Mastering Strapi Data Migrations: A Real-World Journey from v3 to v4

Strapi v3 to v4 Migration

Migrating from Strapi v3 to v4 is no small undertaking. The architectural changes between versions mean that a simple database copy won't cut it. In this post, I'll walk you through the real-world challenges we faced and the strategies we used to ensure a smooth migration.

Understanding the Schema Changes

Strapi v4 introduced significant changes to how data is stored. Relations are now handled differently, media files have a new structure, and components have been reorganized. Understanding these changes is the first step toward a successful migration.

The Migration Strategy

We developed a three-phase approach: first, export all v3 data to a normalized format; second, transform the data to match v4 schemas; and third, import the transformed data into the new Strapi v4 instance. This approach allowed us to validate data at each step.