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| {{Community_Page}}
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| {{CMS_Infobox | | {{CMS_Infobox |
| | name = Drupal | | | name = Drupal |
| | status = Community | | | developer = Drupal Association / Community |
| | type = CMS / CMF | | | type = CMS / Web Application Framework |
| | license = GPL v2 | | | license = GNU General Public License v2 |
| | language = PHP | | | language = PHP |
| | database = MySQL / PostgreSQL / SQLite | | | released = 2001-01-15 |
| | latest_ver = 10.3 | | | latest_version = 10.x |
| | release_date = January 15, 2001
| | | website = https://drupal.org |
| | website = https://drupal.org | | | github = https://github.com/drupal/drupal |
| | github = https://github.com/drupal/drupal | | | stars = 4,000+ |
| | demo = https://simplytest.me/ | |
| }} | | }} |
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| '''Drupal''' is a free, [[Open Source CMS|open-source]] content management system ([[CMS]]) and content management framework ([[CMF]]) written in [[PHP]] and distributed under the [[GPL v2|GNU General Public License]]. Drupal provides a robust back-end framework for at least 2.5% of all websites worldwide, ranging from personal blogs to enterprise, corporate, political, and government sites. It is maintained and developed by a community of over 1.3 million members and developers worldwide. | | '''Drupal''' is a free and open-source content management framework written in [[PHP]]. Known for its flexibility, security, and scalability, Drupal is widely used by governments, universities, and large enterprises. |
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| Known for its modular architecture, granular access control, and powerful content modeling capabilities, Drupal serves both as a traditional monolithic CMS and as a modern [[Headless CMS|headless or decoupled CMS]].
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| == Overview == | | == Overview == |
| Drupal is designed to allow site builders and developers to construct complex, content-rich websites without needing to rewrite fundamental web architectures. Unlike platforms focused strictly on blogging, Drupal operates as a true Content Management Framework (CMF), providing a set of core services and APIs that developers can extend.
| | Drupal was created by '''Dries Buytaert''' in 2001. Unlike standard CMS platforms, Drupal provides primitives for building complex data structures, workflows, and multi-channel publishing pipelines. Notable Drupal users include the White House website, NASA, and Harvard University. |
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| The platform is structured around a modular paradigm where functionality is extended through core and contributed modules. Content is represented as abstract data entities composed of configurable fields, allowing for arbitrary schema design. Drupal's permission system features fine-grained access control, enabling administrators to define role-based permissions down to individual content types, fields, and operational actions.
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| Drupal is widely favored by large organizations, higher education institutions, governments, and global media corporations due to its security standards, scalability, and ability to handle high volumes of concurrent traffic and complex data structures.
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| == History ==
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| Drupal was originally created in 2000 by Belgian computer scientist Dries Buytaert as an internal message board for students at Ghent University. The name "Drupal" derives from the Dutch word ''druppel'', which translates to "drop" in English. When Buytaert launched the project website in 2001, he accidentally misspelled the domain name as "drop.org" instead of "dorp" (Dutch for "village"), and the project eventually took its permanent name from the Dutch word for raindrop. | |
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| Key milestones in the history of Drupal include:
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| * '''Drupal 1.0–4.0 (2001–2002):''' Initial releases focused on basic message board features, user accounts, and topic indexing.
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| * '''Drupal 4.6–5.0 (2005–2007):''' Introduced the Form API, taxonomy system improvements, and custom module hooks, establishing Drupal as a major open-source web application platform.
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| * '''Drupal 6 (2008):''' Enhanced user experience, multilingual foundations, and developer APIs.
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| * '''Drupal 7 (2011):''' A landmark release that introduced the Field API into core, redesigned the administrative interface, and significantly expanded the module ecosystem. Drupal 7 remained supported for over a decade due to its wide adoption.
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| * '''Drupal 8 (2015):''' A revolutionary paradigm shift in Drupal's architecture. The codebase was re-architected to incorporate modern object-oriented PHP practices, adopting components from the [[Symfony]] framework, the [[Twig]] templating engine, and built-in configuration management.
