s a real leap forward for everyone who believes in building open, human-centred digital experiences.
With a rebuilt backoffice that finally speaks modern web standards, a faster, cleaner foundation and full support for .NET 10, this release sets the tone for the future.
And while that’s exciting, it also means one thing: if you’re still running an older version like v8 or v13, now’s the time to look ahead.
The clock is ticking
Umbraco 8 reached end-of-life in February 2025. That means no more security patches, no compatibility updates, and growing risk with every passing month.
Even Umbraco 13 (which still feels “current”) will lose support by December 2026. Stable for now, but not a platform for tomorrow.
Why Umbraco 17 changes the game
This release is about more than performance, it’s about experience.
The backoffice (Project Bellissima) is faster, modular and built to last.
Running on .NET 10 LTS brings the reliability and speed modern infrastructures demand.
Developers finally get predictable APIs and a cleaner architecture and the longer testing cycle means a release that’s more stable than ever.
Our story: migrating 130+ sites, all at once
At Double, we love challenges that push us further.
Right now, we’re leading one of our most ambitious projects yet: migrating over 130 Umbraco 8 sites for a large client in Ireland. Instead of going step by step through outdated versions, we built a smarter path forward.
Since March, our team has been developing an internal migration accelerator, a tool that performs direct database schema migrations from Umbraco 8 to 16 (and soon, 17).
It automatically manages data transformation, property mapping and structure rebuilding.
If you’ve ever handled legacy features like the old Grid or Nested Content, you know the pain. We’ve lived it and solved it.
For anyone still on v8, that long road just got a lot shorter.
What this means for you
Whether you’re a non-profit, a membership-based organisation or a digital agency, this isn’t just a technical shift, it’s a strategic one.
Upgrading means protecting your data, improving performance and scaling with confidence. It means your digital experience can keep up with your ambitions.
At Double, we also collaborate with agencies that want to offer migrations but lack in-house capacity. We join forces, extend teams and make the work flow, smoothly and transparently.
Why partners choose to work with Double
People often tell us the same thing: we’re fast, fair and easy to work with.
We’re close enough to share your time zone, just one hour ahead of Central Europe, and we combine technical precision with the human touch that makes collaboration simple.
To make that partnership even easier to start, we’re offering a one-week free trial of our support and development team for new agency partners, available until the end of 2025.
Final thoughts
Umbraco 17 isn’t just another version. It’s a reset, a clean slate to build what comes next.
If you’re still running v8 or v13, now is the moment to move forward with a stronger, faster, future-proof foundation.
We’re already doing it at scale (130 sites and counting) and we’d love to bring you along for the journey.
Let’s future-proof your Umbraco experience, together.
Written by Marco Teodoro
Founder & CEO, Double
Connect with me on LinkedIn | Follow us on LinkedIn
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