drupal

The open-source ecosystem thrives on collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. Within this space, Drupal has consistently emerged as a beacon of robust, community-driven development. A significant contribution to this success comes from Drupal companies stepping up to sponsor Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) events, ensuring the platform's visibility and fostering its growth.

Some of them are doing more than just sponsoring events—they are cultivating spaces where Drupal can shine amidst the broader open-source community. By anchoring Drupal’s presence at these gatherings, they highlight the platform’s strengths, such as its flexibility, scalability, and vibrant community. Their efforts underscore the idea that Drupal is not just a content management system but a cornerstone of the open-source movement.

Recently, Nico Grienauer wrote an article in the Drop Times about acolono’s presence at ‘Kiss the Globe,’ an interdisciplinary event held in Vienna, Austria. Acolono was one of the event's sponsors, but it did not end there. The company offered discounted tickets to Drupal developers, enabling more contributors to attend. This approach democratizes access to knowledge-sharing opportunities, allowing developers to engage with the broader open-source world while representing Drupal. 

Such measures ensure Drupal's representation and help create a collaborative bridge between diverse technologies and communities. This cross-pollination of ideas enhances the value of open-source events and reflects the cooperative ethos that defines Drupal.

In a world where competition often overshadows collaboration, these efforts remind us of the power of community. Such initiatives deserve appreciation as they propel Drupal forward and uphold the principles of open source—accessibility, inclusivity, and innovation. 

Now, let’s look at the important stories from the past week.

In an interview with Alka Elizabeth, Martin Anderson-Clutz reflects on his experiences presenting at NEDCamp. He delves into his work under the Starshot initiative, which aims to enhance Drupal’s capabilities for event management. He highlights the evolution of Drupal recipes, explores the complexities of event-based tools, and shares developments slated for upcoming releases. He also discusses how collaboration within the Drupal community has shaped tools and practices, offering insights into the future of event management and site-building with Drupal.

For acolono, Open Source is not just a technical solution but a philosophy. It represents collaboration, innovation, and shared responsibility—values that align closely with the ethos of Kiss the Globe. By leveraging Drupal, acolono develops digital tools that are both innovative and environmentally conscious, reinforcing the agency’s belief that technology can be a driver of sustainability. Nico Grienauer shares about acolono's partnership with Kiss the Globe event and their giant push for Drupal.

Bernardo Martinez writes about how DrupalCamp Atlanta regained momentum in 2024 after one of its lead organizers stepped down last year. Earlier in the week, we had published his reflection on this year's Open-Source/DrupalCamp Chattanooga. Here's a report of the event from Bernardo Martinez.

This week, from November 25 to December 1, 2024, features several Drupal events, including the MidCamp 2025 Planning Meeting, the Event Platform Initiative Discussion, and the Dutch Splash Awards. Have a look at the Drop Times’ article on events this week.

Pamela Barone has provided updates on the progress of Drupal CMS version 1 and outlined plans for new work tracks to advance the platform further. With version 1 nearing completion, successful tracks like Project Browser and Workspaces as Content Moderation continue to drive improvements.

DrupalSouth has officially announced its committee for 2024, bringing together a group of dedicated professionals to lead the organization’s activities and initiatives. The newly appointed committee includes individuals with diverse experience, ready to advance the Drupal community in the region.

DrupalCon Singapore 2024 is set to roll within a month. The grand event that brings together Drupal enthusiasts from Asia and beyond is going to be a goldmine of networking opportunities. Have a look at the Social Events at the event.

DrupalNYC invites Drupal enthusiasts to participate in its upcoming "Contribution Day," scheduled for Friday, December 13, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The event encourages both new and seasoned contributors to collaborate on advancing the Drupal ecosystem.

DrupalCamp Poland 2025, the country's largest Drupal-focused conference, will occur on June 7 in Warsaw. Organizers have announced that the call for session proposals is now open, inviting speakers to submit their topics for consideration. 

A new podcast series was launched exclusively to deal with topics connected to LibreOffice. The series titled LibreOffice Podcast is being published on PeerTube. The first episode, published on 20 November, discussed the topic "Marketing Free Software".

James Abrahams, Director at FreelyGive. Ltd, recently shared an update on the integration of AI agents into Drupal, sparking a wide-ranging discussion among experts on LinkedIn. His insights focused on the critical role of evaluations in AI systems, as well as the challenges of creating intuitive tools for non-developers within the Drupal ecosystem.

With that let's wind up this week's newsletter.

Thomas Alias K
Sub-editor, The Drop Times

Headless Drupal is changing the course for content management systems by offering a fresh approach to how digital content is delivered across platforms.

