Strapi 4 to 5 Migration: Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Why Migrate from Strapi 4?

Strapi 4 reached end-of-life in October 2025. Security patches stop in April 2026.

If you're running v4 in production today, you have 6 months to upgrade or accept unmaintained code. For teams with custom plugins or large datasets, this deadline creates real urgency.

Strapi 5 brings genuine improvements:

• Flattened REST API responses: no more nested data.attributes structure, simpler frontend code
• Document system: draft/publish versioning and i18n built-in (was a plugin in v4)
• Conditional fields: editors see only relevant form fields
• Live preview: see changes before publishing
• TypeScript-first: better IDE support and type safety
• Vite bundler: faster admin panel dev experience vs. v4's webpack

But the migration is not a free upgrade. Plugin rewriting, API response refactoring, and thorough testing are real costs.

What Changes in Strapi 5 (and What to Watch For)

Breaking changes that require code updates:

API Response Format: The biggest change. Strapi v4 returns:

{ "data": { "attributes": { "title": "Hello" } } }

Strapi v5 returns:

{ "title": "Hello" }

This simplification breaks any frontend code or webhooks that parse data.attributes. Update API calls, GraphQL queries, and integrations to match.

Plugin Ecosystem: Many v4 plugins do not have v5 equivalents. Strapi maintains official plugins, but third-party ones may be abandoned. Check GitHub for v5 branches before upgrading.

Database Schema: Relations and fields get rewritten. The migration is automatic on first startup, but rollback is messy (restore from backup required).

Admin URL: Some custom admin config may break. Review your admin.js and admin/index.html for deprecated options.

What stays the same:

• Your database content migrates automatically
• REST and GraphQL APIs remain, just with flatter responses
• User roles and permissions carry over
• Webhook endpoints continue to fire (but may need payload adjustments)

When Strapi 4 to 5 Migration Isn't Worth It

For most teams, upgrading within Strapi makes sense: you keep your codebase, your ops knowledge, your plugin ecosystem.

But migration is a good time to ask: Is Strapi still the right tool?

Consider Directus if:

• Your main pain point is plugin fragility or upgrade complexity
• You have an existing SQL database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, etc.) you would like to wrap with a CMS admin panel
• You want zero vendor lock-in: the ability to export or replace the CMS layer while keeping your data
• You prefer stability over feature velocity (Directus has fewer breaking changes)
• Your team is small and ops overhead is a real cost

Directus differs from Strapi in architecture:

• Database-first: Directus introspects your existing database or creates a schema, then auto-generates the admin UI and APIs. No custom schema builder like Strapi.
• No plugins: Extensions are defined in code (hooks, endpoint handlers), not a fragmented marketplace. More predictable, less discovery surface.
• Data portability: Your data lives in your database. Directus is the UI layer. If you leave, your data stays in PostgreSQL / MySQL / your choice.
• GDPR by default: Directus Cloud hosting is in German data centers (ISO 27001). Strapi Enterprise requires a special contract for EU residency.