OpenCart & Journal Theme Upgrade

My store currently runs on OpenCart 2.3.0.2 with the Journal v2 theme and PHP 5.6. Each time the host pushes PHP 8 the site goes down, so I want to bring everything up to the latest stable releases that run smoothly on modern PHP. Here is the flow I have in mind: • Start with a full backup (files + database) before you touch anything. • Upgrade OpenCart to whichever current version the newest Journal theme requires, then apply the latest Journal build itself. • Keep the entire front-end structure, layouts, menus and all back-end settings intact. • Preserve every module—especially the Stripe payment extension—and update them only if essential for compatibility. • I have a test environment you can set up and work in if that helps with the update. • Once the test site is operating on PHP 8 without errors, migrate the changes to production and run through checkout, admin functions and order emails together with me for final sign-off. I will actively help with testing and will need short-term after-project support in case any edge-case issues surface. If this sounds straightforward for you, please outline your upgrade approach and expected timeline. [login to view URL]

Project ID: 39715392