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Magento has undergone many changes since its release in 2008. New versions of Magento introduce features and improvements to improve the online shopping experience for customers and sellers.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at each version of Magento, compare versions of Magento, and explore how Magento has evolved over the years. He will also share his insights on the latest Magento version that will help you understand the new features and how they can benefit your business.
Let’s get straight to the point.
What is the latest version of Magento?
Magento 2.4.6 is the latest Magento version. This version, released on March 14, 2023, includes over 300 high-quality fixes and upgrades that improve the performance, security, and scalability of Magento.
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What’s new in the latest Magento version?
The latest Magento version 2.4.6 adds support for PHP 8.2 and removes support for PHP 7.4., support ended on November 28, 2022. This also includes optimizing his GraphQL operations for category tree rendering responsiveness and bulk cart operations.
Latest Magento version 2.4.6: Major updates
The main improvements in Magento 2.4.6 are:
- Enhanced security: Magento 2.4.6 provides security updates and improvements, including a fix for checkout reCAPTCHA validation and a new system configuration that requires email confirmation when admin users change their email.
- Platform enhancements: Latest Magento versions support PHP 8.2, Composer 2.2.x, Redis 7.0.x, Elasticsearch 8.0.x, and MariaDB 10.6 (LTS). It also supports OpenSearch v2.x as the default search engine in Magento 2.
- Enhanced performance and scalability: Magento 2.4.6 introduces a new setting that allows you to limit the number of products displayed in the product grid to improve performance.
- Custom SMTP: Magento 2.4.6 allows you to configure a custom SMTP provider from the admin panel. You no longer need a third-party extension to send emails from your Magento store.
Why use the latest Magento version?
Adobe and the Magento community ensure that Magento 2 is safe for sellers around the world. That’s important. 151,000 websites use Magentohas become an attractive target for hackers around the world.
New versions of Magento include security enhancements to protect your store from cyber-attacks and hacking attempts. His current Magento version, 2.4.6, includes enhanced logging of administrative activities and a new setting to force email confirmation when an administrator changes an email address.
The latest Magento release includes compatibility and performance enhancements in addition to security improvements. For example, the Symfony dependencies in Magento 2.4.6 use the latest LTS version and support the new “POST /rest/
For a safe and reliable shopping experience, we highly recommend updating Magento to take advantage of improved performance and security features.
How to check your Magento version: 4 easy ways to check your Magento version
Here are four ways to check your Magento version.
Method 1: Use a web browser
The easiest way to check your Magento version is to add “/magento_version” to your domain name in your web browser. For example, “This is a screenshot of what it looks like in a demo store running Magento 2.4.5-p1.
The downside to checking your Magento version using a web browser is that it only prints out minor release versions such as 2.3 and 2.4. Patch and security patch release versions such as 2.4.5 and 2.4.5-p1 are not provided.
Method 2: Check the Magento admin panel
If you want the full Magento version, you can find it within the Magento admin panel in the bottom right corner of the footer, as shown in the image below.
Method 3: Use the command line interface
You can also check the Magento version from the command line interface (CLI) by going to the Magento root directory and running the following command:
$ bin/magento --versionHere is the output of the command when tested in the demo store:
Method 4: Check. composer.json File
To check your Magento version, composer.json To create the file, log in to the server as the filesystem owner and navigate to the Magento root directory. Then type the following command and print its contents: composer.json files in the terminal.
$ cat composer.jsonThe Magento version is displayed in the file contents, as shown in the screenshot below.
How to upgrade Magento 2 in 10 easy steps
Before following this guide, ensure that all software dependencies are compatible with the Magento version you plan to upgrade to. If you’re a Nexcess customer, you can check your software version and upgrade with just a few clicks from your client portal.
Then follow these steps to upgrade to Magento 2.
Note: If you installed Magento 2 using Composer or a compressed archive, you can only upgrade Magento 2 from the command line. If you installed Magento by cloning a GitHub repository, see Adobe’s guide. Upgrading Git-based installations.
1. Log in to your server via SSH and navigate to your Magento root directory.
Log in to your Magento server via SSH, switch to file system owner, and navigate to the root directory of your Magento project. Verify that you are in the correct directory using the following command:
$ pwd2. Back up your Magento store
Next, Magento 2 backup So if you run into any issues during the upgrade process, you can roll back to your saved version.
If you are a Nexcess customer, log in to your client portal and back up your store. plan > Website > backupSelect Create a backup.
3. Enable maintenance mode
Must be enabled if you want to upgrade Magento 2 with a live store. maintenance mode Restrict access to your storefront using the following command:
$ bin/magento maintenance:enable4. Disable cron jobs
Active background processes during a Magento version upgrade can lead to data corruption. Therefore, before upgrading Magento 2, you need to disable cron jobs using the following command:
$ php bin/magento cron:removeThen run the cron job manually using the following command to consume all queued messages.
