A New Drupal CMS Launch: What to Expect?

Drupal CMS: The Game-Changer We’ve Been Waiting For

On May 6th, 2024, Dries Buytaert announced the historic initiative for Drupal—Starshot. Its paramount goal is to convey the way non-tech specialists like content creators, marketers, and designers interact with Drupal. The idea was to create a brand new default download of Drupal to enable users without development experience to launch a Drupal website and extend it with pre-packaged recipes, all through their browsers. While keeping things simple, the new product will still need to stay secure, SEO-friendly, and flexible—everything people love about Drupal.

The Starshot initiative led to the creation of a new product—Drupal CMS—which was announced by Dries at DrupalCon Barcelona in September 2024.

A lot of questions are revolving around the new product. Our Drupfan experts have crafted a quick, must-read guide packed with everything you need to know about Drupal CMS. Don’t miss out—stay tuned for insights that matter!

Missed DrupalCon Barcelona? Check out Driesnote: DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 video to keep up. Our blog post is inspired by this amazing and detailed presentation.

Standout our-of-the-box features of Drupal CMS

Let’s peep under the hood of the new Drupal CMS product and see what will come in the out-of-the-box setup.

• Smart defaults and pre-built solutions. Get the best of both worlds—Drupal offers out-of-the-box readiness for quick launches while providing fully customizable solutions. Whether you’re building a corporate site, blog, or marketing platform, advanced site-building features ensure your project shines.
• Seamless onboarding. Drupal’s intuitive installation process feels like having a personal guide. Select only the features your project needs, ensuring a smooth and efficient setup personalized to your business goals.
• AI-powered efficiency. Supercharge your site-building with the best AI tools. From editing content types to configuring fields and generating alt-text, Drupal automates complex tasks to save you time and effort.
• Advanced SEO made easy. Stay ahead in search rankings with built-in SEO tools. Effortlessly implement sitemaps, focus keywords, metatags, and more, empowering site builders with powerful optimization features.
• The strength of open source. Drupal thrives on the innovation of a global open-source community. Its customizable architecture and endless extensions free you from vendor lock-in, giving you the flexibility to build exactly what you need.

Some other advanced features of Drupal CMS you can benefit from are:

• Trash module which provides a safety layer for content management, enabling users to restore deleted content with ease.
• Coffee module streamlines navigation by allowing quick searches for admin pages, making it easier to find settings.
• Linkit support in CKEditor simplifies internal linking by allowing users to search and link to site content directly, saving time and effort.

Now is the time to answer the most common questions about Drupal CMS.

1. What is the new Drupal CMS 1.0?

Drupal CMS 1.0 is a simplified, user-friendly version of Drupal Core, designed to empower non-technical users like marketers and content creators. It builds on Drupal’s robust foundation but introduces pre-configured solutions, intuitive tools, and AI-powered features to make site-building and content management easier than ever.

Key highlights of Drupal CMS 1.0 include:

• No-code capabilities: Tools like the Experience Builder provide drag-and-drop functionality for creating and customizing pages without any coding.
• AI-driven tools: Features like AI-assisted content migration, page building, and SEO-friendly content generation streamline tasks and boost productivity.
• Streamlined workflows: The interface is tailored to marketing and business needs, allowing users to independently manage campaigns, layouts, and site content.

Drupal CMS 1.0 maintains the security, flexibility, and scalability Drupal is known for while making it accessible to a broader audience. It’s the next evolution of Drupal, built to empower users and businesses to create exceptional web experiences with ease.

2. When is the Drupal CMS release date?

Drupal CMS is set to launch on January 15, 2024—just in time to celebrate Drupal’s 24th birthday!

Take a look at this amazing screengrab from the Driesnote presentation in Barcelona.

3. Who can use a new Drupal CMS?

Although the ambition is high, Drupal CMS 1.0 will not fit every business immediately. From the start, it is ideal for small, self-managed  websites with limited functionality. Large-scale websites with custom business logic will not be able to transit to Drupal CMS immediately, but the big plan is to completely substitute Drupal Core with Drupal CMS.

By lowering the barrier of technical skills, Drupal CMS engages a brand-new audience of bloggers, marketers, and designers, enabling them to showcase their services or content more easily. It’s also designed for small businesses seeking a fast launch and accelerated time-to-market.

4. Why do I need a new Drupal CMS?

The new Drupal CMS isn’t just another upgrade—it’s a game-changer designed to address key challenges that have kept some users from fully embracing Drupal in the past.

For years, Drupal has been known for its flexibility, security, and power, but also for its steep learning curve and developer-centric nature. This complexity often left marketers, content creators, and other non-technical users struggling to fully utilize its potential without significant technical support. The Drupal CMS changes all of that.

