Drupal 11 Features and Enhancements You Need to Know

Ready to level up your web game? Let’s dive into the Drupal 11 features that are shaking things up and making developers rejoice!

Introduction

My name is Scott Carpenter and as a seasoned Web and Application Developer with over 20 years of experience, I've had the privilege of working extensively with the Drupal framework for more than 15 years. Over this time, I've developed a deep understanding of how to leverage Drupal’s robust features to build dynamic, effective web solutions that prioritize user experience and accessibility.

In this article, I’ll guide you through the new features of Drupal 11, highlighting how these enhancements can empower developers and content creators alike. From a modernized content editing experience to powerful layout building tools, Drupal 11 is designed to streamline workflows, boost performance, and provide a more intuitive user interface. Let’s dive in and explore how these advancements can help you build and manage complex websites more efficiently than ever before.

Drupal 11 Features You Need to Know

Enhanced Content Editing Experience

One of the standout features of Drupal 11 is the improved content editing experience, particularly through the integration of CKEditor 5. This modernized WYSIWYG editor offers a range of features that make copy editing and collaboration smoother and more intuitive. Key enhancements include:

• Real-Time Collaboration: Allows multiple users to edit content simultaneously, improving teamwork and productivity.
• Advanced Formatting Options: Offers more sophisticated tools for text formatting and layout, making it easier to create polished content.
• Responsive Interface: Adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes, ensuring a smooth editing experience across devices.

Additionally, Drupal 11’s Workspaces module, now a stable part of Drupal Core, allows content creators to manage different versions of a site’s content within separate workspaces. This feature is essential for content staging and publishing, providing greater control over how and when content is made live.

Advanced Media Management

Drupal 11 introduces an out-of-the-box Media Library, significantly simplifying asset management for content creators. This feature streamlines the process of adding and organizing media assets, making it easier to manage images, videos, and other media types directly within the CMS. Key improvements include:

• Improved Organization and Search: Allows users to quickly locate and reuse assets across their projects.
• Native Support for WebP Images: Enhances performance with faster load times and better image quality, thanks to PHP-based image conversion.

While SVG remains supported via contributed modules, ongoing discussions focus on ensuring secure file sanitization to maintain best practices.

Powerful Layout Building Tools

Drupal 11’s Enhanced Layout Builder brings new layout templates and customization options, giving content creators unprecedented flexibility. With these tools, users can design landing pages that align perfectly with their brand’s objectives by mixing and matching components, media, and copy. Notable benefits include:

• Strategic CTA Placement: Intuitive controls allow for better positioning of call-to-action elements, improving user engagement and conversion rates.
• Dynamic Content Placement: Site builders can deliver personalized content based on user behavior, enhancing the relevance and impact of the user experience.
• Responsive Design: Emphasizes a mobile-first approach, ensuring that all layouts are adaptable and perform well on any device.

Modernized Themes and Accessibility

Drupal 11 sets a new standard for accessibility with the Claro theme, now the default administration theme. Claro’s modern, intuitive design not only improves the user experience for administrators but also aligns with ongoing accessibility enhancements across Drupal. These improvements empower developers and designers to create inclusive, user-friendly websites that cater to diverse audiences.

Performance, Scalability, and Technical Enhancements

Drupal 11 includes several technical improvements designed to boost performance, scalability, and efficiency, ensuring the platform remains at the cutting edge of modern web development. Key enhancements include:

• Increased Vanilla JavaScript Usage: A shift towards ES6 JavaScript reduces reliance on jQuery, aligning Drupal with modern browser capabilities and improving performance.
• PHP 8.3 Compatibility: Full compatibility with PHP 8.3 brings significant performance gains, with improvements of up to 50%, enhancing both developer and user experiences.
• Multithreading with JSONand BigPipe: Support for multithreading enhances the performance and user experience of high-traffic sites by optimizing content delivery and reducing load times.
• MySQL 8.0 Support: Drupal 11 leverages key advancements in MySQL 8.0, boosting performance and reliability.
• Composer 2.7+ Integration: Composer is now the only way to safely and correctly add new code to a Drupal installation, laying the groundwork for future features like automatic updates and the Project Browser.

Exciting New Initiatives: Starshot and Beyond

Drupal 11 introduces the "Experience Builder" initiative, a powerful new toolset designed to elevate content building and layout workflows. Leaning on best-in-class concepts from tools like Panels and Paragraphs, Experience Builder is built with modern JavaScript toolkits and integrates seamlessly with Single Directory Components.

This initiative is part of the broader Starshot project, which includes other exciting milestones such as automatic updates and the Project Browser. These features are designed to future-proof Drupal, ensuring it remains the go-to solution for traditional CMS uses and extending its capabilities to multistream and IoT applications.

•  https://www.drupal.org/about/starshot
•  https://www.drupal.org/about/starshot/initiatives/experience-builder
•  https://www.drupal.org/docs/develop/theming-drupal/using-single-directory-components 
   

Empowering Content Creators and Site Builders

Drupal 11 empowers content creators and site builders with a user-friendly interface that makes the platform more accessible to non-technical users. Key benefits include:

• Enhanced Layout Builder and Media Management Tools: Enable creators to build and manage complex pages without needing in-depth technical knowledge.
• Streamlined Tools for Site Builders: Simplify the process of creating feature-rich websites with minimal custom code, reducing development time and costs.

These enhancements make Drupal 11 a powerful tool for both content creators and developers, enabling faster project delivery and higher-quality outcomes.

Ready, Set, Go!

Drupal 11 continues to push the boundaries of what a CMS can do, introducing a wealth of new features and enhancements that empower both content creators and site builders. From the integration of CKEditor 5 to the out-of-the-box Media Library and the Enhanced Layout Builder, Drupal 11 is well-equipped to meet the demands of modern web development. With a focus on performance, scalability, and future-proofing, Drupal 11 is positioned to keep the platform at the forefront of digital innovation for years to come.

Whether you're a seasoned developer or a content creator, Drupal 11 offers the tools and flexibility needed to create dynamic, user-friendly, and high-performing digital experiences. As the Drupal community continues to innovate, features like the Experience Builder and automatic updates are setting the stage for an exciting future in web development.