Magento 2.4.7 Upgrade: What to Consider

The latest version of Magento, one of the most popular eCommerce platforms, was released on April 9, 2024. Although it’s a minor release (2.4.x change, not 2.x.0), it is packed with significant security enhancements, performance optimizations, and new features.

But before you rush to upgrade Magento to the latest version, let’s take a strategic look at whether it’s the right time for you.

In this article, we will provide a brief outline of what’s new in the 2.4.7 version and discuss the most important factors you should take into account when deciding whether or not to upgrade to the latest version right now.

What’s New in Magento 2.4.7?

The 2.4.7 version of Magento Open Source goes beyond security patches and performance tweaks. It also provides support for the latest shipping carrier functionalities, enhances the payment experience, and includes caching optimizations for better website performance. In this section, we provide an outline of the new features and updates you can leverage in the latest Magento 2 version.

Security Enhancements

Magento Open Source 2.4.7 security release includes various improvements. Here are the key highlights:

Included security fixes from Adobe Commerce 2.4.6-p5, 2.4.5-p7, and 2.4.4-p8.
Coupon code generation limit: To prevent overwhelming the system, the number of automatically generated coupon codes is now limited to 250,000.
Admin URL optimization: Admin URLs are now generated in a more random way to make them harder to predict.
Cache configurations: A new full-page cache configuration setting helps mitigate risks associated with dynamically loaded content fragments. Additionally, non-generated cache keys now have different formats from automatically generated ones to improve security.
Subresource Integrity (SRI): Added for payment page verification to comply with PCI 4.0.
Content Security Policy (CSP) updates: The CSP configuration has been updated to comply with PCI 4.0 requirements. It now restricts inline scripts by default.
Rate limiting for payments: Merchants can configure rate limiting for payment information transmitted through APIs.
GraphQL/REST email availability change: By default, these APIs now always return true to protect customer information.

Shipping Integrations Updates

These updates ensure your store can continue using major shipping carriers (UPS, FedEx, USPS) with the latest and most secure methods. Additionally, the Temando has been removed from Magento, while a new, more affordable USPS shipping option is available. In more detail:

UPS Shipping: Magento has switched from the old UPS XML API to the newer UPS REST API. This is because UPS is updating their security system and requires merchants to use a more secure method (bearer tokens) to connect.
FedEx Shipping: Similar to UPS, Magento has also updated the integration with FedEx to use their latest RESTful APIs. The older Web Services (WSDL) methods for FedEx will be retired in May 2024, so this update ensures continued functionality.
USPS Shipping: Magento now supports the new USPS Ground Advantage shipping method, which offers a more affordable option. This replaces several older methods that are no longer available.
Temando Shipping Removed: Temando, a third-party shipping extension, has been removed from the core Magento code. If you were using Temando for shipping, you’ll need to find an alternative solution.

Payments

Magento’s built-in payment system, Braintree, has released a number of updates to streamline the checkout experience for customers. Here’s a summary:

Store Payment Methods: Customers can now store their payment methods (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, ACH) for faster checkout in the future.
Express Payment Buttons: One-click payment options like PayPal and Google Pay are available at the beginning of checkout.
Frictionless Transactions: Reduces the need for 3D verification steps, making checkout faster.
Vaulting in Account Area: Customers can save new cards and PayPal accounts directly in their account area, not just during checkout.
Pay with Different Sources: Customers with vaulted PayPal accounts can choose different funding sources at checkout (default card, other cards, PayPal Pay Later or PayPal Credit button, etc.).

Performance

This update brings improvements in several areas, including GraphQL, cart management, and order functionality. Overall, these updates aim to improve the performance and functionality of your Magento store, especially for those using GraphQL and custom attributes. Here’s a breakdown:

Faster loading pages: Caching is improved for several common GraphQL queries, making your storefront load faster, especially for PWA (Progressive Web App) pages.
User-initiated order cancellation: The cancelOrder mutation allows a customer to cancel an order, passing its identifier and a cancellation reason.
Improved ordered items view: Now product images can be associated with ordered products, allowing for a more appealing view of the order history page.
More flexible cart management: You can now clear a specific shopping cart or create a guest cart more easily.

