The latest market share data published on various websites indicates that Drupal is currently one of the top 10 content management systems of 2017. Currently, WordPress and Joomla have a larger market share than Drupal. But Drupal still has a larger market share than other content management systems, including Magento, Blogger, Bitrix, TYPO3, Squarespace, and Shopify. In addition, Drupal is currently being used by several large, high-traffic websites, including the FedEx news site, AT&T’s application beta website, Sun Microsystems Java.net, Reuters’s Lab website, CNNgo website of CNN, Grammy and ConsumerSearch.
Just like other open source content management systems, Drupal also helps users to create, publish, store and manage digital content without spending more money. At the same time, Drupal speeds up custom website development by providing a simple administration interface and various modules. In addition to making Drupal easy to use, the administration interface also helps users manage page-heavy websites efficiently. At the same time, modules developed and maintained by professional developers help users improve website functionality without writing additional code. Its main features and extensions directly affect the future of Drupal. In addition, they help make Drupal a widely used content management system.
Features that will directly affect the future of Drupal
More than 38,000 modules
When developing custom web applications, developers need to make many changes to the content management system (CMS) to accurately meet business needs. In addition to being open source, Drupal is also designed as a customizable and extensible CMS. Developers can easily extend and customize Drupal’s core functionality through the use of specific modules. Today, a developer has the option to choose from over 38,000 contributed modules for Drupal. At the same time, you also have the option to write and share custom modules based on specific requirements.
More than 2500 themes
Like other content management systems, Drupal also allows developers to customize the appearance of a website through the use of themes. Currently, a web developer has the option to choose from more than 2,500 themes provided according to the precise needs of each project. In addition to using themes shared by other Drupal developers, you also have the option to create and share new themes. At the same time, Drupal allows web developers to create sub-themes of an existing theme. Therefore, a developer can easily optimize the source code or core functionality of an existing theme by creating subthemes that inherit all resources from the parent theme.
User-friendly features and simple installation process
Many developers even find it easier to install and configure Drupal than other content management systems. Unlike other content management systems, Drupal can be installed without having to deal with complex configuration options. At the same time, a user can take advantage of a feature called distributions to add features or functions to a website according to precise business requirements.
Simplify digital content management
Today, developers have to combine a variety of digital content to keep website visitors engaged. Drupal speeds up content-driven website development by supporting various types of digital content: text, blogs, podcasts, statistics, and polls. At the same time, the CMS allows developers to classify website content based on a number of parameters, including path and URL. Developers even have the option to organize and reuse digital content by creating custom lists.
Features to facilitate the development of multilingual websites
In addition to supporting different types of digital content, Drupal also speeds up multilingual website development through contributed modules. A web application developer can use the contributed module to choose, apply, and configure multiple languages. Also, you can speed up the translation of website content by using specific modules and tools. Drupal 8.x enables developers to speed up the translation of website content using a robust translation tool like Entity Translation.
Facilitates rapid prototyping
Most businesses today require developers to create websites and web applications according to their precise business needs. But the needs and goals of individual companies differ. Therefore, web developers must create prototype models to verify whether the website accurately meets pre-defined business requirements. Drupal comes with features to simplify and speed up web application prototyping. Developers can use Drupal to quickly prototype the complex website according to different business needs.
Advanced user management
In addition to combining a variety of website content, companies also manage website content through various employees. Drupal makes it easy for businesses to manage digital content quickly and efficiently by defining custom user roles. The website administrator has the option to create multiple users and create custom user roles. A specific user’s custom role defines their level of access and controls. Admin can add or delete users and modify user roles seamlessly.
Mobile First Approach
Most users today access websites and web applications on their mobile devices. When developing a website, developers have to explore ways to improve their mobile user experience. Drupal allows developers to take a mobile-first approach. Therefore, it is easier for users to create mobile-friendly and responsive websites accessible on both computers and mobile devices with a single code base. Drupal further enhances website usability by using HTML5 as the standard web markup language and provides mobile-optimized toolbar and admin themes.
Enterprise-grade security
Many companies prefer Drupal because of its enterprise-grade and advanced security features. The built-in security features provided by the CMS allow web developers to keep the website secure without using additional plugins or modules. Drupal developers can improve website security simply through security settings. Developers can track new vulnerabilities by visiting the Drupal website and reading vulnerabilities posted by members of the Drupal community.
Despite being an open source content management system, Drupal has constantly evolved. The latest version (8.4.0) of Drupal comes with several new modules and internal improvements. But Drupal, like other content management systems, has its own shortcomings. A developer has to spend extra time and effort to learn Drupal. In addition, they have to use third-party Drupal modules to speed up enterprise web application development. These shortcomings will have a direct impact on Drupal’s long-term future.