At its core, headless Drupal separates the backend (where content is stored and managed) from the frontend (where content is displayed). This decoupling allows for a greater range of flexibility and customization in how content is presented to users, leading to faster, more dynamic websites that can easily integrate with a multitude of modern tech stacks.

Why choose headless? 

The benefits are abundant. By going headless, organizations can seamlessly deploy content across diverse platforms—from mobile apps and kiosks to IoT devices. This means a blog post, product description, or interactive experience can be shared consistently, regardless of where or how it is consumed.

However, embracing headless architecture is not without its challenges. Managing separate systems can introduce complexity. Multiple moving parts can sometimes lead to increased difficulty in synchronizing the backend with various frontends. Fortunately, Drupal's API-first architecture mitigates these challenges by providing a strong foundation for developers to build upon, ensuring a cohesive integration between systems.

The real excitement comes with the capability to pair Drupal's robust backend with cutting-edge front-end technologies like React, Vue.js, or Angular. This combination results in richer, more engaging user experiences that cater to modern audiences' expectations for speed and interactivity. Developers have the freedom to innovate and tailor the user interface to meet the unique needs of their audience, unencumbered by traditional constraints.

Moreover, businesses are positioned to benefit tremendously from headless Drupal. They gain the ability to bring new features to market rapidly, allowing them to stay ahead in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. Scalability becomes less of a concern, as the architecture easily accommodates growth and a wide variety of digital touchpoints.

Headless Drupal doesn't just promise flexibility; it delivers adaptability essential for future-proofing digital strategies. In an era where customer engagement is king, and technology continues to evolve at unprecedented speeds, having a versatile and powerful content management system is indispensable.

The question isn't just whether headless Drupal is the future—it's about understanding how this evolution in content management can redefine your digital strategy to better connect with users across every platform.

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🎉 Calling All Local Associations, Event Organizers, and Drupal Agencies!

Drupal CMS is launching on 15 January 15, 2025, and we need YOU to help make it a global sensation!

Drupal CMS is built to empower marketers, content teams, and site builders, making it easier than ever for organizations to adopt and thrive with Drupal. For long-time Drupal  users, it’s an opportunity to supercharge and expand your Drupal experience.

This is our moment to shine! It’s a huge moment in the history of Drupal, and it also marks Drupal’s 24th birthday. 

Let’s introduce Drupal CMS to the world, and celebrate the remarkable community that has made this possible. 

🌍 How You Can Join the Global Celebration

💥 Host a launch party
Be part of the excitement by organizing a Drupal CMS launch party in your local community on January 15, 2025.

👉 Sign up to host: Fill out [this form] to share your event details and join the party.
👉 Promote your event: Post it on Drupal.org’s Community Events page with the tag #DrupalFest so everyone can find it.

💥 Find a launch party to attend

👉Find a local party: Visit Drupal.org’s Community Events page and search with the tag DrupalFest to find launch parties near you. (Note: launch parties will be added in the coming week).

🚀 What to expect on launch day

Here’s what’s in store:

🎥 Live-stream

Be part of a global live-stream (details coming soon) connecting launch parties around the world. Feel the energy of our vibrant community as we celebrate together in real time!

🎙️ Interviews

Get behind-the-scenes insights with interviews with the brilliant minds behind Drupal CMS. Learn how they brought this next-generation platform to life.

⏱️ Countdown to launch

Join the excitement with a countdown anchored from our mission control party in Boston.

💻 Live demos of Drupal CMS

See Drupal CMS in action with live demonstrations that showcase its game-changing features. Whether you're a marketer, developer, or site builder, you’ll be inspired by what’s possible.

SWAG, and much more!

Other ways to spread the word

Translate the press release
Help Drupal CMS reach every corner of the world by translating the official launch announcement into your language.

Use branded marketing materials
We’re creating ready-to-use content—including blog templates, social media kits, and more—to help you amplify the launch. Updates to come.

Is your website the driving engine of your higher ed institution and a powerful catalyst for its goals? Is it effectively attracting prospective students, inspiring alumni, and building a vibrant community? There are always new strategies to boost your website's impact and ensure the answer is a resounding "yes"! As a team that specializes in higher education website design & development, we are passionate about sharing useful tips that can help those in this sector.

Craft Your Perfect Proposal: MidCamp 2025 Session Proposal Workshop

🚀 Ready to take your session ideas to the next level? Whether you're a seasoned speaker or a first-time presenter, the MidCamp 2025 Session Proposal Workshop is here to help you craft standout submissions.

📅 Date: December 12, 2024
🕒 Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM CST
🌐 Location: Virtual via MidCamp Slack (#speakers channel)

Facilitated by Aaron Feledy

This workshop will be led by Aaron Feledy, a seasoned Drupal contributor and experienced speaker. Aaron brings years of expertise in proposal crafting and conference speaking, offering practical advice to help you refine and elevate your session submissions.

