Drupal has been a cornerstone of web development for decades. It remains a top choice for enterprises that need robust customization, advanced security, flexible access control, and powerful content management. With so many CMS options available, here we explore what sets Drupal apart and why major organizations continue to rely on it.
Back in 2001 when Drupal was born, there were only a small handful of CMSs on the market. Today there exist innumerable options catering to every conceivable business need, ranging from open-source models like Drupal and WordPress to proprietary platforms like Adobe Experience Manager and Contentful. A relative dinosaur in the field, Drupal still stands out as a robust and flexible option, renowned for its scalability, customizability, and security as well as the enormous scale and energy of its contributor community.
For those new to Drupal, understanding its capabilities can unlock new potential for your web presence, while developers may find it a fertile ground for creating unique, powerful digital experiences. Here we will explore what Drupal is, how it works, and whether it's the right CMS for your needs, complete with some examples of notable Drupal exponents who have leveraged the platform with great results.
Drupal is one of the world’s leading open-source content management systems. As of January 2024, roughly 1.7 million websites ran on Drupal, representing between one and two percent of all websites. Drupal’s presence is significantly larger among prominent, heavily visited sites, with around 12.8 percent of the world’s top 10,000 sites being Drupal-based, including nearly 2,000 government sites. It is powered by a community of over one million global contributors.
It’s a framework that enables the creation of highly interactive and dynamic websites. Drupal’s architecture is modular, meaning that users can extend the core functionality by installing modules, which can add anything from SEO optimization to custom forms, analytics, or even full-fledged e-commerce capabilities. This flexibility has made it the platform of choice for websites that require a high level of customization and scalability, surpassing platforms like WordPress and Joomla in this regard.
According to Acquia’s introduction of Drupal, the platform is especially appealing for enterprise-level businesses because it can manage complex, multi-site ecosystems. Additionally, its strong focus on security and performance has made it a trusted choice for governments, universities, and other large institutions that expect a lot out of their websites.
Drupal operates on a layered system consisting of core, modules, themes, and users. Here’s a basic breakdown of its components:
The foundation of Drupal, which includes essential features like user management, content creation, and menu handling. The core is responsible for most of the site's basic operations, including security features.
These are add-ons that extend the functionality of the core system. For example, if you need advanced SEO capabilities or want to integrate third-party APIs, you can install a module tailored to your needs. Drupal has over 44,000 available modules that cater to various purposes.
The visual part of the website is controlled by themes. Drupal’s flexibility allows for custom themes to be built from scratch or to modify existing ones, giving developers full control over the design elements of a website.
Drupal allows for granular user permission controls, which makes it easy to assign roles (such as admins, editors, or authenticated users) with varying levels of access to different parts of the site.
Drupal offers a number of advantages for developers and businesses alike, but like any technology, it comes with its own set of trade-offs. Here’s a breakdown of Drupal’s advantages as well as characteristics that might give you pause:
The Weather Channel's website is an excellent example of how Drupal's scalability and performance features can handle vast amounts of data and heavy traffic. With millions of visitors daily, the site needed a platform that could serve real-time updates without sacrificing speed or performance.
Drupal has long been a cornerstone of the content management system (CMS) world. With its flexibility and scalability, Drupal has also established itself as a strong contender in the headless CMS space. Its advantages in the headless ecosystem are rooted in its open-source foundation and robust features:
Drupal provides out-of-the-box support for API-first capabilities. These tools allow for smooth integration with external applications, ensuring that content can be delivered to websites, mobile apps, smart devices, and even AR/VR platforms.
Drupal's flexible content architecture enables businesses to create structured content tailored to their needs. Using Drupal's Entity system and Paragraphs module, content can be broken into reusable components that fit seamlessly into different front-end designs.
Drupal’s modular architecture, combined with advanced caching (such as BigPipe and CDN integration), ensures top-tier performance even under heavy traffic. This makes Drupal particularly suited for enterprise-level projects where scalability is a priority.
As an open-source platform, Drupal allows for unmatched customization without vendor lock-in. Its vibrant community of contributors ensures constant innovation, with thousands of modules to extend functionality and regular updates for security and performance.
While Drupal excels in the headless ecosystem, there are a few considerations to keep in mind when adopting it as a headless CMS:
Drupal’s flexibility comes with a learning curve, especially for teams new to headless architecture. Proper implementation often requires a solid understanding of front-end frameworks and APIs.
In a decoupled configuration, Drupal does not provide native tools for content previews. This requires custom solutions or additional integrations to allow content creators to see how their work will look in the final front-end presentation.
Maintaining both a Drupal back-end and a separate front-end framework can increase development and infrastructure costs. Updates to APIs or front-end frameworks require careful coordination to avoid breaking changes.
While Drupal supports a wide range of APIs and external integrations, setting up complex workflows (e.g., for omnichannel delivery or personalized content) may require experienced developers and additional resources.
As Drupal specialists for over 10 years, we at Octahedroid understand the complexities of the system and are committed to delivering tailor-made solutions that meet your specific needs.
We deliver tailored Drupal setups, whether traditional or decoupled, to meet your project’s unique needs.
Our team builds scalable, responsive, and highly functional websites designed to drive user engagement and business growth.
We specialize in creating decoupled Drupal architectures, addressing technical challenges and strategic requirements.
Using cutting-edge tools, we enhance your website’s speed, responsiveness, and efficiency for seamless user experiences.
We connect your Drupal site with APIs and external services to create a cohesive and dynamic digital ecosystem.
Our experts ensure smooth migrations to the latest Drupal version while preserving site performance and SEO rankings.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you build, manage, and grow your Drupal-powered website.