Drupal is a free content management system, based on which you can create your online store, corporate site, and other online projects. The demo version allows you to test the capabilities of the CMS online, while the full version can be installed on your server or hosting from the official website. It can be a system without additional components and extensions, or a ready-made solution with a set of modules installed. What opportunities does this CMS open up for developers, and why do novice webmasters and pros choose it? Let us find out.
Basic Functionality
Drupal is the preferred choice of many developers because of its flexibility and simplicity. The system has a clear interface, although the abundance of functions can be confusing for a novice webmaster. Drupal has many ready-made templates, one of which can be taken as a basis when developing your site. Meanwhile, the best solutions for Drupal web development can be ordered on the https://gole.ms/services/drupal-development site.
After installing Drupal, the developer will have access to a standard set of modules that will help manage the site:
- Content — The module allows you to manage content, add new materials, files, multimedia, etc.
- Toolbar — It is one of the main building blocks of CMS Drupal. The main functions of site administration like contact forms, menus, block diagrams are located within this module.
- Design — Here you can select and customize site templates.
- Extensions — A block of add-ons, which you can add depending on your needs and individual tasks: site search, shopping cart, comments on the site, etc.
- Configuration – It is a menu with settings. Here you can manage your account, media files, images, file system, work with content.
- Users — This section allows you to manage all registered users and assign them the necessary roles: Administrator, Author, Editor, etc.
- Reports — The block allows you to work with errors, view the latest failures, popular search queries.
- Help — It is a comprehensive guide for beginner Drupal users.
Drupal projects are well-perceived by search engines. Drupal has basic SEO configurations. There is no automation, so everything will have to be done manually: writing an URL, adding metatags, setting up a sitemap, etc.
Pros and Cons of Drupal
Due to its convenience and wide range of functions, the system has many advantages, but it also has drawbacks. Among the advantages, we can list the following:
- the ability to create sites of any scale;
- full functionality thanks to extensions;
- open-source code, flexible for individual settings;
- one-click installation from a hosting account;
- a large number of templates for different areas of business;
- a simple and intuitive interface;
- multilingualism;
- caching for fast page loading, etc.
The disadvantages are as follows:
- Many settings can confuse newbies, but you can use a ready-made template.
- Drupal needs resources, i.e., powerful hosting, otherwise caching will not help to avoid long page load.
Conclusion
Drupal is perfect for both professional programmers who can take a clean core of the system and create their own secure and stable configuration, and for beginners, who can work with ready-made solutions. So, take your time to try it.