$ bin/magento cron:run --group=consumers5. Back up. composer.json File
backup composer.json Create the file using the following command:
$ cp composer.json composer.json.bak6. Update Magento project dependencies
Add Magento version 2.4.6 as a dependency by running the following command: composer.json File.
$ composer require-commerce magento/product-community-edition 2.4.6 --no-updateNote: To specify a different Magento version, replace “2.4.6” with your desired version number, such as 2.4.4 or 2.4.5.
Then run the command below.
$ composer update7. Flush Magento 2 cache
Clear the Magento cache and generated classes and proxies by running the following command:
$ rm -rf var/cache/*
$ rm -rf var/page_cache/*
$ rm -rf generated/code/*
$ rm -rf generated/metadata/*If you are using caching technologies such as Redis or Varnish, please clear them before proceeding.
8. Update the database schema and its data.
Run the following command to update the schema and data in your Magento database.
$ bin/magento setup:upgrade9. Check for new Magento version
Once the command runs successfully, check the Magento version using the following command:
$ bin/magento --version10. Reinstall cron and check for store issues.
Finally reinstall Magento Cron Use the following command:
$ bin/magento cron:installIf you enabled maintenance mode, disable it using the following command:
$ bin/magento maintenance:disableNext, visit the store and check that everything works as expected. If you encounter an error, follow these steps to troubleshoot.
- Restart all caching technologies such as Varnish and Redis.
- Clear your web browser cache.
- Reset file system permissions.
After that, the store should load correctly.
Magento version comparison
Magento has two main versions: Magento 1 and Magento 2. Magento 1 was released in his 2008 and ended support in 2020. Its successor, Magento 2, was launched in 2018 with advanced security features, robust API support, and future-proofing. Functionality.
Even though Magento 1 is nearing end of support. 27,000 websites still use Magento 1.If you are one of them, you should consider Migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2 or using Safe Harbor Required To protect your Magento 1 store.
Every new version of Magento comes with new features that build on the success of previous versions. Here is his Magento version list, comparing major releases and highlighting the main changes to the platform since the first release.
| Magento version release | release date | Added major features | End of support |
| Magento 1.0-1.9x | From 2008 to March 31, 2015. | First stable Magento version with essential e-commerce features. | June 30, 2020. |
| Magento 2.0 | November 17, 2015 – February 27, 2018. | A complete transformation of the Magento platform. It’s now much faster, more secure, and more user-friendly. | March 31, 2018. |
| Magento 2.1 | June 23, 2016 – June 25, 2019. | Content staging and previews, Solr replaced with Elasticsearch for Commerce version, PayPal payment methods, improved admin interface. | June 30, 2019. |
| Magento 2.2 | September 26, 2017 – January 28, 2020. | Advanced reporting features, instant purchase checkout, Magento shipping, and new B2B features. | December 1, 2019. |
| Magento 2.3 | November 28, 2018 – October 12, 2021. | Progressive web apps, multi-source inventory, Elasticsearch introduced in community version, and improved page builder. | September 8, 2022. |
| Magento 2.4.0–2.4.3 | July 28, 2020 – October 12, 2021. | 2FA in the admin panel, an enhanced media gallery, a fully replaced MySQL search engine with Elasticsearch, merchant-assisted shopping, and improved progressive web apps. | November 2022. |
| Magento 2.4.4–2.4.6 (current Magento version) | April 12, 2022 – March 14, 2023. | OpenSearch support, vendor bundle extension removal, page builder improvements, cart and checkout updates, and new payment methods. | April 24, 2025 – March 14, 2026. |
Updates to Magento software lifecycle policy and release strategy
On January 24, 2023, Adobe announced a new software lifecycle policy and release strategy for Magento versions 2.4.4 and later.
The updated lifecycle policy extends the support period for security and quality patches by three years from the general availability date of each version of Magento. Additionally, the updated release strategy limits new Magento releases to one core application patch per year.
Less frequent updates and longer support periods eliminate the need for frequent upgrades. It also reduces your overall Magento cost of ownership, allowing you to focus your time and resources on creating immersive shopping experiences for your customers.
Choose managed Magento hosting with Nexcess
Magento has changed a lot over the years. With each new version of Magento, the platform becomes more robust, scalable, and user-friendly, giving sellers the tools they need to succeed.
Whether you want to use the latest Magento version for your online store or need to simplify upgrading Magento software dependencies, Nexcess can help.
With Nexcess Magento hosting, you get access to the latest Magento versions with on-demand backups and 24-hour security. Our hosting plans come with easy software upgrades and 24/7 technical support, so you can focus on what matters most: growing your business.
Want to experience the convenience of Nexcess Magento hosting? Visit our Managed Magento hosting plans Get started today.
Note: This blog was originally published in May 2022. It has since been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
