What is Drupal? Learn All About Drupal - A Free CMS

Today, Drupal Hosting is trusted and supported by world's top corporations and brands. As a matter of fact, Drupal is now being used by half of the Fortune 500 companies, which shows how reliable and compatible this platform is.

But what exactly is Drupal? And why does the industry giants favor it so much? All of that will be uncovered in the content ahead. But for now, remember that Drupal is an open-source CMS which has been in the market for more than two decades and it has been revolutionizing how sites are built and maintained.

So, for anyone related to content on the web, it should be one of your key priorities to understand, install and learn Drupal. Now that we have a concept in mind, let’s explore everything it has to offer, from its extensive features to its vibrant community.

What Is Drupal?

Drupal is like the community garden of the internet where everyone can plant their ideas and grow their sites for free. Imagine a place where anyone can come in, pick up a shovel (in this case, software), and start building. Its' free for all and anyone with the right skillsets can come in and start working without paying a dime.

Drupal is incredibly flexible, letting you change how your internet site looks and works for free without asking customers for permission or extra fees.

Since it is open-source, think of it as the benefits end of having the recipe posted right there on the garden shed wall.

If you see something in the code that could be better, you can fix it yourself or use the Drupal community channel to shout out.

Chances are, there’ll be a friendly bunch already on it, making improvements and keeping pest issues (like security issues and bugs) away. Keep an eye on the announcement icon in your admin dashboard so you don't miss any critical news.

Advanced Features Offered by Drupal Site

As mentioned before, Drupal is a CMS that lets you easily build and manage various types of digital content on a website to enhance the digital experiences of the users.

This platform is particularly known for its flexibility and advanced features, which include:

User Interface and Content Management

Drupal provides a straightforward user interface that supports the creation and management of diverse content types such as text, images, data, and media files, giving it a significant advantage in content management flexibility.

You can customize how you organize and display this content using a range of Drupal’s robust tools that are easy to handle.

Content Creation and Editing Tools

The system includes a set of intuitive tools for creating content and with support for powerful options for editing it and running it directly on the page. Drupal simplifies the process of content creation and updates without needing extensive technical know-how. A resource center is also available to support from within Drupal in form of guides and tutorials.

Access Control

Drupal has built a detailed system for managing end users. It allows you to set up different end user roles and permissions, to ensure that only authorized users can access specific application functionalities.

Modules: The Building Blocks of Drupal

Modules are components that add specific features to your sites, like photo galleries or voting systems. Drupal core, the basic framework you download from Drupal, includes essential modules. However, there are many additional modules supported and maintained by the Drupal community that you can use to meet your business' specific needs.

Development and Technology

Drupal is not just a CMS but also a powerful platform for developing web pages. It follows modern programming standards and incorporates leading technologies such as PHP, HTML5, YAML, and others like CKEditor and Symfony2.

This makes it a robust tool for developers looking to customize their sites with new features and designs, ensuring full mobile compatibility.

Learn Drupal

Drupal is not only about creating sites but also about using digital experiences and creating exceptional digital experiences. It is a flexible and powerful platform that offers a wide range of features for everyone, whether you're simply exploring or getting into the details of programming.

Site Builder

Site building is the essential Drupal skill that anyone aiming to construct an internet site should master. It's the foundational Drupal competency responsible for crafting a site. This role involves setting up Drupal, getting it operational, and tweaking the settings to create build a functional internet site.

Themer/Front-end Developer

A themer, or front-end developer, acts as the crucial link between a designer team and developer team within a project. They take charge of the architecture and actual building of the user-facing elements of an internet site, which involves working with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and similar technologies.

Developer

Developers, a team of individuals who you might also hear called engineers, developers or programmers, harness their expertise in PHP, MySQL, HTML, JavaScript, and CSS to push Drupal's boundaries. They extend, modify, and enhance the platform by crafting modules and weaving in external services.

Is Drupal Free to Use?

It sure is. It is a type of software that is used by many industries to manage their image and content.

You might be wondering why you won't have to spend a dime with Drupal. That is somewhat true, but you need to plan beforehand to ensure you have a budget, plan, and strategy in your head if you want to become one of those success stories that we see every day.

You'll need budget to hire web developers and designers to customize your sites.

What Does Drupal Include?

Drupal Core

Drupal Core forms the foundational functionalities of any website. It provides a robust framework that includes:

• WYSIWYG Editor (CKEditor 5): This tool lets you create and edit website content easily. It displays the content during editing exactly as it will appear when published.

• Layout Builder: This is a simple tool that allows anyone to create custom web pages.

• Customizable Workflows: This feature helps manage how content is updated on a website. It allows for a process where updates can be reviewed and approved or sent back for changes.

• Admin Toolbar: Quick access to essential admin pages for streamlined management.

• Default Themes: Olivero for front-end and Claro for admin interfaces, offering modern, responsive, and accessible designs.