Technology Compatibility

Magento Open Source 2.4.7 now supports:

PHP 8.3 (8.2 until Dec 2025)
RabbitMQ 3.13 (3.11 until August 2024, and 3.12 until Dec 2024)
Composer 2.7.x (2.2.x remains)
Varnish Cache 7.4 (6.0.x remains; 7.2.x use with caution)
Elasticsearch 8.11
OpenSearch 2.12, 1.3
Redis 7.2
PWA Studio v14.0

Additionally, JavaScript libraries, NPM dependencies, and Laminas libraries have been updated.

Bug Fixes

Over 400 bugs have been fixed in Magento 2.4.7. These include issues related to installation, cart/checkout, inventory management, payments, APIs, and more. Specific examples include fixing the MySQL memory limit error during upgrades, duplicate SKU issues during product import, and product image problems in stock alert emails.

Check the official Magento Open Source 2.4.7 release notes for more details.

What To Consider Before Upgrading to Magento 2.4.7

#1. Take into account your current version

Keeping your Magento store version up to date is important for security and reliability reasons. However, we don’t recommend upgrading to the latest version as soon as it’s released. The best option is to wait several weeks or months so that all initial bugs and undiscovered issues are eliminated.

Moreover, if your current Magento version is the latest stable version (v2.4.6 in this case) with an active official support period, then there’s no urgent need to upgrade.

Here’s a breakdown to help you decide:

If you’re on Magento 2.4.6: Upgrading to 2.4.7 is a relatively small jump and offers the most benefits. You’ll gain the latest security patches, performance improvements, and new features. Upgrading from within the 2.4.x range is generally considered a smooth process with minimal downtime. However, the upgrade might not be strictly necessary because support for 2.4.6 ends in March 2026, so you have plenty of time to wait while keeping your store secure and reliable.

If you’re on Magento 2.4.4 or 2.4.5: You still have some breathing room. These versions will be supported until April 2025 and August 2025, respectively, but upgrading to 2.4.7 offers significant security improvements and the latest features.

If you’re on Magento 2.4.0 through 2.4.3: These versions are no longer supported by Adobe (ended November 2022). This means critical security patches and bug fixes are not available for these versions, leaving your store vulnerable to potential attacks and malfunctions. Since upgrading within the 2.4.x range is a smooth process, upgrading to the latest version is highly recommended.

If you’re on Magento 2.3.x or lower: Upgrading to 2.4.7 is a bigger leap but still highly recommended. The official support period for Magento 2.3.x ended in September 2022. Upgrading to 2.4.7 ensures you get critical security updates, bug fixes, and access to the latest features. Please note that the upgrade process from 2.3.x to 2.4.x is more complicated and requires more testing to ensure compatibility with your existing extensions and customizations.

#2. Weigh your personal benefits of Magento 2.4.7

Let’s imagine the following case. Upgrades to Magento 2.4.7 may not be strictly necessary at this time: you have identified that you are on the stable version, and your store is secure and works smoothly. But if you want to leverage the latest features and platform improvements, you should carefully review the release notes and evaluate whether there’s something necessary for the operation of your store and whether the upgrading and testing expenses will pay off.

#3. Assess your store’s customization level

There are two aspects you should consider within the customization level: third-party extensions and custom code.

Firstly, ensure the third-party extensions installed on your Magento 2 store are compatible with Magento 2.4.7. Usually, it takes up to several weeks for vendors to test their extensions on version 2.4.7 and fix incompatibility issues. Otherwise, untested extensions can cause malfunctions after the upgrade.

Next, consider whether your store has a lot of custom code and thoroughly assess its compatibility with the new version. You might need to refactor some code or adjust functionalities to ensure everything works as intended after the upgrade.

The older the Magento version you are currently running on, the more adjustments you might need to make when upgrading your store’s system to the latest version. In this case, it is highly recommended that you seek the help of highly skilled experts to perform a smooth upgrade, avoiding downtime and sales loss.

Conclusion: the Pros and Cons

Generally, upgrading Magento 2 to the latest version is always rewarding since it equips your store with the latest security patches and bug fixes. This, in turn, maintains your store’s performance, functionality, and user-friendliness, leading to stable sales and SEO.

However, you should carefully evaluate your third-party extension and custom code on your store. It’s important to ensure compatibility with the latest technologies supported by Magento 2.4.7 so your store is fully functional without any breakages that affect the customer purchasing process.

Need Help with Magento 2 Upgrade?

Upgrading Magento 2 can be a complex process, especially for stores with heavy customizations or old platform versions. Contact us and our upgrade experts will help you evaluate the urgency and assist you throughout the upgrading process.