Drupal to AI-Powered Next.js Platform: Migration & Modernization Guide

Drupal kept a generation of SaaS products alive. It handled content modeling, workflows, and permissions when nothing else existed. But the teams running those sites now want modern UX, multi-tenant SaaS features, and AI copilots. “Lift-and-shift to Next.js” isn’t enough—you need a modernization plan that migrates Drupal and lays the foundation for RAG search, AI assistants, and secure agent workflows.

This guide walks through that hybrid plan. It’s based on migrations we’ve led where Drupal powers documentation portals, customer dashboards, and partner workflows. Instead of treating migration as a rewrite, we treat it as an AI platform upgrade: content moves to modern infrastructure, identity/billing get rebuilt, and AI layers join the stack with guardrails baked in.

1. Why migrate and modernize?

Migration is the right moment to analyze:

• Content IQ – which Drupal entities make great training data for RAG or fine-tuning?
• Workflow automation – which manual tasks (publishing, approvals, ticket routing) could be turned into AI agents?
• Tenant experience – can each customer get personalized documentation, usage insights, or AI copilots?

Treat the migration as a platform transformation so stakeholders see tangible value (AI features) during the rollout instead of a costly rewrite with the same features.

2. Decision framework: migrate vs refactor vs augment

1. Full replacement – rebuild everything on Next.js/Vercel/Supabase. Best when Drupal is mostly backend-rendered and teams want unified tooling.
2. Headless Drupal + Next.js front-end – keep Drupal as CMS/content API, run Next.js for UX + AI components. Good for content-heavy orgs that still love Drupal’s editorial backend.
3. Hybrid – migrate critical surfaces (docs, dashboards, auth) while keeping some Drupal modules alive via proxies or APIs. Useful when you can’t pause certain workflows.

Evaluate with:

• Module complexity – Are you relying on highly customized Drupal modules (workflow, commerce) that would take months to reimplement? Maybe phase them out later.
• Compliance scope – If Drupal sits in a regulated environment (FedRAMP, HIPAA), ensure Vercel/Supabase meet similar requirements or plan for dedicated VPCs.
• Time-to-value – If you need AI search launched in 90 days, start by indexing Drupal via JSON:API into pgvector, even before the Next.js front-end is live.

3. Pre-migration assessment

3.1 Inventory everything

• Content types, fields, taxonomies, and view modes
• Drupal Views/Blocks supplying dynamic lists
• User roles/permissions, SSO integrations, SCIM provisioning
• Custom modules (business logic, workflows, cron jobs)
• Media (files, images, video pipelines)
• URL structure, redirects, structured data (JSON-LD)
• Third-party integrations (CRM, marketing automation)

Create a spreadsheet mapping each item to its future home:

3.2 Risk assessment

• Data quality – how clean are Drupal nodes? Do they embed HTML, shortcodes, or legacy tokens? Plan sanitization before chunking for RAG.
• Auth migration – can users tolerate forced password resets? If not, run parallel auth (Drupal + Clerk) with shared SSO during transition.
• SEO impact – will URL changes break traffic? Build redirect maps and maintain canonical URLs.
• Content freeze window – determine when editors pause Drupal edits to prevent divergence.

4. Migration + AI modernization blueprint

Phase 1: Foundations (2–4 weeks)

• Set up Next.js App Router, shadcn design system, and Vercel environments.
• Provision Supabase (Postgres, Auth, Storage, pgvector). Enable RLS.
• Stand up pipelines that pull Drupal content via JSON:API or custom export scripts into Supabase.
• Build shared libraries for tenant context, telemetry, and prompt guardrails (used by chatbots later).

Phase 2: Content & SEO parity (4–8 weeks)

• Map Drupal content types to Next.js data models. Normalize HTML (remove inline styles, convert legacy embeds).
• Migrate media to Supabase storage or Vercel’s Blob storage; update references to Next.js Image.
• Implement routing parity: keep slug patterns, query params, canonical tags, schema markup.
• Add incremental static regeneration (ISR) with revalidation triggered whenever Drupal source content updates (until full decommission).

