Magento 2.4.4 Pre-Release Available: Here’s All You Need To Know

The future of Adobe Commerce and Adobe Open Source is just here! Adobe has just pre-released the version Magento 2.4.4. Which will be available for Magento Commerce and Magneto Open Source to support PHP 8.1. And OpenSearch 1.2.

Adobe is now prepared to launch a new version named Magento 2.4.4 and it will be available soon. Magento 2.4.4 ‘s beta testing period has been completed, and Adobe has announced a new version of Magento 2.4.4. will be available to the general public from 12 April 2022. which was first going to be released on March 8, 2022, However that date was pushed back.

However, Magento 2.4.4. Is a small version change from the previous one, it still is a massive update, as it is going to bring a huge impact on online stores with Magento Commerce and Magento Open Source.

Simply, Magento 2.4.4. Will have PHP 8.1 support and backward-incompatible changes and many additional upgrades. And in this article, we are gonna learn what an online retailer needs to know before Magento 2.4.4 official release, and how they can stay prepared for this big change in Magento!

So, don’t waste time and keep on scrolling to get the best inside your brain.

 

Magento 2.4.4 Release Highlights

The following are several key highlights of the Magento 2.4.4 pre-release:

• All Magento project libraries and dependencies are PHP 8.1 compliant;
• TinyMCE 5 support is included;
• Except Braintree, All the vendor-bundled extensions are removed.
• PWA Studio v.12.3.0 will be compatible with Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 (Not for Adobe Open Source)
• For a scheduled category update, use a GraphQL query and retrieve category information.
• Magento 2.4.4 will Support user's timezone in the export filename's UTC timestamp.
• With Magento Open Source 2.4.4 and Adobe Commerce 2.4.4, merchants can add Alt Text to improve Content accessibility.
• Execution time for module list load has been improved.
• Issues with fixed price sorting for products with prices equal to or near to zero.
• Admin can verify custom date attribute formats for both the store and the admin.
• Display similar products, upsell products and cross-sell products based on their admin position.

 

What’s New with Magento 2.4.4?

As Magento 2.4.4 release date is confirmed, we have prepared an overview of documentation provided by Adobe, so each Magento Store Owner can know what’s new with Magento 2.4.4.

• PHP 8.1 compatibility
• OpenSearch support has been implemented.
• Backward incompatibility
• Third-Party Dependencies
• VBE (Vendor Bundled Extension) decoupled
• Software components updation
• Improved Site Management and Less Development Time
• Libraries were removed and modified.
• Errors in GraphQL will be corrected.

 

 

1. PHP 8.1 compatibility:

Adobe has altered the Magento release cycle to coincide with PHP versions, as this is the most crucial component for this e-commerce platform.

Adobe has tested Magento 2.4.4 beta versions against PHP 8.1, and the new version will support PHP 8.1. And consequently PHP 7.3 will be removed in new version Magento 2.4.4.

PHP 8.1 is acknowledged as a big improvement to this language, bringing dozens of new features. Here's a breakdown of the important ones: Enums, Readonly Properties, Explicit Octal Number Notation, First-Class Callable Syntax, Fibers, Pure Intersection Types, Never Return Type, and Final Class Constants. PHP 8.1 speeds up Symfony Demo by 23.0 percent. More information may be found on the official PHP 8.1 release website.

Preliminary performance testing on Magento with PHP 7.4 and 8.1 reveal that the latter speeds up the store significantly. The performance estimates for a specific Magento configuration will change since they are affected by a variety of factors such as the server CPU, architecture (x86/ARM), hosting environment, installed extensions, Cron tasks, and so on.

2. OpenSearch support has been implemented:

Adobe now offers another in-store search engine. Stores can utilize OpenSearch in addition to Elasticsearch.

Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce Store owners with on-premises deployments can employ any option. OpenSearch, on the other hand, is now the default search engine for Magento Open Source 2.4.4 cloud deployments.

Customers that update to version Magento 2.4.4 of their cloud deployments must use OpenSearch. See Adobe Commerce on Cloud 2.4.4 is now using OpenSearch.

Users of Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 on Cloud will need to switch from Elasticsearch to OpenSearch.

3. Backward incompatibility:

Backward incompatible changes in Magento 2.4.4 may have significant impacts on third-party modules because they must now function in a different manner. As a result, Magento Store Owners should examine all installed extensions to see if they will be affected by these changes. The following backward-incompatible modifications have been made to the new version Magento 2.4.4:

• Inventory check on cartload: An Enable Inventory Check On Cart Load option will be added in the next edition. It is turned on by default.
• TinyMCE: The name Tinymce4 will be changed to TinyMCE, and the editor may become inaccessible in the admin panel, causing the page builder extension to malfunction.

4. Third-Party Dependencies:

The forthcoming update will contain various third-party dependencies to maintain your Magento Stores strong and safe. These third-party dependencies are classified as follows:

• System Requirements: It will have the latest versions of Redis, MariaDB, ElasticSearch, Varnish, and MySQL. You will also be able to utilise Adobe Live Search for free with the new edition.
• JS NPM Dependencies: Removed "grunt-autoprefixer."
• Updated Core Composer Dependencies: with the addition of phpunit/phpunit and laminas/laminas-code, as well as the removal of laminas/laminas-filter and many others.

