As a Platinum Certified Drupal agency specialising in Drupal website development, we're excited to upgrade our clients' websites to Drupal 11, unlocking new value and bringing enhancements to their digital platforms.
Here’s why we believe this version represents a significant milestone for Drupal and why we’re looking forward to this upgrade.
The Impact of Drupal CMS 1.0
The recent launch of Drupal CMS 1.0 has brought increased community engagement and broader industry interest in Drupal. With quarterly releases, twice the rate of Drupal Core, we expect to see an acceleration of reciprocal improvements to Drupal Core as a result of Drupal CMS.
The paradigm shift in architecture between Drupal 7 and 8 saw complexity increase, resulting in some developers abandoning the platform in favour of simpler CMS solutions for smaller sites. Now however, Drupal CMS, designed with non-developers in mind, coupled with the ongoing WordPress controversy and positive reviews from even seasoned WordPress developers, suggests a reversal of that negative trend. An influx of new Drupal adopters, site builders and developers, and many more new Drupal websites can only invigorate the Drupal community, increase usage and push Drupal to even greater heights.
What’s New in Drupal 11?
Many of the improvements targeted at Drupal 11 have already been introduced in recent Drupal 10 updates. However, several exciting new features are worth highlighting.
Powered by AI
Drupal 11 incorporates both AI assistants and agents to streamline content management, facilitate conversational search, and guide site administrators with common tasks. AI’s potential within Drupal is just beginning to unfold, promising significant usability improvements.
Enhanced Accessibility and Usability
Drupal CMS prioritises ease of use for new site builders, making incremental quality-of-life improvements for all users. Accessibility enhancements—driven by evolving legislation and a commitment to inclusivity—are a key focus. As accessibility track leads for Drupal CMS, Zoocha is deeply invested in these advancements.
Modernised Admin Interface
Drupal 11 introduces a redesigned admin interface with a vertical navigation menu, making content management more intuitive. Many admin features have been refined for clarity and accessibility while maintaining familiarity for experienced users.
Recipes: Best Practice Solutions
The introduction of Recipes simplifies the installation of bundles of modules and their configuration to make it easier for site builders to add common features to their websites. The alignment on a best practice solution for such requirements means less time re-inventing the wheel for Drupal site builders and developers.
Advanced Media Management
The improved Media Library enhances asset organisation, tagging, and retrieval, approaching the functionality of a Digital Asset Management (DAM) system tailored for Drupal. WebP image format support further boosts performance.
Workspaces for Content Staging
Workspaces enable multiple related content items to be staged and published simultaneously, providing greater control over site-wide content updates.
Expanded CKEditor Functionality
An expansion of the functionality available through CKEditor, partnered with integrated AI-driven tools will further empower content creators.
Enhanced API and Headless Capabilities
With improved decoupling options and stronger support for modern front-end frameworks like React and Vue.js, Drupal 11 strengthens its position as a leading headless CMS.
More Granular Permissions Control
Drupal 11 offers refined permissions for entities like Blocks, giving administrators greater flexibility in user roles and access control.
Experience Builder (XB): A Game Changer
Historically, Drupal’s page-building tools, whether based on Paragraphs, Panels, Layout Builder, or the Gutenberg editor, have often felt cumbersome. Experience Builder (XB), expected to launch soon, aims to change that with a React-based front end, an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, and real-time desktop/mobile previews. This will revolutionise Drupal’s page-building experience and mount a serious challenge for even the most modern competitor CMSs.
Developer Experience Enhancements
While these changes may not be immediately visible to site owners, they significantly impact development efficiency, benefiting clients in the long run:
- Support for modern PHP versions and better integration with contemporary JavaScript tools and components.
- Adoption of Single Directory Components (SDCs) for improved front-end theming and facilitating powerful integrations with design/UI solutions like Storybook.
- New theme development modes and refined caching controls.
A redesigned admin UI for content type creation, eliminating the default body field and making custom field management more visual.
Site Administration Improvements
Drupal 11 introduces key features aimed at non-developer site builders. While we wouldn’t recommend these for mission-critical websites, Automatic Updates and Project Browser simplify maintenance and module discovery, forming essential components of Drupal CMS.
When Should You Upgrade to Drupal 11?
Drupal 11 launched in August 2024, while Drupal 10 remains supported until mid-to-late 2026. Before upgrading, sites must ensure their Contrib modules are updated and marked “Drupal 11 Ready” (D11R), a process reliant on community contributions. Any unsupported modules will need replacing.
For most Drupal agencies, including Zoocha, the ideal upgrade window is when widely used Contrib modules become D11R. We anticipate beginning to assess clients’ D11R status soon and initiating upgrades from mid-year.
There's no immediate rush, some clients will want to leverage Drupal 11’s new features right away, while others may prefer to wait until 2026 due to budgetary considerations.
How Much Effort Is Required to Upgrade?
Each website is unique, meaning the upgrade process varies in complexity. The official Drupal guideline states that every upgrade should be easier than the previous one. While the transition from Drupal 8 to 9 was relatively smooth, the upgrade from Drupal 9 to 10 proved more challenging for some. Early indications are that upgrading to Drupal 11 will be more straightforward.
For a rough estimate, the upgrade process may take between five and ten days, including development, testing and project management. The sooner we begin auditing sites for D11R, the sooner we can refine these projections. Along with the audit, there are some tasks we can perform in advance and they will help to spread the cost of the Drupal 11 upgrade over several months.
Conclusion
Drupal 11 is far more than just another upgrade—it represents a transformative shift in Drupal’s capabilities. From AI-powered tools and improved accessibility, to streamlined development processes and a groundbreaking page builder, Drupal 11 is shaping up to be a major milestone.
At Zoocha, we’re excited to help clients transition efficiently and cost-effectively to Drupal 11. Over the coming months, we’ll dive deeper into Drupal 11’s new features and their potential impact. While adopting innovations like AI and XB will require some effort, these advancements present opportunities to elevate the value of your Drupal-powered web presence.
As active contributors to Drupal Core and Drupal CMS, the Zoocha team is ready to showcase what the latest version of Drupal can do for you.
Get in Touch
Excited about Drupal 11? Get in touch with one of our team at [email protected] and we can work with your team learning more about what D11 has to offer.
About the author
Duncan has been an active member of the Drupal community since 2009. Beginning his journey as a back-end developer, he now plays a key role in our Client Services team, helping clients optimise their digital strategy from a technical perspective to maximise the value of their existing platforms. A DrupalCon Europe speaker, Duncan is deeply engaged in the Drupal ecosystem and enjoys collaborating with the wider community.