Drupal 10 Features are powered by a loyal community of contributors, maintainers and supporters and tick all the right boxes for modern websites of all sizes.
Drupal 10 Features: A CMS for 2023, and Beyond
Drupal 10 Features are powered by a loyal community of contributors, maintainers and supporters and tick all the right boxes for modern web applications, from Small to Enterprise:
- Security
- Accessibility
- Editorial Experience
- Responsiveness
- Scalability
- Integrations
We've curated a list of the most important Drupal 10 features that make it the Content Management System its audience trusts and supports. (If you're still on a previous version of Drupal (Drupal 9 is end-of-life since 1 November 2023), we have a Drupal 10 upgrade guide that you might be interested in.)
We've recently written some detailed guides on Drupal's features, feel free to have to go through them:
- Drupal 11 features
- Drupal 10 features (D11 is now released but this is still relevant)
- Drupal 10 Upgrade Detailed Guide (still useful if you're aiming to upgrade to Drupal 11 from a version lower than 10)
- Drupal SEO modules
Security Reinforcement
Drupal 10 is designed with a strong emphasis on security, addressing vulnerabilities and potential threats that might exist in older versions. Drupal 10 enforces stronger user passwords out of the box. Moreover, the security policies for contributed modules are more strict than ever, making identifying potential security vulnerabilities easier. Regular security updates will safeguard your website further and protect any sensitive user data.
Drupal 10 boasts a suite of robust security features that fortify its position as a leading content management system. One standout feature is the enhanced password security, incorporating industry best practices like password hashing algorithms and salting. This ensures that user credentials remain well-protected against unauthorised access.
Drupal 10 Features also introduce a proactive security configuration checker, automatically scanning for potential vulnerabilities and alerting administrators to promptly address any weak points. Additionally, the updated version embraces a secure default setup, minimising the risk of misconfigurations right from the start.
Furthermore, the implementation of the Content Security Policy (CSP) significantly mitigates the impact of potential cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks, bolstering the overall defence against web-based threats. There is a module for that too!
Drupal 10 security can also be enhanced with the use of the Shield module, which enables administrators to restrict access to the website and its resources based on various criteria, helping to thwart unauthorised access attempts. Other security-related modules such as the Security Kit module can (should) also be installed to ensure that an additional strong line of defence is active on the new website.
Other security modules to consider:
- Login Security
- CAPTCHA
- Password Policy
- Username Enumeration Prevention
- Two-Factor Authentication (TFA)
- Security Review
Accessibility First
Drupal 10 exhibits a remarkable evolution in its accessibility capabilities, building upon the advancements made in previous versions and adopting the latest technologies to create a more inclusive digital ecosystem. Notably, Drupal 10 leverages cutting-edge ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) roles and attributes, bolstering the semantic markup of web elements, which ensures better understanding and interaction for screen readers and assistive technologies. Moreover, Drupal 10 Features introduce comprehensive keyboard navigation enhancements, making it effortless for users with motor or cognitive disabilities to navigate through the website without relying on a mouse.
Another key focus of Drupal 10 is the utilisation of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1, promoting adherence to international accessibility standards. Drupal 10 is currently striving to attain WCAG 2.1 AA by default and most contributed modules are alreareal-timedy working towards WCAG 2.1 AAA. Drupal 10 also introduces an Accessibility Checker that integrates directly into the content creation workflow, empowering authors and editors to identify and rectify accessibility issues in real time, thereby streamlining the process of producing accessible content. Furthermore, Drupal 10 implements landmark roles, such as banner, search, and main content, to improve navigation for users with screen readers, making it easier for them to comprehend the structure of the webpage.
Accessibility auditing is streamlined in Drupal 10. The inclusion of automated accessibility testing tools like editoria11y, enables developers to identify potential issues early in the development process and rectify them proactively. The comprehensive integration of accessibility reports within the Drupal administrative interface allows site administrators to monitor the accessibility status continuously and ensure continuous compliance with accessibility standards.