Why Attend?

Submitting a session proposal can be daunting—but it doesn't have to be! This workshop is designed to guide you through the process, from brainstorming topics to refining your submission. Our expert facilitators will share insider tips on what makes a proposal stand out to reviewers and resonate with attendees.

What You’ll Learn:

• How to choose and frame a compelling topic
• Crafting clear, concise, and engaging abstracts
• Tips for tailoring your proposal to different audiences
• Insight into the MidCamp review process

Session Submissions Now Open

Ready to submit? Session submissions for MidCamp 2025 are now open! Visit the MidCamp 2025 session submission page for guidelines and start your journey to the stage.

How to Join:

Simply join the MidCamp Slack and head over to the #speakers channel on December 12th at 3:00 PM CST. No registration required—just jump in and start collaborating!

We’re thrilled to introduce Stella Power, one of the newest members elected to the Drupal Association Board in October. Stella is the Managing Director of Annertech, a digital agency based in Dublin. She holds an MSc in Software Engineering from Dublin City University and a BA in Computational Physics from Trinity College Dublin. Since founding Annertech in 2008, she has grown the company into a team of approximately 40 members spanning the EU and beyond.

A passionate advocate for women in tech, Stella has been featured in numerous publications. In 2021, she was honored with the Women in Digital Award at Ireland’s National Digital Awards and, in 2022, received a Women in Drupal Award in the Scale category.

Stella is also an open-source evangelist and a sought-after speaker at international conferences, where she shares her expertise on development best practices, service delivery, data migrations, and security. She continues to contribute actively to Drupal and serves on the Drupal Security Team, the DrupalCon Europe Advisory Board, and the Starshot Advisory Council, in addition to her role on the Drupal Association Board.

We’re excited to have Stella on the Board, and she recently shared her insights on this new chapter in her journey:

What are you most excited about when it comes to joining the Drupal Association Board?
I’m looking forward to playing a role in shaping the future of Drupal. For me, Drupal is more than just a fantastic CMS—it’s a community. Being on the board gives me an opportunity to give back in a different way, stepping back to focus on the big picture. It’s not about concentrating on one part of the community or one piece of the codebase. I’m truly excited about this new role.

What do you hope to accomplish during your time on the board?
A big part of the Drupal Association's focus is fostering the growth of the Drupal community and supporting the project’s vision to create a safe, secure, and open web for everyone. As my role at Annertech changed from development to management, so did my contributions to Drupal. Instead of just contributing code I started contributing more to the community, most often in event organizing or on various committees. I contribute because I want to give back. The Drupal community has given me so much, even a career. I want to ensure others can benefit from it like I have.

I am a big advocate of getting new people involved. I love listening to new voices, and getting fresh perspectives on challenges or issues facing the Drupal community, and I look forward to helping grow the diversity of our community and amplifying voices that haven’t been heard before. The newer members of our community have a completely different take on what they want from Drupal. I look forward to listening to what they want, and to their ideas of Drupal and for Drupal.

What specific skill or perspective do you contribute to the board?
I have a coding background, and with that comes a built-in problem-solving radar. Developers tend to approach challenges like puzzles, and I’ve developed strong skills in context-switching. If something isn’t working I can change tack and come at it from a different angle. It was the logical, problem-solving aspect that first drew me to tech, and I’d like to think that that's a valuable skill.

How has Drupal impacted your life or career?
"If I hadn’t found Drupal I probably would have ended up doing something completely different with my life. I used to be an avid ceramic artist and amateur photographer. It was mainly just for fun, as a hobby, but I wanted to grow it into something more. However, it was when I went to build a website to showcase my portfolio that I found Drupal, and then it was contributing to Drupal that became my hobby!

I loved being involved in the community and contributing, but it wasn’t until I attended my first DrupalCon—in Szeged—that I realized it could be more than just a hobby. I was introduced to people who were doing such incredible things with Drupal, who were helping clients achieve their goals by creating incredible websites, and that’s when I decided to found my own digital agency and Annertech was born.

Tell us something that the Drupal community might not know about you.
I studied physics at university and initially aspired to be an astrophysicist. I even worked as an intern at the Space Telescope Science Institute with the Hubble Telescope! I loved the problem-solving aspects of physics, but Drupal allowed me to combine my love for problem-solving with my creative side.

Share a favorite quote or piece of advice that has inspired you.
I love the principle of aggregate marginal gains. It’s the idea that if you improve by just 1% consistently, those small gains will add up to remarkable improvement. We live in such a hectic world, where it's easy to feel overwhelmed or that challenges are insurmountable. Small improvements are far less daunting, and when you make small improvements on a daily basis, the overall results can be incredible.