Here’s why it’s worth considering:

• Simplicity without compromise: Drupal CMS introduces a user-friendly, no-code interface for non-technical users. It makes building and managing websites easier, while still delivering the robust features Drupal is known for.
• Pre-built ‘Recipes’: These pre-configured solutions streamline common use cases like creating blogs, e-commerce sites, or landing pages, significantly cutting down setup time and effort.
• AI-driven efficiency: With tools like AI-assisted content migration, page building, and content recommendations, Drupal CMS lets you accomplish complex tasks faster and with greater precision.
• Empowering marketers: The Experience Builder and other intuitive tools allow marketers to create campaigns, customize layouts, and experiment with content on their own—no need to rely on developers for every change.
• Future-ready: The CMS is designed to be accessible and scalable, keeping you competitive in a fast-paced digital landscape while maintaining the security and flexibility Drupal has always offered.

5. What are recipes in Drupal CMS?

Imagine having a bundle of pre-built functionality customized to your website’s specific needs—whether it’s a blog, news site, or e-commerce platform. While Drupal Core is a highly flexible framework, it starts with only basic configurations, often requiring significant customization to build fully functional websites.

Things are getting changed with the new Drupal CMS and its Recipes Initiative. Picture this: predefined "recipes" that assemble the perfect combination of Drupal functionality for your project. These ready-made solutions would transform how site builders get started with Drupal, saving time and effort while still retaining the flexibility the platform is known for.

6. What AI tools to expect in the new Drupal CMS?

Ignoring AI technologies? You might as well write with a quill pen. Not utilizing AI in business development means staying aside while the competitors are boosting ahead.

With Drupal CMS, you’ll have a cutting-edge toolkit of AI-driven features that revolutionize how you work. Imagine effortlessly migrating content, building pages, or creating alt text—all with AI assistance. Need to generate content types or get smart content recommendations? Done. Want to craft SEO-friendly content in record time? Drupal CMS makes it happen. This isn’t just about features; it’s about giving your business a competitive edge and unlocking new levels of efficiency and creativity. Are you ready to lead with AI?

Look at the screenshot from the Driesnote presentation, demonstrating Drupal Agent Chatbot.

7. How is Drupal CMS different from Drupal Core?

The biggest difference between Drupal CMS and Drupal Core lies in its no-code site-building capabilities. Drupal CMS is designed for marketers and other non-technical users in mind—those who want to manage a website on their own without needing coding skills. With pre-built recipes (features), you can easily add the functionality you need without writing a single line of code. In short, Drupal CMS is a ready-to-use solution that does not require custom Drupal development.

Drupal Core is oriented on web developers, who possess extensive knowledge in PHP. That’s why website owners of Drupal Core will need to partner with Drupal development agencies for the development of new features and platform support.

8. Can I directly move from Drupal 11 to Drupal CMS?

The transition from Drupal 11 to Drupal CMS is expected to be smooth since Drupal CMS is built on top of Drupal Core. Owners of Drupal 11 websites will retain all their existing modules and functionalities while gaining access to improved content editing, AI tools, and enhanced usability features.

9. What is the Experience Builder Initiative in the new Drupal CMS?

The Drupal Experience Builder is meant to make website creation more accessible than ever. Built with the React-based interface, it allows for no-code modifications of the website’s User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI). Now, content editors or marketers can easily theme and build an entire site right from their browser—no coding skills required.

With this tool, site building becomes a more straightforward and intuitive process, especially for non-tech users. Imagine dragging and dropping elements, previewing changes in real-time, and exploring a variety of styling options—all at your fingertips. The Experience Builder transforms what used to be a complex task into a seamless and enjoyable experience.

10. Is Drupal CMS substituting the Drupal Core?

The Drupal Starshot initiative is highly ambitious. The focus is to promote Drupal CMS over Drupal Core. With Drupal Core being promoted for 24 years, this is a significant shift for the entire Drupal community. However, to make the ambition a reality, Drupal CMS needs to evolve into a large collaboration and attract talented developers from around the globe to contribute to its growth.

While Drupal CMS will not immediately replace Drupal Core following its release in 2025, such an outcome could very well be in our near future.

11. How will I install the new Drupal CMS?

Unlike Drupal Core, which requires technical expertise for installation, Drupal CMS is designed for effortless setup directly in a browser with just one click. No dependency on PHP, hosting services, or cloud configurations—just a simple, user-friendly installation process.

Then, Drupal installed will offer some pre-built features a user can effortlessly enable, such as multilingual support, accessibility tools, events, or advanced SEO.

Move or not to move?

At Drupfan, we hope this blog post has shed some light on the new Drupal CMS. The key question is whether this transition is the right fit for your specific business needs.

If you’re unsure whether to choose Drupal CMS 1.0 or Drupal Core 11, our Drupal development team is here to help. With a quick website audit and functionality analysis, we’ll provide advice to guide your next Drupal steps for business growth.