Drupal Web Development Guide Everything You Need to Know

A sound business plan should include a strategy for building a brand. Brands are not an entity, but they do speak to what you stand for and how your business represents what you stand for.

Websites are more effective than shouting this information from the rooftops.

You probably already know that Drupal has evolved into a powerful, versatile CMS. Many famous organizations, including Tesla, the United Nations, and Oxford University, rely on Drupal module development for their online presence. Drupal is an open-source software platform that offers a wide range of career opportunities.

If you want to succeed in Drupal, you may have many questions. What is a Drupal Developer? What are the benefits of pursuing a Drupal career, and what skills does a Drupal Developer need?

What is Drupal?

A sound business plan should include a strategy for building a brand. Brands are not an entity, but they do speak to what you stand for and how your business represents what you stand for.

Websites are more effective than shouting this information from the rooftops.

You probably already know that Drupal has evolved into a powerful, versatile CMS. Many famous organizations, including Tesla, the United Nations, and Oxford University, rely on Drupal module development for their online presence. Drupal is an open-source software platform that offers a wide range of career opportunities.

If you want to succeed in Drupal, you may have many questions. What is a Drupal Developer? What are the benefits of pursuing a Drupal career, and what skills does a Drupal Developer need?

What is Drupal Used for?

Drupal is a content management system (CMS) enabling users to create and manage web applications and websites. Drupal creates various websites, including blogs, corporate, government, and e-commerce websites. Drupal’s key features and applications include:

Content Management and Creation

Drupal offers a web interface to create and manage various types of content, including articles, videos, images, and custom content types.

User Management

Offers robust tools to manage user roles and permissions. These include creating custom functions, granting permissions, and managing user profiles.

Design & Customization

Drupal is a platform with a vibrant community of users and developers who provide a variety of design and functionality customizations through themes, modules, and extensions.

Multilingual Support

The Drupal platform supports multiple languages, including translations of content. This makes it an excellent option for sites with a worldwide audience.

E-Commerce

The Drupal platform can create e-commerce sites using various modules and extensions to manage product catalogs and shopping carts.

Web developers and websites widely use Drupal for its flexibility, stability, and security.

What are the Responsibilities of a Drupal developer?

Drupal development includes a wide range of roles that require specific skills and expertise. Here are seven of the most common Drupal developer roles.

Front End Developer

A site’s appearance is a front-end developer’s primary focus. You will be responsible for the appearance and feel of Drupal sites as a Drupal Front End Developer. Drupal provides a platform for creating custom themes. You will work with HTML and CSS to create customized themes, JavaScript, and Drupal theming to translate design mock-ups into functional websites.

Focus on aligning the visual elements of the website with the mock-ups. Improve the user experience by improving navigation and the performance of the website. Ensuring your websites are responsive and look great on any screen size is essential.

#Skills required

You must have a practical understanding and be proficient in HTML5/XHTML while coding. This includes writing modern CSS and PHP. Twigs should be used on projects with ease. You should be able to build user interfaces for web applications or websites. You should be able to write JavaScript well without using frameworks or jQuery. You must also be familiar with Firebug Chrome Inspector and similar debugging tools.

You should understand that CSS is important to maintain consistency across browsers and platforms. Accessibility concerns are also important. You should also be able to fill in the design gaps and convert wireframes and comprehensive layouts into basic HTML.

Module Designer

What would Drupal be without modules and developers? As a Drupal Module Developer, one of the most complex roles, you’re expected to develop custom Drupal modules that extend the CMS functionality. You will be working on projects with unique requirements.

As a Drupal module developer, you write, optimize, and modify PHP code to create and enhance Drupal modules. You must also adhere to Drupal’s coding standards. You are responsible for developing modules and updating, maintaining, and making them compatible.

#Skills Required

As a Module developer, it’s essential to have strong PHP skills and an understanding of Drupal architecture. With these, your role in creating custom modules will be complete. Drupal requires the implementation of common design patterns. You need to understand the factory pattern, static bindings late, software, and other design patterns.

You should also have a basic understanding of dependency infusion as part of OOP design patterns. You should have experience with the Symfony Framework, plugin functionality, and service containers.

Drupal Project Management

In Drupal, your role as a leader is magnified. As a Drupal project manager, you’ll manage different Drupal web application development projects. It will ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and meet the client’s requirements. You will act as a bridge between developers and clients. You will use project management software as a Drupal project leader to track your team’s work and monitor milestones.

#Skills Required

With an extensive skill set, you will have greater responsibilities. As the manager, you must have good project management and software skills, such as Jira or Redmine. You’ll also need to be familiar with Drupal development processes and have excellent communication skills.

You should have basic web technology knowledge and a good understanding of budgeting, goal-setting, negotiation, and target-setting. You’ll need to be a client-focused leader, focus on details, and can work independently.