5. VBE (Vendor Bundled Extension) decoupled:

Previous versions of Magento had a slew of third-party extensions and modules.

Adobe has detached practically all third-party modules from the Magento core set in the latest edition Magento 2.4.4. Only the Braintree extension has been included in Adobe Commerce 2.4.4, and all the other vendor-bundled extensions has been removed.

Those Extensions which were eliminated from the Vendor Bundled Extension list, will be available for download from the Magento Marketplace as an alternative.

6. Software Components Updation:

The following software updates will be included in the version Magento 2.4.4:

• Added support for OpenSearch 1.1 and ElasticSearch 7.16.1.
• All dependencies and project libraries will be PHP 8.1 compliant.
• Jquery-UI will be upgraded to 1.13.0.
• The most recent version of jquery.tabs will be installed.

Along with these improvements, 33 security problems have been addressed, and Magento 2.4.4 will include reCaptcha extension, infrastructure changes, support for PayPal Pay Later, and GraphQL API expansion.

7. Improved Site Management with Less Development Time:

The new edition will make updating, launching, and managing websites easier and faster for online stores. Some of the features that will make it feasible are as follows:

• Improved Store management: You will be able to operate many stores or websites from a single admin panel.
• Site-Wide Analysis Tool: Site owners may use it to get real-time information on their website's health and recommendations.
• Page Builder: With this tool, company owners will be able to create and integrate content and other features without the assistance of developers.

8. Libraries were Removed and Modified:

In addition to upgrading to PHP 8.1, Magento 2.4.4 includes a bunch of other improvements. Here are some more significant platform updates:

• Updated RequireJS to 2.3.6
• endroid/qr-code updated to the latest version
• PHP Unit 9.5
• TinyMCE 5

Removed JavaScript libraries:

• es6-collections.js
• MutationObserver.js
• Modernizr
• FormData.js

Modified JavaScript libraries:

• script.aculo.us
• Chart.js
• moment.js
• moment-timezone-with-data.js
• matchMedia.js
• underscore.js
• PrototypeJS

9. Errors in GraphQL will be corrected:

Adobe assures that when Magento 2.4.4 is released, a list of GraphQL problems will be corrected. We’ve brought you a list of the most significant problems that will be fixed in Magento 2.4.4:

• GraphQL returns configurable child products even when they are disabled at the website level. The MDVA-39935 fix will also work with Magento versions 2.4.1–2.4.3.
• GraphQL sorting by DESC/ASC may not work for products of the same importance or price. The patch for MDVA-40120 will also be released for Magento 2.4.1 - 2.4.3-p1.
• Hiding categories in a B2B shared catalog feature using a GraphQL categories query does not function. Stores running Adobe previous to Magento 2.4.4 will need to seek a fix on their own.
• If the website ID varies from the store ID, GraphQL cannot add a configurable product to the cart. Patch MDVA-37779 works with 2.4.2 - 2.4.2-p1.
• When adding a shipping address to a cart with an empty phone number, a GraphQL error occurs. The patch for MDVA-39521 is now available for Magento 2.4.0 - 2.4.3.
• A GraphQL query returns products that have not been allocated to a common catalog. MDVA-37748 is a patch that is available for 2.4.2 - 2.4.2-p2.

 

Magento 2.4.4 Release – Official Notes

Aside from the highlights we’ve mentioned, Magento has improved 250 quality concerns and enhanced for better speed and performance. If you want to learn more about Magento 2.4.4 release you cna checkout these official notes by Adobe. The following links will redirect you to the relevant pages:

• Magento 2.4.4 Release Notes (Commerce)
• Magento 2.4.4 Release Notes (Open Source)

 

What You Should Do Next?

It’s time to collaborate with your technology partner and development teams to start the preparation of your website’s new look, as Adobe Commerce 2.4.4 and Adobe Open Source 2.4.4 is ready to provide eCommerce businesses a solid foundation.

And if you’re looking for someone to help you shift to the new version of Magento 2.4.4 in an easier and more profitable way, MageSpark has got your back. With MageSpark you can Hire Adobe Certified Magento Developers for your Magento eCommerce store. We also provide support services to ensure that your business is never disrupted during such updates and migrations.

 

Final Words:

Magento 2.4.4 will be available soon. With this version, the year 2022 will be loaded with fantastic Magento 2 features. Magento 2.4.4 will provide significant enhancements to online shop speed and security, From maintaining your Magento Store efficiently to giving clients a fast and error-free purchasing experience.

All Magento Store Owners will soon be able to update their Magento 2 store from the previous Magento 2.4.3 version to the current Magento 2.4.4 version, enabling their store to be endowed with cutting-edge Magento features until the next Magento 2.4.5 release.

Keep an eye on MageSpark to get up to date with most recent Magento updates. In the comments area, please share your thoughts on the upcoming Magento 2 version release. Also, please share this article with your Magento community on social media.

Thank you very much!