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| * '''Drupal 9 (2020):''' Transitioned to a continuous upgrade model, matching Symfony dependency cycles and removing deprecated code without requiring total site rewrites.
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| * '''Drupal 10 (2022–2024):''' Introduced release 10.3, featuring the Olivero front-end theme, Claro administration theme, CKEditor 5 integration, automated updates initiatives, and support for modern PHP 8.1+ environments.
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| == Key Features == | | == Key Features == |
| | * '''Entity System''' — Every piece of content is an entity with configurable fields |
| | * '''Views Module''' — Powerful query builder for displaying content in lists and grids |
| | * '''Configuration Management''' — Export/import full site configuration as files |
| | * '''Workflows & Content Moderation''' — Built-in draft/review/publish workflow |
| | * '''Headless/Decoupled''' — JSON API modules for decoupled architectures |
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| === Content Types === | | == Installation == |
| Drupal enables administrators to define custom content types (such as Articles, Products, Events, or Case Studies) without editing code. Each content type can be customized with various field types, including text, media, taxonomy references, entity references, and dates.
| | === Requirements === |
| | | * PHP 8.1 or higher |
| === Views === | | * Database server |
| The Views module—fully integrated into Drupal core—is a visual query builder that allows site builders to fetch, filter, format, and display entities across the website. Views can output content as lists, tables, grids, RSS feeds, JSON endpoints, or interactive blocks.
| | * Web Server |
| | | * Composer |
| === Blocks ===
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| Drupal uses a region-based UI block system to place static or dynamic content into specific regions defined by the active theme. The core Layout Builder further expands this by providing a drag-and-drop visual interface for creating custom page layouts for individual nodes or entire content types.
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| === Entity System ===
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| At the core of Drupal's data layer is the Entity API. Everything in Drupal—including content nodes, taxonomy terms, user profiles, media items, comments, and block instances—is an entity. Entities can be content entities (storing dynamic data) or configuration entities (storing site settings and structural definitions).
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| === Multilingual ===
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| Drupal features built-in internationalization (i18n). Out of the box, sites can translate content entities, interface strings, taxonomy terms, and configuration files into over 100 languages with automated translation file fetching.
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| === REST API ===
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| Drupal core includes native support for RESTful Web Services and the JSON:API specification. Any entity in Drupal can be automatically exposed via standard HTTP methods (GET, POST, PATCH, DELETE) with complete adherence to security and field-level permissions.
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| == Architecture == | | === Quick Start === |
| | Drupal is typically installed via Composer using the `drupal/recommended-project` template. After downloading the dependencies, you can run the web-based installer or use the command-line tool. |
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| === Symfony Components === | | == API Reference == |
| Since version 8, Drupal relies heavily on component libraries from the [[Symfony]] PHP framework. Core infrastructure utilizes Symfony components such as:
| | Drupal ships with JSON API capabilities enabled by default in recent versions, allowing you to fetch nodes, taxonomy terms, and users via standard HTTP requests. |
| * `HttpFoundation` for HTTP request/response modeling
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| * `HttpKernel` for handling the application request lifecycle
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| * `EventDispatcher` for event-driven hook architectures
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| * `DependencyInjection` for service containers and inversion of control
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| * `Routing` for URL matching and controller dispatching
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| === Plugin System === | | == Pricing == |
| Drupal's Plugin system provides reusable units of functionality. Plugins are defined using PHP attributes or annotations, allowing modules to expose extendable components like block types, field formatters, view displays, and migrate source plugins cleanly without relying solely on legacy procedural hooks. | | Drupal is '''completely free and open source'''. |
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| === Entity API === | | == Pros & Cons == |
| The Entity API abstracts database operations into Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) paradigms. Content items are instantiated as PHP objects, providing standardized methods (`save()`, `delete()`, `label()`) and unified QueryBuilder tools (`EntityQuery`) to query content independently of the underlying database system.
| | {| class="wikitable" |
| | | ! ✅ Pros !! ❌ Cons |
| === Theme Layer ===
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| Drupal's front-end rendering uses a render array pipeline (nested array representations of HTML) combined with preprocess functions and the [[Twig]] templating engine. This separation guarantees secure output generation and flexible template overriding across theme inheritance chains.
