Umbraco 17 and the Road Ahead: Why This LTS Release Matters

At byte5, we have been working closely with Umbraco 17 for several months. It was a key topic at our most recent meetup, we have reviewed the changes in detail internally, and we are preparing customer projects to ensure smooth upgrades to the new version. Our conclusion is clear. Umbraco 17 is a very solid LTS release that really shines where stability, scalability, and long term maintainability matter most.

For many organizations, Umbraco 17 matters most because it is the next LTS version after Umbraco 13. In practical terms, anyone who deliberately stayed on 13 is now looking at the next major step.

At the same time, version 17 feels like the point where a longer technical transition comes together. The modern backoffice is no longer “new”, it has matured. The APIs, extension points, and the wider ecosystem have largely caught up, which is a crucial ingredient for shipping real projects efficiently. For teams with longer release cycles, this is exactly the moment when a strategic decision makes sense.

One of the most important improvements does not really show its value in a changelog, but in real world operation. The backoffice can now be scaled horizontally as well. In projects with many concurrent editors or complex workflows, this used to be a major bottleneck. With Umbraco 17, setups become much more flexible:

• Editorial work remains stable even under heavy load
• Infrastructure designs become clearer and more resilient
• Backoffice environments no longer depend on a single server

For enterprise platforms, cloud architectures, or internationally distributed teams, this is a significant step forward and a topic we are increasingly discussing with our clients at byte5.

Another change that makes a big difference in everyday work is the consistent handling of time and dates. Publishing schedules, logs, and timelines are now clear and reliable, no matter where teams are located or where the platform is running. Especially for international projects, this reduces misunderstandings, follow-up questions, and errors in editorial processes. Technically it may seem small, but organizationally it is incredibly valuable.

From a technical perspective, Umbraco 17 is an exciting release as well. Dennis, our .NET team lead at byte5, shares his view on the new version.

“For me, Umbraco 17 is especially interesting because it is the next LTS version after Umbraco 13. In very practical terms, that means many of our customers will be facing upgrades over the coming months.”

He sees the backoffice as a particularly important area.

“The move from AngularJS to Web Components has been underway since Umbraco 14, but with version 17 it really becomes relevant for a lot of projects. Especially when the backoffice has been heavily customized, you need to take a close look at which extensions are still based on the old technology.”

From an infrastructure point of view, Dennis highlights another major step forward.

“The changes around load balancing are one of the most interesting aspects for me. Being able to scale the backoffice as well makes these setups much easier to design and operate.”

At the same time, he points out that upgrading does not automatically have to be complex.

“If an installation is already running on a newer version than 13, the step to 17 is often quite manageable. We always look at this on a case by case basis with our customers and create a clear plan. In most cases, that makes the upgrade process very smooth.”

With a bit of time and real world usage, another thing has become clear. The Umbraco ecosystem is well-prepared for version 17.

• Engage is fully aligned with the modern backoffice experience
• Commerce has become much easier to get started with
• Workflow makes coordinated publishing far more straightforward
• UI Builder provides a solid foundation for managing custom data
• Umbraco Cloud offers a reliable and robust platform for running Umbraco projects

For many of our clients, this creates a platform that combines classic CMS strengths, DXP capabilities, and custom extensions in a clean and coherent way.

After the first few months in production, we see some very clear scenarios where Umbraco 17 is a great fit.

• Organizations that intentionally stick to LTS versions
• Platforms with large editorial teams
• International websites with complex publishing processes
• Commerce and DXP scenarios
• Projects with a heavily customized backoffice or specialized data models

In these cases, Umbraco 17 shines less because of any single headline feature and more because of the overall stability of the platform.

A few months after the release, it is fair to say that Umbraco 17 is a well designed and mature LTS version. It is not a radical shift, but a reliable foundation for the years ahead. For organizations currently considering an upgrade or planning a new platform, now is an excellent time to take a closer look at Umbraco 17.