Migrate from Drupal to Next.js

Modernize your Drupal site by migrating to Next.js. Keep your content, upgrade your stack.

30-60 minutes

Advanced

100% Free

TL;DR

You can migrate from Drupal to Next.js for free using LeaveWP. Enter your site URL, choose Next.js as the destination, and download your content — posts, pages, and media — in minutes. No API keys, passwords, or CLI tools required. Difficulty: Advanced. Estimated time: 30-60 minutes.

Official docs: Drupal Documentation · Next.js Documentation

Not sure yet? Read our Drupal vs Next.js comparison first.

Why Teams Leave Drupal

Enterprise PHP CMS for complex content architectures. Large organizations needing complex content structures and strict access control, but these limitations push teams toward modern alternatives.

Steep learning curve — requires developer expertise

This is the most common reason teams migrate away from Drupal. Next.js eliminates this issue entirely.

Fewer themes and modules compared to WordPress

With Next.js, hybrid rendering — ssg, ssr, isr, and client-side in one app.

Major version upgrades (e.g. Drupal 7→10) are complex migrations

Modern architectures like Next.js are designed to avoid this from the ground up.

Slow without aggressive caching configuration

After migrating, you'll no longer need to worry about this — Next.js takes a fundamentally different approach.

What Next.js Brings to the Table

React framework for production with SSR, SSG, and API routes. Built with JavaScript/TypeScript (React), it's production web apps and content sites needing flexible rendering strategies.

Hybrid rendering — SSG, SSR, ISR, and client-side in one app

Most popular React framework with massive community

Built-in image optimization, API routes, and middleware

Optimized for Vercel but deploys anywhere (Node.js, Docker)

Next.js is open-source and free to use. You own your code and data with no vendor lock-in. Deploy to any host that supports JavaScript/TypeScript, or use managed platforms like Vercel and Netlify for zero-config deployments.

Drupal vs Next.js at a Glance

Side-by-side comparison based on real platform characteristics

Metric	Drupal	Next.js
Ease of Use	⭐⭐ 2/5	⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
Performance	⭐⭐⭐ 3/5	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Flexibility	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Cost	⭐⭐⭐ 3/5	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Scalability	⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Ecosystem	⭐⭐⭐ 3/5	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
Language	PHP	JavaScript/TypeScript (React)
Pricing	Free (self-hosted)	Free (open-source)
Open Source	Yes	Yes

Ratings are based on publicly available data, documentation, and community consensus as of 2026. Individual experience may vary.

What Gets Migrated

A detailed breakdown of how your Drupal content maps to Next.js

Content Types from Drupal

nodes
taxonomy terms
users
blocks
media
custom entities

Technical Details

Export Method: JSON:API module or Views data export
Source Language: PHP
Destination Format: Markdown/MDX files with frontmatter, organized by content type
URL Handling: 301 redirect map generated automatically to preserve SEO equity

What may need manual attention

Custom server-side logic, third-party integrations, and platform-specific plugins will need equivalent solutions in Next.js. The core content (text, images, metadata) transfers cleanly.

How It Works

Migrate your content in three simple steps

Connect

Enter your Drupal site URL — LeaveWP connects automatically.

Configure

Select Next.js as destination and choose content options.

Export

Download your migrated content or preview it in your browser.

Is Drupal to Next.js the Right Move for You?

Migrating from Drupal to Next.js makes the most sense if you're experiencing steep learning curve — requires developer expertise or outgrowing Drupal's architecture. Next.js is best for production web apps and content sites needing flexible rendering strategies.

You should migrate if: your Drupal site is slow, your hosting costs are climbing, you need developer flexibility, or you want to adopt a modern JAMstack architecture.

You might want to stay if: your Drupal site benefits from powerful content modeling with custom entity types and fields and you don't have JavaScript/TypeScript developers on your team.

The migration itself is straightforward with LeaveWP — enter your Drupal URL, select Next.js, and download your content. The more important question is whether Next.js's architecture fits your team's skills and your project's long-term needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

My Drupal site is complex. Can you handle it?

LeaveWP handles standard Drupal content types, taxonomies, users, and media out of the box via the Drupal JSON:API. For sites with heavily customised modules, Views, or Paragraphs, some manual mapping may be needed after the initial export. We recommend running a test migration first to see which content comes through cleanly. Our output is MDX + JSON, so anything that needs adjustment can be fixed with a simple script or by hand.