The latest Stencil CLI Version is out! Here’s what you need to know:

The Announcement:

Known for its spectacular themes, stellar features, and future-ready functionalities, BigCommerce has always been the go-to choice for eCommerce businesses. The platform’s massive success is due to its continuous striving to drive excellence and ensure optimal performance and security for all users.

As a part of such efforts, BigCommerce recently deprecated official support for Stencil CLI version 6 and older. This means they will no longer provide support or bug fixes for these versions.

What does this mean to BigCommerce users?

BigCommerce’s decision to sunset Stencil CLI Version 6 and older will significantly impact website owners’ ability to access the latest enhancements and features.

If you’re using Stencil CLI version 6 or older to develop your BigCommerce themes, you must upgrade to the latest version to continue receiving support and access to new features.

Bid goodbye to Stencil 6

Stencil is Bigcommerce’s homegrown theme engine. Several past version upgrades have made It what it is today: powerful, state-of-the-art, and dynamic.

This constant evolution ensures BigCommerce themes stay at the forefront of design and eCommerce technology. Bidding goodbye to Stencil CLI Version 6 and older helps you leverage the latest iteration and its enhancements.

Continuing to use Stencil CLI version 6 after the deprecation date could lead to security vulnerabilities and compatibility issues with future BigCommerce updates. Upgrading ensures your development environment stays secure and functional.

What’s new in the latest version?

The latest Stencil CLI version isn’t just an update; it’s an evolution. It takes BigCommerce themes a step further, building upon the core principles that made Stencil such a powerful theme engine in the first place: user-friendliness, efficiency, and dynamism.

The latest Stencil CLI version supercharges the features you already know and love. This upgrade refines Stencil’s core functionalities and takes them to the next level.

The following features you love about Stencil are getting even better:

• Enhanced SEO, technology, and design standards: Stencil is already known for combining the best SEO, design, and technology principles. The latest version doesn’t stop there. It delivers further enhancements, making your development experience even easier and more purpose-driven.

• Aesthetically pleasing storefronts: The latest version upgrade opens doors to endless possibilities in the theme design and development space. BigCommerce’s themes get a refreshing makeover with new inclusions of niche-specific, future-ready options.

• Extensive customization: One of BigCommerce’s irresistible features is the platform’s ability to offer limitless customization. The latest Stencil version upgrade makes any level of design customization an absolute possibility.

• Super-powerful tech stack: The new release retains the best of its predecessor versions while adding a delightful twist by introducing enriched capabilities. A few of them are listed below:

• Access to real-time Browsersync preview
• YAML Front Matter
• JavaScript event hooks
• Support for both Sass and SCSS
• Powerful CSS Stack

Why should you upgrade now?

Upgrading to the latest Stencil CLI version offers several benefits:

• Enhanced performance: Leverage the latest release’s feature enhancements to ensure fast load times and a smooth shopping experience on all devices.
• Improved Security: The most recent version ensures you receive all security patches, protecting your store and customer data.

What if you don’t upgrade now

Continuing with Stencil CLI version 6 poses security risks and limits your access to future improvements. The potential risks associated with using an outdated version are:

• No access to new features and enhancements
• No official support and community support
• Broken experiences for both website owners and end-users
• Checkout discrepancies and declined performance
• Poor responsiveness across mobile devices and inconsistent design
• Security threats and vulnerabilities

How to upgrade

BigCommerce’s official website recommends running the following command in your terminal window to install the latest version.

npm i -g @bigcommerce/stencil-cli

While this process looks straightforward, making this transition seamless and error-free without any data loss or compromise in the front-end experience could be daunting. Don’t worry—we have you covered!

Next steps: we are here to help!

Book a free consultation with our BigCommerce experts, who are specialists in upgrade and migration processes. They can assist you with—

• A free audit to assess your current version, its configuration, and code hygiene
• A foolproof roadmap for upgrading to the latest version.
• Expert guidance, best upgrade practices, and pitfalls to avoid