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| == Modules ==
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| === Module Ecosystem ===
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| Drupal's functionality is divided into three tiers of modules:
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| # '''Core Modules:''' Maintained directly by the Drupal project team and shipped with every installation.
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| # '''Contributed (Contrib) Modules:''' Community-developed add-ons hosted on the official `drupal.org` repository and installed using [[Composer]].
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| # '''Custom Modules:''' Site-specific code written by developers to fulfill unique business logic.
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| === Key Modules ===
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| * '''Views:''' Integrated into core, enabling complex dynamic database query displays.
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| * '''Token:''' Provides a universal framework for text replacement tokens (e.g., `[node:title]`, `[site:name]`).
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| * '''Pathauto:''' Automatically generates search-engine-optimized (SEO) URL aliases based on configurable token patterns.
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| * '''Webform:''' A full-featured form builder and submission management framework used for surveys, contact forms, and complex workflow applications.
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| == Themes ==
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| === Twig Templating ===
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| Drupal uses [[Twig]], an open-source PHP template engine created by SensioLabs. Twig separates application logic from presentation templates, enforcing clean `.html.twig` syntax and automatic HTML escaping to protect against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities.
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| === Claro Admin Theme ===
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| Claro is Drupal's modern, accessible administration theme designed to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA standards. It offers an intuitive visual layout, responsive administration controls, and refined touch targets for mobile administration.
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| === Popular Contrib Themes ===
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| * '''Olivero:''' The modern, accessible front-end core theme featuring clean typography and responsive design.
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| * '''Radix / Barrio:''' Starter base themes providing integration with modern CSS frameworks such as Bootstrap and Tailwind CSS.
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| * '''Zen & Classy:''' Flexible base starter themes used as clean foundation layouts for custom enterprise theme development.
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| == Drupal as Headless CMS ==
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| Drupal can be deployed in a decoupled (headless) architecture, serving as a headless content store while front-end applications are built using JavaScript frameworks like React, Vue.js, Next.js, or Nuxt.js.
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| Configurations include:
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| * '''Fully Decoupled:''' Drupal acts strictly as a back-end content API (via JSON:API or GraphQL), while front-end rendering and routing are completely handled by a client-side or SSR application.
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| * '''Progressively Decoupled:''' Drupal handles overall page rendering and layout, while embedding interactive JavaScript widgets or Single Page Applications (SPAs) into specific page regions or blocks.
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| Decoupled Drupal leverages built-in OAuth2 support (via Simple OAuth), allowing secure cross-domain authentication and seamless content syndication across web, mobile apps, digital signage, and IoT devices.
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| == Enterprise Use Cases ==
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| Drupal is widely chosen for mission-critical enterprise applications:
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| * '''Government & Public Sector:''' Used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Australian Government (GovCMS), and numerous European state platforms requiring strict security and accessibility compliance.
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| * '''Higher Education:''' Deployed across major universities including Harvard, Oxford, and MIT to manage multi-departmental sites via Drupal Multisite architecture.
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| * '''Media & Publishing:''' Employed by high-traffic outlets like NBC Sports, BBC, and major news networks to distribute real-time content at massive scale.
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| * '''Global Enterprises:''' Utilized by corporations like General Electric, Pfizer, and Lufthansa for multi-brand and multilingual global web ecosystems.
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| == Security ==
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| === Drupal Security Team ===
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| The Drupal project maintains a dedicated, international Security Team consisting of security experts who review contrib modules, investigate reported vulnerabilities, and coordinate security releases. Security advisories are published predictably every Wednesday ("Security Wednesday"), accompanied by patch releases.
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| === Update Process ===
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| Modern Drupal installations utilize Composer for dependency management, ensuring clean updates of core code, libraries, and modules. Administrators update database schemas using the built-in update tool (`update.php`) or the Drush command-line tool (`drush updatedb`). The ongoing Automatic Updates initiative aims to provide one-click background security updates directly from the admin dashboard.