• Media Management: Upload and manage multimedia content, with features to reuse media like images and videos from platforms like YouTube.

• Web Form Builder: Easily create forms ranging from simple contact forms to complex applications.

• Multilingual Support: Build and manage content in multiple languages.

• SEO Features: Tools to create search engine-friendly URLs and metatags.

• Advanced Search Capabilities: Integrated search functionalities that are compatible with powerful engines like Solr.

• Data Migration Tools: Migrate content smoothly from various sources to your Drupal site.

• Regular Updates: Continuous improvements in security, performance, and features.

Drupal Theming

Drupal Theming allows you to customize the visual style of your internet site to align with your brand identity. This can be done through:

• Using a Theme: Apply a pre-made theme or purchase it from third parties to quickly revamp the look of your sites.

• Custom-made a Theme: Collaborate with digital agencies to create a bespoke theme that uniquely represent your brand.

Drupal Contributed Modules

Drupal Contributed Modules are add-ons that extend the functionality and flexibility benefits of hosting your internet site, with over 51,000 modules available:

• Extensive Library: A vast selection of modules for various features, easily searchable through the admin dashboard.

• Project Browser in Drupal 10: A tool to help find and install these modules directly within your Drupal installation.

• API Support: Drupal’s support for APIs like REST, JSON, and GraphQL makes it ideal for both traditional and decoupled website architectures, allowing integration with various front-end technologies.

What Is Drupal Used For?

Drupal is like a multi-tool for creating sites, but without the actual blades, offering endless opportunities for complex site development.

It’s really handy for putting together big and intricate sites. While some tools are made for just one job, Drupal is a jack-of-all-trades in the digital content world. It can juggle lots of different tasks without breaking a sweat.

Corporate and Institutional Websites

Drupal Hosting is a popular choice for big organizations and schools because it's really good at managing complex sites.

Imagine each department being able to update their part of the internet site without messing up anyone else's work, all while keeping the overall look sharp and consistent. That’s the power and benefits of Drupal hosting!

Intranets

Drupal excels not only in constructing public websites but also in creating intranets—private networks exclusive to organizations and team members.

Imagine a tool that aligns perfectly with your business processes, streamlining document handling, team communications, data mining, and everyday operations. That’s what Drupal offers organizations with its customizable workflows.

Online Directories

Organizations, individuals, organizations and businesses that publish or need to manage large amounts of data, such data such as contact details or service listings, find Drupal Hosting particularly useful for creating online directories.

Drupal boasts advanced search features that make it easy for users to pinpoint exactly what they need. Plus, it's great at playing nice with other systems.

This means you can keep your directories fresh by syncing them with external data sources. Also, Drupal has a knack for showing users related content, which enriches their experience and adds valuable context to what they're viewing.

Interactive Websites

Drupal is a great choice for websites that need a lot of interactive features. It can handle complex forms that require several steps to fill out, which is perfect for applications and detailed data entry tasks. Drupal also lets you customize content for each user, making their experience more personalized and enjoyable.

Marketing Portals

For marketing-focused sites, Drupal Hosting offers powerful tools that help drive SEO and improve overall end-user experience. It facilitates the creation of optimized landing pages that can attract and retain visitors and integrates seamlessly with marketing automation tools to support and streamline campaign management.

Get the Best of Drupal on VPSServer: Fast, Secure, Scalable

If you're looking to upgrade up your Drupal internet site, and plan on hosting it using a Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, from VPSServer might be the perfect choice. Drupal, known for its robust and flexible capabilities, pairs wonderfully with the performance and data security features offered by us.

With VPSServer, you get to muscle your site needs to run smoothly and quickly, thanks to dedicated resources like processing power that don't have to be shared with others, helping ensure you deliver customers an exceptional user experience.". This means your Drupal sites can handle more visitors at once without slowing down. Security is also a big win here.

Another great benefit is scalability. As your sites grow, it’s easy to scale up your hosting resources with VPSServer without any fuss, ensuring that your website remains stable and responsive. You also get total control over your server environment.

Lastly, if you run into any issue, you can also contact the 24/7 available customer support. Drupal integrated with VPSServer offers robust solutions for managing your sites.

Ready to Turbocharge Your Site? Get Started with VPSServer Today!

The author

Rimsha Ashraf

Rimsha Ashraf is a Technical Content Writer and Software Engineer by profession (available on LinkedIn and Instagram). She has written 1000+ articles and blogs and has completed over 200 projects on various freelancing platforms. Her research skills and knowledge she specializes in topics such as Cyber Security, Cloud Computing, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Real Estate, Automobile, Supply Chain, Finance, Retail, E-commerce, Health & Wellness, and Pets. Rimsha is available for long-term work, and invites potential clients to view her portfolio on her website RimshaAshraf.com.

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