Exploring the Benefits of Drupal: A Powerful CMS
Drupal remains one of the most trusted open-source CMS solutions in the industry. And when it comes to high-traffic websites, it competes mainly with WordPress… which is arguably the highest praise you can give. Why do developers who work for Tesla and numerous government agencies stand firm by this platform? Let’s take a look at six reasons why over 1.5 million websites are powered by Drupal and why you should consider it, too.
1. Composable, modular architecture
If we had to pick one reason why Drupal works so well with high-profile projects – it would certainly be its approach to website development.
The whole platform was created with a simple and incredibly flexible design principle in mind. Instead of a heavily structured architecture, Drupal is based on modules – versatile components with standardized interfaces that you can freely implement, reuse and reorganize in your projects.
By now, there are over 50,000 unique modules to pick from – each one introducing specific features to enrich your website. Most of them can be simply plugged into your website’s structure and be instantly ready to go with only minimal configuration required. Of course, as we’re talking about an open-source system, each module can be custom-coded to fit the project’s unique needs – and there’s absolutely nothing to stop developers from creating their own components.
Modules are one thing – another is how seamlessly Drupal works with third-party solutions. Whichever service you want to implement on your website – there’s either an easy-to-set-up API link or a dedicated module for external code integration.
2. Impressive scalability
Drupal’s composable architecture makes up one half of an explanation of why the platform is so well-fitted for up-and-coming brands. When your business needs change, you can easily implement new features by plugging dedicated modules or modifying already integrated ones. No need to code them from scratch and reorganize the whole website’s architecture (which always entails additional costs).
The other part of that equation is Drupal’s optimization for rising traffic volumes. As a business grows, the website traffic can go up exponentially, and that could be an issue for a less prepared platform. Drupal stays on top of it with an array of caching modules that support faster page loading, optimize data bandwidth, and overall, ensure robust performance even in high-pressure circumstances. There’s a reason why even governmental platforms are built on Drupal – and that’s likely the one.
And if you want to know what high-traffic websites have embraced Drupal’s strengths – check out the article Who Uses Drupal? 20 Famous Drupal Websites.
3. Security as a top priority
As you can see from the examples pointed out in the linked article, some websites that use Drupal are heavily dependent on its users’ data – from basic personal information to medical and financial history. And somehow, institutions that stand behind them seem not to be afraid to handle all the sensitive data through an open-source system.
We know that proprietary (closed-source) software might seem to be more reliable in terms of security. However, Drupal has one enormous advantage over its paid counterparts. It’s backed by a dedicated community that does a lot to fill all the security gaps with regular updates both to Drupal’s core and its additional modules. Every addition to Drupal’s ecosystem is reviewed by the Drupal Security Team. And when a vulnerability in an already published code occurs, it’s usually quickly detected and reported by the members of Drupal’s community.
4. Thriving community standing behind Drupal
Earlier this year, we welcomed the eleventh iteration of Drupal. It wouldn’t be possible without contributions from almost 2,000 professionals across 590 organizations. And those are only the community members involved in creating Drupal 11’s core – there are also tens of thousands of developers who constantly develop new and existing modules in Drupal’s ecosystem. That’s far beyond the reach of any team working on closed-source software.
5. Numerous SEO-focused features
From our experience, we don’t know too many websites that have been able to achieve big success without solid search engine optimization. If you want to bring more traffic to your website, your SEO fundamentals must be on point. Fortunately, Drupal has a lot to offer here.
Among the SEO-oriented modules, you’ll be able to find dedicated tools to fully automate sitemap and meta tag creation, user-friendly modules for URL optimization and, of course, marketers’ beloved SEO Checklist to keep all the necessary optimization tasks in check. Also, caching modules deserve another mention here, as page speed is one of the crucial ranking factors for Google. With these tools at your disposal, Drupal makes it easier to implement and maintain an effective SEO strategy without relying heavily on manual adjustments.
6. Surprisingly pleasant user experience
You could argue that Drupal is not as accessible – especially for those without much technical knowledge – as other content management systems, like WordPress or Wix. It wouldn’t be a surprise, as Drupal is definitely more large-scale enterprise projects-oriented. However, despite the abundance of features and the level of flexibility it offers, the platform’s developers did a lot to enhance Drupal’s user experience.
For instance, the Layout Builder module offers an easy-to-use interface that enables you to create custom layouts by simply using the “drag and drop” method. Claro theme – the default administration theme – makes site managing, configuring and authoring easier than ever, even if you know nothing about HTML. And if you have ever worked with WordPress’s Gutenberg plugin and found it to be the most accessible content editor ever made – it works as its own module in Drupal, too.
Are you ready to start your Drupal journey?
Drupal is one of the most versatile, secure and high-traffic-ready CMS solutions on the market. If you’re looking for a system that handles your needs and gives your website a solid foundation – Drupal is probably your best bet.