Phase 3: Identity & permissions (3–5 weeks)

• Replace Drupal auth with Clerk/Auth0/Supabase Auth. Support SAML/OIDC for enterprise tenants.
• Import users: export Drupal accounts (email, roles, last login) and seed new identity provider via scripts.
• Map Drupal roles/permissions to modern RBAC (e.g., tenant_admin, member, billing). Store in user_tenants.
• Add audit logging (PostHog + Postgres) for compliance.

Phase 4: AI enablement (runs alongside Phases 2–3)

1. RAG pipeline
   • Chunk Drupal content (docs, KB, release notes) using headings and metadata.
   • Embed via OpenAI text-embedding-3-small or local models; store in pgvector with tenant_id.
   • Build hybrid search (vector + keyword) with reranking.
   • Ship an AI doc assistant (Next.js API route + Server Component UI) that cites sources.
2. Agent workflows
   • Identify repetitive tasks (e.g., publishing release notes, triaging forms).
   • Expose safe tool APIs (create Zendesk ticket, update CRM note) with RBAC and logging.
   • Use OpenAI function calling or Anthropic tool use with MCP servers running on Vercel Edge.
3. Analytics
   • Instrument prompts/responses, token usage, and tool calls in PostHog.
   • Track ROI (time saved, support deflection) to justify migration investment.

Phase 5: Enhancements & cutover (4–6 weeks)

• Run staging with production data. Compare Drupal vs Next.js output (visual diff, Playwright tests).
• Gradually route traffic via reverse proxy or subdomain (e.g., new.example.com), then flip DNS.
• Keep Drupal read-only for 2–4 weeks while monitoring analytics/logs.
• Decommission Drupal once feature parity + AI improvements are stable.

5. Technical deep dives

5.1 Content modeling & data flow

1. Export: Use Drupal JSON:API for nodes/terms. For complex data, write custom Drush commands that output NDJSON to S3.
2. Transform: Run ETL (Airbyte, dbt, custom scripts) to clean HTML, normalize dates, and attach metadata (tenant, locale, product).
3. Load: Insert into Supabase/Postgres tables optimized for Next.js queries. Keep drupal_id columns for traceability.
4. Sync: Until Drupal is off, run incremental syncs triggered by webhooks or cron to keep data fresh.

5.2 SEO & routing

• Preserve legacy URLs via Next.js app/[...slug]/page.tsx with lookup map.
• Generate next-sitemap with priority for migrated routes.
• Maintain structured data (FAQ, Breadcrumb, Article JSON-LD) by storing schema snippets in Supabase.
• Use Vercel Edge Middleware for 301 redirects (Drupal path → Next.js path) to avoid double hops.

5.3 Testing strategy

• Content parity tests: snapshot HTML from Drupal vs Next.js and diff to catch missing fields.
• Visual regression: Chromatic or Playwright image snapshots for critical pages.
• Performance benchmarks: measure TTFB/LCP via WebPageTest for Drupal vs Next.js.
• Security tests: run prompt injection suites on AI endpoints, OWASP ZAP on Next.js app, and custom RLS tests ensuring tenants can’t access others’ data.

5.4 Cutover planning

• Blue/green DNS switch with fallback plan.
• Feature flags to disable AI components if errors spike.
• Observability war room: dashboards for traffic, 500s, token spend, RAG latency.
• Rollback script ready to revert to Drupal if critical issues arise.

6. Real-world AI use cases unlocked by migration

These features justify the migration budget—they’re easier to ship once Drupal’s monolith is gone.

7. Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

1. Trying to migrate everything at once – start with most valuable surfaces (docs, dashboards); keep Drupal running for admin flows until ready.
2. Ignoring content quality – Drupal nodes often contain inline styles or broken HTML; clean before embedding or you’ll poison RAG.
3. Underestimating auth migration – plan for session overlap, SSO validation, and communication to users about new login flows.
4. Skipping SEO prep – missing redirects can tank organic traffic. Build redirect lists early and test in staging.
5. Treating AI as a phase-2 “nice to have” – integrate RAG/agents during migration to prove ROI quickly and secure executive support.