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| == Comparison ==
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| === Drupal vs WordPress ===
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| {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;" | |
| ! Feature !! Drupal !! [[WordPress]] | |
| |-
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| | '''Target Audience''' || Enterprise, developers, complex data architecture || Small businesses, bloggers, general site owners
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| |-
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| | '''Learning Curve''' || Steeper; requires understanding of entities and OOP concepts || Gentler; low barrier to entry for non-technical users
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| |-
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| | '''Content Modeling''' || Advanced out-of-the-box entity and field customization || Basic posts/pages by default; relies on custom post type plugins
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| |-
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| | '''Out-of-the-box Security''' || Exceptionally strong; dedicated Security Team oversight || Strong, but larger attack surface due to unvetted plugin ecosystem
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| |-
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| | '''Multilingual Support''' || Built into core across all content and configuration || Requires third-party plugins (e.g., WPML, Polylang)
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| |}
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| === Drupal vs Joomla ===
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| {| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
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| ! Feature !! Drupal !! [[Joomla]]
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| |-
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| | '''Architecture''' || Object-oriented, Symfony component integration || Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern
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| |- | | |- |
| | '''Extensibility''' || Unified Entity API and robust plugin architecture || Component / Module / Plugin multi-tier architecture | | | Extremely flexible data modeling || Steep learning curve |
| |- | | |- |
| | '''Developer Adoption''' || Strong enterprise developer community and CLI tools (Drush) || Moderate developer ecosystem focused on mid-tier sites | | | Enterprise-grade security || Complex configuration for beginners |
| |- | | |- |
| | '''API Integration''' || Native JSON:API, REST, and GraphQL integration || Built-in Web Services API in Joomla 4+ | | | Config management (DevOps-friendly) || Smaller plugin ecosystem than WordPress |
| |} | | |} |
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| == External Links == | | == External Links == |
| * [https://drupal.org Official Drupal Website] | | * [https://drupal.org Official Website] |
| * [https://github.com/drupal/drupal Official GitHub Repository]
| | * [https://www.drupal.org/docs Documentation] |
| * [https://simplytest.me/ SimplyTest.me - Online Drupal Sandbox]
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| * [https://api.drupal.org Drupal API Documentation]
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| * [https://www.drupal.org/security Drupal Security Advisories] | |
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| [[Category:CMS_Platforms]] | | [[Category:CMS_Platforms]] |
| [[Category:Open_Source_CMS]] | | [[Category:Open_Source_CMS]] |
| [[Category:PHP_CMS]]
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| [[Category:Enterprise_CMS]] | | [[Category:Enterprise_CMS]] |
| Drupal
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| Status
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🤝 Community
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| Type
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CMS / Web Application Framework
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| License
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GNU General Public License v2
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| Language
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PHP
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| Database
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| Latest Version
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| Release Date
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| Website
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Official Site
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| GitHub
|
Repository
|
Drupal is a free and open-source content management framework written in PHP. Known for its flexibility, security, and scalability, Drupal is widely used by governments, universities, and large enterprises.
Overview
Drupal was created by Dries Buytaert in 2001. Unlike standard CMS platforms, Drupal provides primitives for building complex data structures, workflows, and multi-channel publishing pipelines. Notable Drupal users include the White House website, NASA, and Harvard University.
Key Features
- Entity System — Every piece of content is an entity with configurable fields
- Views Module — Powerful query builder for displaying content in lists and grids
- Configuration Management — Export/import full site configuration as files
- Workflows & Content Moderation — Built-in draft/review/publish workflow
- Headless/Decoupled — JSON API modules for decoupled architectures
Installation
Requirements
- PHP 8.1 or higher
- Database server
- Web Server
- Composer
Quick Start
Drupal is typically installed via Composer using the `drupal/recommended-project` template. After downloading the dependencies, you can run the web-based installer or use the command-line tool.
API Reference
Drupal ships with JSON API capabilities enabled by default in recent versions, allowing you to fetch nodes, taxonomy terms, and users via standard HTTP requests.
Pricing
Drupal is completely free and open source.
Pros & Cons
| ✅ Pros |
❌ Cons
|
| Extremely flexible data modeling |
Steep learning curve
|
| Enterprise-grade security |
Complex configuration for beginners
|
| Config management (DevOps-friendly) |
Smaller plugin ecosystem than WordPress
|
External Links