We’re excited to see the amazing contributions Stella will make during her time on the Drupal Association Board. Thank you, Stella, for dedicating your time and expertise to serving the Drupal community! Connect with Stella on LinkedIn. 

The Drupal Association Board of Directors comprises 13 members with nine are nominated for staggered three-year terms, two are elected by Drupal Association members, and one seat is reserved for the Drupal Project Founder, Dries Buytaert, while another is reserved for the immediate past chair. The Board meets twice in person and four times virtually each year. It oversees policy development, executive director management, budget approvals, financial reporting, and fundraising efforts.

That’s a lot of sites!

Yes, it is! 10+ years ago we migrated 200 sites to a new server - and in 2024 we set up Cloudflare protection for well over 1000 sites.

Aegir is a hosting system built in Drupal, for Drupal. It lets you create and manage Drupal sites and all their databases, filesystems and virtual hosts. With Aegir, it’s easy to manage hundreds or thousands of sites via a simple UI. Each site has a node to represent it, and this project stored a whole bunch of additional Cloudflare metadata against the Site Nodes.

Keeping a PaaS product online at all times comes with a high level of responsibility. After code quality assurance and testing, DDOS attacks of all sizes and types are a high risk threat. The cost of protecting our availability, unsurprisingly, was non-trivial and became a point requiring fresh research and investment. Reducing the general load and the potential attack load on our servers would serve to support our quality of service.

In the Spring of 2024 we set up a proof of concept using Cloudflare, which would allow us to make a significant ongoing cost saving whilst also playing with some really cool APIs.

The plan

In order to put all our sites behind Cloudflare, we needed to:

* Get Aegir talking to Cloudflare via their API, and build the automatic processes to support the setup process
* Create a clear interface for starting and tracking setup per site
* Create a clear dashboard for tracking progress overall
* Go! Change the nameserver records for every domain, to point to Cloudflare

Here are some of the key interesting parts of our story (which had negligible downtime, btw!)

Interacting with Cloudflare’s API

It was greatly pleasing to find that Cloudflare let you do almost everything over an API (given the right authentication!). Given the scale of their company, it shouldn’t be a huge surprise I suppose!

With 1000 sites approx. to deal with, there was a strong drive to automate as much of this process as possible. So there was much celebration when it became clear that we would be able to do almost every step automatically, including:

* create everything we needed for the site domain, with an appropriate plan under our chosen account
* upload DNS records, query them and update them
* perform real-time ownership verification and SSL validation

Simple admin setup - Obtain DNS records for hundreds of domains, store them against Site Nodes, press GO

A large portion of the domains (about 500) are under our control, so we were able to bulk export the DNS records, process and save them against their Aegir Site Nodes. Some simple processing removed the SOA and NS records so that we would be able to send the records straight to Cloudflare when setup started.
These ‘easy’ sites, for which we had the DNS records, would be processed in bulk with a lot of Go! button clicks, and then making the relevant nameserver changes with the domain provider.
(The domain provider did offer to do bulk updates for us, but there seemed to be a 24h delay before action was taken - so it was quicker to do these changes ourselves.)
 

Creating a self-service setup mechanism via Drupal config + settings.php

Domains that we only had nameserver control for would have to be updated by the customer. But how would they know what nameservers to set up, and how would they trigger the setup process? Stats to the rescue!
As part of the Drupal 10 rebuild of the platform we added a Statistics module, which collects a selection of data points from each site and passes them to the corresponding node on Aegir for storage. They’re then aggregated and sent back to the sites so that customers can compare their performance to the cohort averages.
We created a form interface for the user to trigger setup when ready, and then smuggled the outputs over to Aegir in amongst the performance stats 🤭 

This self service route did still require a lot of chasing, but generally performed well as it allowed the users to perform the nameserver change at their choice of timing, rather than requiring scheduled calls and appointments on top of an already high administrative load.

Surfacing useful data, stats and buttons for the team

When developing a technical tool that ideally needs a single fire-and-forget button to kick things off, you not only need that one button but also a lot of clear visual cues to help others understand what’s going on.

We tied the setup steps to interface outputs, with clear dependency messaging and reporting.
Reporting eventually included a message in our Slack channel ⭐️
 

The results

After just a few weeks, we had 990 sites set up on Cloudflare - 90% of the most important setups. It turned out to be very difficult to get hundreds of different people, groups and stakeholders to make DNS nameserver changes quickly (even when you tell them it’s urgent!), so the process would continue a little longer.

Already we can measure the success - thanks to Cloudflare’s caching, we’ve seen decent reductions in bandwidth use and the number of requests hitting the server.