8. Implementation roadmap (example timeline)

Adjust based on team size and custom module complexity, but keep AI work parallel so stakeholders see value early.

9. Ready to migrate from Drupal to Next.js?

Migrating from Drupal is an opportunity to ship AI copilots, automate workflows, and raise your security baseline. Choose the engagement that fits your timeline and budget.

Option 1: Drupal Migration Assessment

3-hour comprehensive review of your Drupal installation, custom modules, and content strategy with concrete migration roadmap.

What’s included:

• Drupal architecture and module inventory
• Custom module complexity analysis
• Content and data migration strategy
• Technology stack recommendations
• Migration timeline and effort estimates
• Risk assessment and mitigation plan
• Cost estimate for full migration

Timeline: 1 week Investment: $1,200

Request Assessment →

Option 2: Drupal to Next.js Migration

Complete migration from Drupal to Next.js with modern architecture, improved performance, and SEO preservation.

What’s included:

• Content and data export/transformation
• Next.js application development with App Router
• Modern component library (shadcn/Tailwind)
• Authentication migration (Clerk/Auth0)
• Custom module replacement strategy
• SEO optimization and redirect management
• Vercel deployment and CDN setup
• Testing and QA
• Post-launch support (2 weeks)

Timeline: 8-16 weeks depending on complexity Investment:

• Small site (≤1,000 nodes, minimal modules): $25,000-$40,000
• Medium site (1,000-10,000 nodes, moderate customization): $40,000-$70,000
• Large site (10,000+ nodes, complex modules): $70,000-$120,000

Discuss Your Migration →

Option 3: Drupal + AI Platform Migration

Migrate from Drupal to Next.js AND add AI capabilities (RAG, copilots, automation) in the same project.

What’s included:

• Everything in Drupal Migration, plus:
• RAG pipeline for content search
• AI chat interface with tenant isolation
• Agent automation for workflows
• Multi-tenant AI architecture
• Supabase with pgvector
• PostHog analytics and monitoring
• Security hardening (RLS, guardrails)
• Compliance prep (SOC 2, ISO 27001)

Timeline: 12-20 weeks Investment: $80,000-$150,000

Explore AI Migration →

Option 4: Strangler Fig Migration (Phased Approach)

Migrate incrementally by running Drupal and Next.js side-by-side, moving features one at a time.

Best for:

• Mission-critical sites that can’t afford downtime
• Large organizations needing gradual rollout
• Teams wanting to validate each phase before proceeding

What’s included:

• Routing strategy (reverse proxy or DNS-based)
• Phase-by-phase migration plan
• Content sync during transition period
• Authentication bridge between systems
• Gradual user migration strategy
• Rollback capabilities at each phase

Timeline: 16-24 weeks (longer but lower risk) Investment: $90,000-$180,000

Discuss Phased Migration →

Option 5: Headless Drupal Implementation

Keep Drupal as your CMS but replace the frontend with Next.js (best for teams heavily invested in Drupal).

What’s included:

• Drupal JSON:API or GraphQL setup
• Next.js frontend development
• Content preview workflows
• Image optimization and CDN
• Incremental static regeneration
• Editor training
• Deployment automation

Timeline: 6-12 weeks Investment: $35,000-$65,000

Explore Headless Drupal →

Not sure which approach fits?

Book a free 30-minute consultation to review your Drupal installation and get personalized migration recommendations.

Add-on Services

Security & Compliance:

• Penetration testing: $10,000 (validate RLS, prompt injection defenses)
• SOC 2 prep: $15,000 (compliance evidence and controls)

Ongoing Support:

• Maintenance retainer: From $5,000/month
• Feature development: From $8,000/month
• Security retainer: From $8,000/month

Discuss Retainer Options →

Related resources:

• WordPress to Astro migration - Alternative CMS migration patterns
• Rails modernization case study - Complete platform transformation
• Multi-Tenant SaaS Architecture - RLS and data modeling

Your Drupal site did its job; now it’s time for the AI era.