Drupal Site Builder

Drupal Site Builders primarily focus on configuring Drupal’s core functionality and contributing modules to create functional sites. Site builders don’t usually write code but rather leverage Drupal’s flexibility via its intuitive interface. You’ll need to work with designers and developers to ensure the site’s look aligns with project goals. You’ll also manage user management, documentation, and quality assurance.

#Skills Required

You’ll need to be familiar with Drupal’s architecture and admin interface. Modules, configuration, user roles, Views, layouts, HTML, CSS, GIT, HTML, and CSS are all essential. You should also be familiar with Content modeling, the basics of theming, and understanding user roles.

You must also have good communication skills, troubleshoot and solve problems, and stay up-to-date with the Drupal platform. You can determine your level as a Drupal site builder based on your knowledge of Drupal’s administration interface, modules, and configuration options.

Back-end Developer

Your work revolves around the website’s back-end. As a Drupal back-end developer, you will work on the server side, creating custom modules and implementing custom functionality.

Also, you will be responsible for the integration of databases and the site’s security. Configuring server settings (web server, database server), integrating third-party APIs with the website, and troubleshooting are essential tasks.

#Skills Required

If you plan on pursuing this career, you should be able to develop web solutions using Drupal and PHP in a LAMP environment. You’ll also need to become more familiar with PHP files, the theme functions, and the Drupal theme layer.

You must be able to architect Drupal enterprise solutions, including data, display, and information architecture. Learn advanced site-building techniques, such as a deeper understanding of Drupal modules like CTools Views and Panels.

You will also need to be familiar with Drupal’s SDLC and API. It is easier to create responsive websites if you have experience in Agile SDLCs and a solid understanding of Software Development.

Drupal Technical Architect

A Drupal Technical architect is responsible for overseeing and designing the technical aspects of a Drupal project. This role will require you to focus on high-level planning and architecture, define technical requirements, select appropriate modules and technologies, and ensure the Drupal solution is aligned with the project goals and scalability.

They will gather requirements, design solutions, and architectural decisions. You will also be expected to guide various development teams, review the code, and ensure that best practices and Drupal Standards are followed. They will also build a solid technical foundation for your Drupal projects.

#Skills required

To pursue this career, you must be familiar with the performance modules of Drupal and server optimization. You’ll have to be proactive and understand a project’s critical aspects. As the leader of Drupal projects, you must know and understand a project’s back-end, front-end, and site-building task statuses. Additionally, you should have a deep understanding of optimizing Drupal, for which you’ll need an expertise level of PHP, jQuery, MySQL, CSS, and the implementation of Varnish, GeolP, UberCart, and other technologies.

Benefits of Drupal for Web Development

Drupal is consistently rated as one of the best CMSs (content management systems) that you can use to power your website. You should familiarize yourself with Drupal’s benefits if this is your first time looking at it. Drupal can be used by anyone, whether an individual, a small business, an agency, or a large enterprise. Explore why hiring Drupal developers has many benefits that have led to a large and loyal community.

Community

Since Drupal is an open-source platform, there is a sizable community of Drupal programmers who are prepared to provide a helping hand to one another. This occurs in two different aspects: asking counsel and using the available resources.

Drupal, like other community-oriented frameworks, provides its developers and business managers with many forums and conferences to attend to seek out opportunities for collaboration and the opinions of other developers.

The same community is also a gathering place for contributors dedicated to generating modules that are both helpful and fully functional to assist in developing your project. These contributors want to be able to support you in any way they can.

This is a significant issue since you are typically expected to pay for crucial features in most strong content management systems (CMSs). Communities that use open-source software do not follow the same regulations, nor do they wish to do so.

Enterprise CMS

Enterprises don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Drupal Enterprise CMS Platform Distribution gives you access to Drupal Core, on which you have come to depend. You can access pre-made enterprise solutions and examples of best practices for enterprise websites. The country and domain configurators in Enterprise CMS are helpful for international organizations. Enterprise CMS has a theme, SEO integration, content moderating, teaser and paragraph configurators, and a workbench.

Scalability and Freedom

Drupal is highly flexible and can be adapted to the size of any organization, no matter what stage it is at in its growth. As you grow, your goals and focus will increase. It’s used by many organizations of all sizes and shapes to help them grow, innovate, and push themselves forward.

It also allows you to develop websites with a degree of freedom you won’t find in commercial alternatives. Commercial systems have a set way to work and a path you must follow. Limitations and restrictions are in place. Drupal’s open-source nature means that these limitations are not present. You can create your desired digital experience without any rules or parameters. It allows for self-paced web development and encourages collaboration and new ideas. You are not locked into a specific system or process. This gives you the freedom to develop your website in your own way.

