Convincing advantages of the Drupal Content Management System
Open Source CMS and Web Framework
Which is the best CMS?
This is one of the most common questions we get asked. And it can't be answered in the same way for all projects. But among the various CMS platforms for medium to large web projects, Drupal stands out as one of the leading options in W3tech's statistics. The core modules of Drupal (CMS, Commerce, etc.) offer an incredible number of functionalities „out-of-the-box„. If these are not enough, you can choose from countless third-party modules ( 40,000+ ), which are developed by the Drupal community, or you can write your own modules with individual code. In this article, we'll take a look at many more benefits that Drupal offers and why it can be an excellent choice for medium to large enterprise web projects.
These are the main advantages of the Drupal CMS
1. Open source
Drupal is open source and therefore publicly available. Backed by an active community of more than 45,000 contributors rather than a single company or author, Drupal offers its users the creative freedom to innovate and problem-solve - without the limitations of being locked into one vendor.
2. Robust security
Security is an essential consideration when choosing a CMS. Drupal has an excellent reputation for security. The platform has an active community that is constantly working to identify and fix security vulnerabilities. Regular security updates and patches ensure that your website remains protected from threats. Not only the core, but every contribution and third-party module is put through its paces by the Drupal security team in a strict review process before being released publicly.
3. Flexibility and Scalability
Drupal offers exceptional flexibility and scalability. Unlike proprietary content management systems that limit your choice of capabilities and features to those available within a specific vendor's ecosystem, Drupal allows you to apply a best-of-breed approach. This allows you to choose the backend, frontend, and delivery technologies that best meet your unique needs. Drupal allows you to customize and extend your website according to your unique needs. Whether it's a small business website or a complex online platform, Drupal can easily scale with your growth and changing needs.
4. Top UX and a lot of freedom for content editors
The Drupal admin user interface is very easy to use, configure and offers a lot of freedom for the content editors. If necessary, it can be (further) developed by other Drupal experts. The new CKEDITOR 5 (WYSIWYG - What you see is what you get) simplifies the maintenance of content (texts, images, etc.). With the Layout Builder, Sitewerk uses a stack in which free page layouts can be built with modular UI blocks without the agency being needed. The layout builder is implemented in such a way that it stores data in a structured way, which does not negatively affect performance. Additionally, Drupal offers advanced features for versioning, media management, and workflow control.
5. High Performance (Page Speed - Core Web Vitals)
Known for its high performance, Drupal is optimized for a number of caching engines. It was developed to work smoothly even with large amounts of data and high traffic. With the right configuration and optimization, Drupal can ensure fast load times, optimized bandwidth, and outstanding performance, resulting in a positive user experience.
6. Accessibility
Drupal attaches great importance to accessibility to ensure that websites are accessible to all users, including people with disabilities. Drupal's default Olivero theme, as well as the new Claro admin theme, are accessible by default (WCAG Standard 2 Level AA) to ensure an accessible user experience.
7. Easy Integration
Thanks to the Drupal community, Drupal's flexibility has been taken to a higher level. The API-First deployment enables the development of decoupled pages (headless) by activating modules that are already available in the Drupal core. In addition, the community has developed other modules that expand this capability without investing a great deal of effort. This allows Drupal to be easily integrated with other systems and technologies, making it a versatile CMS for a wide range of use cases. The deployment allows the use of Drupal backend as a content source that can be requested by different frontends.
8. Active Community and Extensive Module Library
Drupal has a vibrant and engaged community of developers, designers, and users. This community offers a wealth of resources, support, and documentation that make it easy to find answers to your questions and get help solving problems. The active community also contributes to the constant development and improvement of Drupal.
9. Indexing and Search
Drupal has a very powerful Search API that allows indexing and searching of content. A search form is also included in the standard Drupal functionality. The connection to external specialized search servers such as Solr or Elasticsearch is made possible by using appropriate modules.
10. SEO Friendliness
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is crucial for better visibility in search results. Drupal offers inherently SEO-friendly features, allowing you to easily tweak metadata, URL structures, and other important SEO elements. This makes it easier for search engines to index your website and rank it higher in search results.
11. Multi-Language Support
For global businesses or websites with an international audience, multilingual support is crucial. Drupal offers extensive functions for creating and managing multilingual websites. You can seamlessly publish content in different languages and provide a localized user experience.
12. Module Architecture
Drupal uses a module architecture, which means custom code is organized separately from „core“, which in turn means bugfix releases and even minor upgrades can be done without code modifications.
«Drupal can be used for a variety of website projects, regardless of the industry or specific use case.»
Pavel Grishkevich, Solutions Architect
Fields of applications of Drupal
Basically, Drupal can be used for a variety of website projects, regardless of the industry or specific use case.
Corporate websites
Due to its high flexibility, Drupal is the ideal CMS for medium to large websites. As an enterprise-ready CMS, it offers a robust basis for managing large amounts of content in company-wide environments with features such as publishing workflows, versioning and a fine-grained authorization system. By integrating these features, Drupal enables efficient collaboration and precise control over the content lifecycle, making it a suitable solution for businesses.
Intranets and digital workplaces
In addition to traditional websites, Drupal can also be used to create intranets and digital workplaces, which is particularly important in the New Work era. Drupal offers the possibility to implement tailor-made functions and workflows to efficiently support internal processes and collaboration. The CMS can be easily integrated into the existing IT infrastructure and peripheral systems.
Ecommerce Websites
Drupal can serve as a robust platform for building ecommerce websites. Modules like Drupal Commerce can be used to create online stores with rich features and customization options. Since content and commerce are merging more and more, it can make more sense to use a CMS with e-commerce capabilities than to opt for a native e-commerce solution like Magento or Shopware.
Community platforms
Drupal is ideal for developing community websites or social networks. It allows creation of member profiles, forums, groups and other social features.