Excellent Content Authoring Experience
Content is at the heart of any successful website. Drupal 10 introduces improvements in the content authoring experience, making it more intuitive and user-friendly:
- Media asset (images, videos, podcasts, documents etc.) management is at the heart of Drupal's content authoring process. The improved Media Library makes creating, storing and managing media assets a breeze, avoiding duplication of files and offering innovative ways to preview and integrate your organisation's media assets into your content.
- CKEditor 5, the latest version of the most widely-recognised WYSIWYG editor, comes as standard with Drupal 10, making content administration and delivery a joyful task.
- Drupal 10 is the most collaborative version ever launched! Content moderation workflows are also a greatly improved part of Drupal 10 Features, allowing you to assign content pages for review/approval to any team member(s) and to define and fine-tune user permissions for any related tasks:
- The Layout Builder allows content editors and site builders to easily and quickly create visual layouts for content display. Users can customise how content is arranged on a single page or across types of content, or even create custom landing pages with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface. Layout Builder offers a visual design tool for the following use cases:
- Layouts for content: The creation of “layout templates” that will be used to lay out all instances of a specific content type (e.g. events, landing pages, news posts).
- Customisations to templated layouts: The ability to override these layout templates on a case-by-case basis (e.g. the ability to override the layout of a standardised event page for one specific event).
Responsive, Mobile-First Design
In terms of responsive design, Drupal 10 emphasises the use of mobile-first methodologies, ensuring that the website content adapts seamlessly to diverse devices and screen sizes.
It utilises CSS techniques like Flexbox and CSS Grid, providing developers with more powerful tools to create accessible and responsive layouts. Additionally, Drupal 10 integrates perfectly well with the latest version of Bootstrap, a popular front-end framework, to offer a plethora of accessible components and styles out-of-the-box.
Improved Performance and Scalability
Drupal 10 Features naturally include performance optimisations that contribute to faster page loading times and improved overall site responsiveness.
The caching mechanisms, content delivery engine and database optimisations are better than any other previous version of the CMS.
Contributed modules such as Memcache and Redis provide additional configurable caching mechanisms that can substantially boost your website's performance.
The architecture enhancements and streamlined processes of the latest Drupal version make it an ideal choice for websites that aim to provide a seamless user experience.
Integrations: RESTful API
Drupal 10 offers a comprehensive and powerful RESTful Web Services API that enables seamless integration with external applications and services. The API provides support for standard HTTP methods, including GET, POST, PUT, and DELETE allowing for data retrieval, creation, modification, and deletion. It also supports multiple data formats such as JSON and XML, enhancing flexibility in data exchange.
With robust authentication and authorisation mechanisms, Drupal 10 ensures secure access to API endpoints, protecting sensitive information. The API's extensive support for entity types, fields, and Views empowers developers to customise data queries, tailoring responses to specific needs.
Additionally, Drupal’s RESTful Web Services API adheres to well-tested and established REST protocols ensuring a consistent, efficient and scalable approach to web service development.
It's easier than ever to create Rest and Application integrations between Drupal and third parties. There are also modules that make integrating with third parties or services easier than ever, such as:
- RESTful Web Services
- Hypermedia Application Language (HAL)
- Serialization
- HTTP Basic Authentication
- JSON:API
Community Support and Collaboration
Upgrading to Drupal 10 means becoming part of a thriving ecosystem where ideas are shared, issues are resolved collaboratively, and innovations are born. Leverage the power of the Drupal community to enhance your website's capabilities and address unique challenges.
Future-Proof Your Investment
In conclusion, embracing Drupal 10 and its rich features is a strategic decision to fortify your digital presence, enhance user experiences, and future-proof your investment. Its Open Source Core and Contributed Modules ensure ongoing support, compatibility with emerging technologies, and access to a vibrant community that actively contributes to the platform's growth.
Contact us today to discuss how you can take advantage of Drupal 10 for your organisation's benefit, just like other organisations such as Centre for Economic Policy Research already did!