What is Drupal, how does it work, and who’s it suited to?
Choosing the right content management system (CMS) is one of the most important decisions an organisation can make when planning or maintaining a website. With so many platforms available – each with their own strengths – it’s crucial to find one that offers the flexibility, scalability and reliability to meet your current and future needs. That’s where Drupal stands out. As a robust, open-source CMS trusted by governments, global brands and charities alike, Drupal offers a powerful set of tools for building secure, feature-rich websites tailored to your organisation’s goals.
Core functionality
Drupal is one of the most powerful, open-source content management system (CMS) around and offers extensive flexibility, making it suitable for a wide range of digital experiences, from simple brochure websites to complex enterprise platforms.
At its core, Drupal enables users to create, manage and publish content through an intuitive administrative interface. It supports multiple custom content types, taxonomies, user roles and permissions, allowing for granular control over who can do and see what across a website.
What sets Drupal apart is its modular architecture. Rather than being locked into a predefined way of doing things, Drupal empowers users to build exactly what they need, from custom content workflows to multilingual support and beyond.
Whether you’re a small charity or a global corporation, Drupal provides a solid foundation for developing highly tailored digital solutions.
How do modules work?
Modules are at the heart of Drupal’s extensibility. A module is a self-contained package of code that adds new features or alters existing functionality on your Drupal site. Think of them as building blocks—some provide essential tools like contact forms or SEO optimisation, while others add more specialised capabilities such as e-commerce integrations or advanced search functionality.
Drupal comes with a robust set of core modules built into the system. These cover common use cases such as content authoring, user account management, menu configuration and more. Beyond this, thousands of contributed modules are freely available from the Drupal community, allowing you to quickly expand your site’s capabilities without reinventing the wheel.
For highly specific needs, you can also develop custom modules tailored to your organisation’s unique requirements. This makes Drupal a particularly powerful choice for businesses or organisations that need bespoke features not commonly found in off-the-shelf platforms.
Why choose Drupal for your business or organisation
Choosing the right CMS is a critical decision. Drupal is a strong contender for businesses and organisations looking for a flexible, secure and future-proof platform that can evolve with their needs.
Here’s a deeper look at some of Drupal’s standout advantages:
Highly customisable
One of Drupal’s most celebrated strengths is its customisability. Unlike many platforms that force you into rigid templates or limited design frameworks, Drupal lets you tailor almost every aspect of your site—from layout and content types to user roles, workflows and functionality.
This level of flexibility is ideal for organisations with unique requirements. Whether you need a complex content approval process, a highly structured knowledge base, or an interactive member portal, Drupal allows you to build exactly what you need—no compromises.
Scalable
Drupal is built to grow with you. Its performance remains robust whether you’re managing a small website with a few dozen pages or a global platform serving millions of users across multiple countries.
This scalability makes Drupal a popular choice among high-traffic sites and enterprise-level organisations. With proper hosting and optimisation, it can handle thousands of simultaneous users and massive content volumes without sacrificing speed or stability.
Secure
Security is a top priority for any business, and Drupal delivers on this front. The platform is backed by a dedicated security team that actively monitors vulnerabilities and releases regular updates to address them.
Additionally, Drupal allows for granular user permissions, role-based access controls and secure authentication methods—all of which reduce the risk of unauthorised access or data breaches.
It’s no surprise that Drupal is used by government agencies, NGOs and large corporations that require the highest levels of data protection.
Strong API support
Drupal is designed with integration in mind. It offers robust API support, making it easy to connect with other systems, applications and services—from CRMs and marketing tools to payment gateways and external data sources.
With RESTful web services built into the core and support for GraphQL, JSON:API and other modern technologies, Drupal can function as a powerful headless CMS for decoupled or multi-channel digital experiences.
This makes it an excellent choice for organisations seeking to integrate their website seamlessly into a broader digital ecosystem.
Multilingual support
Drupal includes multilingual capabilities out of the box. It allows you to translate not only content, but also interface elements, URLs, taxonomy terms and configuration settings.
Whether you’re targeting audiences across different regions or supporting users in multiple languages, Drupal provides the tools to ensure your content is accessible and locally relevant.
Content moderation and workflow
For organisations with multiple contributors or complex publishing processes, Drupal offers sophisticated content moderation tools. You can define custom workflows for draft creation, editing, review and approval—ensuring consistent quality and governance across your site.
These workflows can be tailored to match your internal structure, supporting teams across departments or geographies.
Accessibility ready
Drupal is committed to web accessibility standards (such as WCAG and ATAG), ensuring your site can be used by people of all abilities. Many of its default themes and administrative tools are built with accessibility in mind, making it easier to create inclusive digital experiences.
Summary: why Drupal?
Drupal stands out as a CMS that can be shaped to meet your organisation’s exact needs—now and in the future. Whether you’re seeking greater control over your digital content, integrating with third-party systems, or building a large-scale platform that supports multiple languages and user roles, Drupal offers a mature and proven solution.
Its open-source nature, backed by a passionate global community, means you’re not just buying into a platform—you’re becoming part of a thriving ecosystem that continuously innovates and evolves.
Ready to explore what Drupal can do for your organisation?
If you’re considering a website rebuild, digital transformation or simply want to enhance what you already have, our team of Drupal specialists can help.
Get in touch today to discuss your goals—we’ll help you discover how Drupal can support your digital strategy and provide long-term value for your organisation.