Drupal CMS is changing the game for content management. Launched January 15, 2025, Drupal CMS 1.0 marks a big step in Drupal's 24-year history. It changes how marketers, content creators, and site builders work with the platform.
This article looks at the new features in Drupal CMS, focusing on the cool Experience Builder and AI Framework. We'll also talk about other improvements and what's coming next. If you're a small business owner, marketer, or experienced developer, this guide will tell you why Drupal CMS is becoming the top choice for creating great online experiences.
What's Drupal CMS?
Drupal CMS is ready to use, built on Drupal 11. It's made for marketing teams, content creators, and site builders. Unlike regular Drupal, which is like a blank page for developers, Drupal CMS has tools built-in, making website creation easier. These include media management, SEO tools, AI website building, consent management, analytics, search, and automatic updates. It's designed to make Drupal easier to use for people who aren't developers, while keeping its flexibility and ability to grow.
Key Features of Drupal CMS 1.0
Drupal CMS 1.0 has lots of stuff to make building and running websites easier. Here are the most important ones:
1. Experience Builder: Simple Drag-and-Drop
Experience Builder is a great part of Drupal CMS. It lets you build pages visually, so you can create layouts without writing code. This is a big deal for marketers and content creators who don't have a technical background. Here's what it can do:
- Drag and drop content to design pages easily.
- See how your site looks before it goes live.
- Easy-to-use interfaces for marketers.
Experience Builder makes Drupal easier to learn, so beginners can use it, but it still has the power that experienced users want. It helps Drupal reach more people, making sure anyone can build professional websites. One Drupal community member said, This is the easiest Drupal ever, showing how helpful tools like Experience Builder are.
2. AI Framework: Making Things Automatic
The AI Framework uses artificial intelligence to handle the technical parts of building a site. This lets you focus on making good content. It makes complex tasks automatic, like:
- Site setup: AI sets up your site using best practices, so it runs well.
- Content improvements: AI suggests content types, fields, and SEO tweaks.
- Media management: AI organizes images and other media to boost performance and accessibility.
By using AI, Drupal CMS speeds up site building and makes sure websites are set up for success from the start. This is great for people who want to launch a site fast without getting into technical stuff. The AI Framework is part of Drupal's push to use new tech, making it a smart and helpful platform.
3. Pre-built Recipes: Get Your Site Up Fast
Drupal CMS has pre-built recipes, which are pre-set setups for common website types like blogs, e-commerce sites, or company portals. These recipes give you a head start by including:
- Content types: Pre-set structures for blog posts, products, or pages.
- Fields: Ready-to-use fields like titles, authors, or tags.
- Navigation menus: Menus already set up for a good user experience.
For example, a Blog recipe might have a content type for blog posts, fields for titles and authors, and a navigation menu. An E-commerce recipe could set up product listings and payment options. These recipes let you go from idea to live site faster than before, making Drupal CMS a good choice if you want to launch quickly without starting from scratch.
4. Better Security and Privacy
Today, security and privacy are very important. Drupal CMS 1.0 has strong security features, including:
- Automatic updates: Fixes problems to keep your site safe.
- Consent management: Helps you follow rules like GDPR by managing user consent for cookies and data collection.
- Access controls: Protects content with strong login and permission features.
These things make Drupal CMS a reliable choice for businesses that need to meet strict security and privacy rules, giving peace of mind to website owners and their users.
5. Grows with You
Drupal CMS can grow with your business, making it good for all sizes. Whether you're starting a small blog or running a big company website, it can handle:
- Lots of traffic: Supports millions of visitors without slowing down.
- Integrations: Works with other systems and services.
- Multiple languages: Good for businesses that target global audiences.
This ability to grow shows that Drupal is a reliable platform for big online projects.
Other Good Stuff
Besides the things listed above, Drupal CMS 1.0 has other tools to make the user experience better:
- Media Management: Organize images, videos, and other media easily.
- SEO Tools: Built-in features like meta tags to help with search engine rankings.
- Analytics: Tools to learn about your site's performance.
- Search: Good search features to help visitors find content fast.
- Automatic Updates: Keeps your site safe and up-to-date without much effort.
All these things make Drupal CMS a complete solution for modern web development.
What's Coming Next
Drupal CMS 1.0 is great, but the Drupal community is planning more. There's no date for Drupal CMS 2.0 yet, but there are signs of cool things coming.
- Experience Builder (XB): At DrupalCon Singapore in December 2024, they said that Experience Builder, called XB, will get more updates in 2025. These updates will try to make the tool easier to use and more powerful, maybe for a future Drupal CMS 2.0 release. The community is looking at using React with Drupal, which could bring in more JavaScript developers and speed up development.
- AI Framework: The AI Framework will likely get more features, with better ways to automate site setup and content. This could include smarter content suggestions and better media processing.
- New Recipes and Modules: Future releases might have more recipes and modules for specific fields like education, healthcare, or e-commerce.
- Better Documentation: The Drupal community is working on better documentation to help users learn and use the platform.
- New Look: There are plans for a new brand look across Drupal.org.
Why Use Drupal CMS?
Drupal CMS is changing how people see and use Drupal. It's not just for developers anymore, but for marketers and content creators too. Here's why it's good:
- Easy to Use: Experience Builder makes it easy for people who aren't technical.
- AI Help: The AI Framework makes complex tasks automatic, freeing up time for creativity.
- Grows with You: Supports businesses from startups to enterprises.
- Safe and Secure: Makes sure your site meets privacy and security standards.
- Community: Supported by a global community of over 400,000 websites and 100+ certified partners.
Drupal CMS Features
| Feature | Description |
| Experience Builder |
Drag-and-drop tools for visual page building |
|
AI Framework |
Automates site setup and content optimization |
| Pre-built Recipes | Pre-configured setups for common website types |
| Security & Privacy | Automatic updates, consent management, and access controls |
|
Scalability |
Handles high traffic, complex integrations, and multilingual support |
| Media Management | Organizes and optimizes images and videos |
| SEO Tools | Meta tags and structured data for better search rankings |
| Analytics | Integrated tools for performance insights |
| Search Functionality |
Powerful search capabilities for visitors |
Conclusion
Drupal CMS 1.0 is a big release that makes Drupal modern, easier to use, and friendly. With features like Experience Builder and the AI Framework, it combines technical power with ease of use, letting marketers and content creators build good online experiences. Tools like recipes, security, and growth features make it useful for businesses of all sizes.
We're excited about future updates, including Drupal CMS 2.0, but the current version is already great. With a helpful community and a focus on open-source, Drupal CMS will stay a top choice for online projects. Whether you're starting a new site or improving an old one, Drupal CMS has the tools to make your vision come true.