Drupal CMS 1.0 explained: features, benefits, and use cases

Drupal CMS is a just-released platform, promising to bring innovative features and streamline website setup and content management.

cms-development

Introduction

On January 15, 2025, eight months after first being mentioned at DrupalCon Portland 2024, Drupal CMS 1.0 was released. This remarkable event was celebrated at 60 launch parties around the world.

Everyone in the Drupal community is excited about the new initiative, which, as Dries Buytaert says, aims “to be the gold standard for no-code website building.” So, what makes Drupal CMS so innovative? Is this really the next step in Drupal development, making the platform more powerful than ever? Let’s figure it out together.

What is Drupal CMS?

Initially named Starshot, Drupal CMS is a new milestone in Drupal’s history aimed at helping marketing, design, and content management teams use Drupal more efficiently than ever before. It allows technical and non-technical people to quickly and easily create and extend a new Drupal site, all using only their browser. Now, users have two ways to build a Drupal site:

Drupal Core

Being a traditional method for site building, caters to proficient users and Drupal developers seeking complete control over the websites they create. It has been the backbone for 1.7 million Drupal-powered websites since the platform’s inception in 2000.

Drupal CMS

Is a modern approach to website development built on Drupal 11 core. It allows anyone, be it a professional developer, a marketer, or a designer, to create a new site with pre-defined configurations called “recipes.” Moreover, it provides several out-of-the-box features that take Drupal to new heights.

Key features of Drupal CMS 1.0

Let’s explore what features make Drupal CMS 1.0 so innovative.

AI agents

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, and Drupal CMS is no exception. It integrates advanced AI features to assist users in the content management process. AI agents, one of the most exciting features of Drupal CMS 1.0, aim to simplify complex site-building tasks, making it more user-friendly to beginners and experienced users.

Users can create AI agents of various types, for example:

  • Filed Type Agent to configure fields,
  • Content Type Agent to create new content types,
  • Taxonomy Type Agents to build taxonomies.

Just imagine you can add an instruction like “Add an image field to the Page called “My images” to store images privately, accessible only to the uploader,” — and intelligent agents will do it for you. Automating such tasks accelerates the time needed to develop a site and helps reduce costs. Moreover, AI-driven website building allows you to focus more on strategy and content.

You can interact with AI features in Drupal CMS either via action buttons or via the chatbot window.

Use cases for Drupal CMS 1.0

The sky is the limit. With the powerful features of Drupal CMS, it’s set to make website building more intuitive than ever before for companies of all sizes.

Small and medium-sized businesses will benefit from AI features, Recipes, and automatic updates, allowing them to reduce time and costs from the start. Features like data security protection, built-in multilingual support, and accessibility tools make the platform suitable for enterprise organizations.

Who is the platform’s target user?

Developers, marketers, designers, web managers, and content creators — everyone involved in creating engaging and dynamic digital experiences.

How to get started

For those interested in exploring Drupal CMS 1.0, the platform offers comprehensive documentation to guide users through installation, setup, and feature utilization.

There are two installation paths depending on your needs:

Go to Try Drupal CMS and complete the form. You’ll get a full-featured Drupal CMS experience to explore and customize. Trial sites are temporary, but you’ll be able to test all of the capabilities of Drupal CMS.

To get started, install DDEV, an open-source tool for launching local web development environments. Next, download the Drupal CMS zip file and unzip Drupal CMS. In the unzipped directory, run ./launch-drupal-cms.sh at the command line. As a result, DDEV will automatically configure the site and open Drupal CMS in your default browser.

Final thoughts

In summary, Drupal CMS 1.0 represents a significant advancement in content management systems, combining AI-powered tools, pre-configured features, and a focus on user experience to meet the evolving needs of digital creators.

Its release sets the stage for a future where building exceptional websites is effortless and enjoyable. Drupal CMS offers an intuitive platform that removes technical barriers while providing advanced tools to create, manage, and optimize websites. We’re excited to see more innovative features in the upcoming releases: new Recipes, the launch of Experience Builder 1.0, and enhanced docs. Stay tuned!

Authors

Aliaksei Lyzo
Aliaksei Lyzo Backend developer, Team Lead
Can discuss about digitalisation for hours. Pays great attentions to details. Security and GDPR expert.
Alexandra Khvoynitskaya
Alexandra Khvoynitskaya Marketing
Content writer and editor with over a decade of experience in digital marketing. Tech‑addicted. Coffee‑inspired.

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