Customizable

Drupal’s high level of customization is unmatched by other CMS. This is an excellent advantage for Drupal web development. It’s customizable in terms of its features, operations, and layouts. It is the first platform developers choose because they can customize the layouts to meet the client’s needs.

Rapid Deployment

Organizations need the latest features and functionality to make cutting-edge websites that drive new business. In the past, new features and functionality would take weeks or even months before deployment. Companies sought a new way to meet the changing needs of their customers, and Drupal’s modular approach enables both new feature deployment and existing module redeployment much more quickly.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO or Search Engine Optimization is the core of every business’s marketing strategy. Ultimately, businesses want their content seen, which, in turn, drives sales. While strategy and web development best practices can help improve a company’s search engine rankings, Drupal’s interface makes it easy to build a search-engine-optimized website. Pages can be modified easily to add keywords, heading tags, meta descriptions, and more. Developers can create Drupal websites that are SEO-responsive to generate the most traffic.

Additionally, these sites can be easily optimized for mobile devices. With more and more users consuming content on their smartphones and tablets, developing a website using software that can optimize pages for mobile devices is essential.

Handles Code the Right Way

Drupal’s modern development tools enforce quality code. This results in a better site and greater consistency across your platform/website. Drupal implements quality standards across the entire application using these tools, from the code to the user experience on all devices. Add-ons will adhere to best practices in code, giving visitors to your website a better understanding and faster loading times. Automated code updates eliminate the need for manual intervention and reduce the risk of user error. Drupal’s clear code separation from content will allow you to manage your website better.

Secure

Drupal is a secure content management system. Its open-source nature and the large community surrounding it ensure that code is scrutinized from all angles. Drupal’s security team can harden or fix these vulnerabilities in real-time. You can get updates quickly to have the latest security patches and features.

With so many community members testing every aspect, Drupal is more stable. Third-party modules can be used to improve the security of Drupal websites. CAPTCHAs can be added to your Drupal website to protect it from spam bots and hackers. Modules force users to log out after a certain period. You can also minimize human risk by adding modules requiring strong passwords and frequent updates.

Cross-Browser Compatibility

It is also highly compatible with all major browsers, including Safari, Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox. All websites’ functionality and design will translate as expected across all browsers. Its open-source nature also means that it has an extensive support network. Drupal web development agency and theme makers can answer your questions and help you through installation.

Mobile Ready

Many people nowadays use smart devices over other computational machines. Thus, this opens the doors for new marketing platforms for companies. Drupal is a mobile-ready platform, which means it provides flexibility to the developers so that they can make the site useable by smartphone users and view the site the way a desktop user does. This feature is reliable for small businesses so that they can generate more and more leads. Having a Mobile-ready part in a platform is the real advantage of Drupal web development that you can’t ignore.

Steps Involved in Creating a Drupal Website

Let’s agree that progress is essential for all things. The steps below for creating a Drupal site can vary depending on the version of Drupal.

Here are some general steps to creating a Drupal site:

Plan your Website

Decide on your website’s target audience, content, and overall design.

Select a Web Hosting Provider

Select a service provider to meet your performance, security, and support needs.

Install Drupal

Use the following steps to install Drupal onto your web server, or choose a web host that offers an easy one-click Drupal setup.

Drupal Theme Development

Select a Drupal theme to fit your website’s functionality and design needs.

Basic Configuration

Set up the basic settings of your Drupal website, including the name, language, and time zone.

Create Content

Create content for your site, including articles, pages, images, and other media.

Install Modules

Drupal modules can be used to add features to your site, including contact forms, shopping carts, and much more.

Configure Security

Set up security for your Drupal site, including roles and permissions.

Launch and Test

Test your Drupal site thoroughly and make any necessary changes. Launch your website to your target audience.

Update and Maintain

Maintain and update your Drupal site regularly, updating modules, themes, and core to keep it secure and current.

These steps can vary depending on the requirements of a Drupal Project. Following these steps provides a general guide for building a Drupal site.

The Key Takeaway

Drupal offers a wealth of opportunities to embark on a rewarding career. With its high demand, versatility, and strong community support, Drupal is an excellent choice for aspiring developers.

Whether interested in site building, theming, or back-end development, you have a role in the Drupal ecosystem.

You can hire an expert Drupal development agency for expert advice and consulting. Our Drupal developers are thoroughly screened, interviewed, and given additional training to help them evolve into software experts capable of adjusting to circumstances that fall within and outside the purview of their essential area of competence.

Now, in the end, we hope that you were able to learn about Drupal development through this post. Moreover, if you are looking for a Drupal Development Company, you should check out AddWeb Solution. We have an experienced team of Drupal developers who have worked across various industries and have managed several fragile projects.