---
label: 'Migrating, updating, and upgrading'
top_level: true
---
<h2>{% trans %}What are updating, upgrading, and migrating?{% endtrans %}</h2>
<p>{% trans %}<em>Updating</em> is the process of changing from one minor version of the software to a newer version, such as from version 8.3.4 to 8.3.5, or 8.3.5 to 8.4.0. Starting with version 8.x, you can also update to major versions 9, 10, and beyond if your add-on modules, themes, and install profiles are compatible. <em>Upgrading</em> is the process of changing from an older major version of the software to a newer version, such as from version 11 to 12. <em>Migrating</em> is the process of importing data into a site.{% endtrans %}</p>
<p>{% trans %}The Migrate module provides an API for migrating data.{% endtrans %}</p>
<p>{% trans %}If the source of the data you want to migrate is a different content management system, or if the data source is a site that was built using contributed modules that the core migration modules do not support, then you will also need one or more contributed or custom modules in order to migrate your data.{% endtrans %}</p>
<h2>{% trans %}Additional Resources{% endtrans %}</h2>
<ul>
<li>{% trans %}<a href="https://www.drupal.org/docs/upgrading-drupal">Upgrading Drupal</a>{% endtrans %}</li>
</ul>
