Click, Create, Control: The Future of Websites with Drupal CMS’s Smart Assistant

Drupal Core is the foundational framework of the Drupal ecosystem, a powerful, open-source content management system (CMS) known for its flexibility, scalability, and security. As a modular framework, it provides the fundamental structures for creating and managing diverse types of content, built to support custom workflows and integrations for both small and large-scale applications. With tools like the Entity API and extensive support for fields, relationships, and granular permissions, Drupal Core is engineered to serve complex web needs.

Building upon Drupal Core’s versatility, Drupal CMS represents the next step, a no-code, AI-driven platform designed for enterprise-level digital experiences (DXPs). Here’s a breakdown of its key features,

What is Drupal CMS?

Starshot, now rebranded as "Drupal CMS" represents a significant advancement in the Drupal ecosystem, focusing on a no-code, AI-driven platform for building and managing websites. It aims to simplify workflows and enhance productivity, enabling users to create digital experiences with ease. By integrating AI tools, Starshot facilitates seamless content management and customization, making it accessible for both developers and non-technical users.

AI-Driven Assistance for Content and Configuration Drupal’s CMS AI-driven assistant enables non-technical users to make advanced configurations without coding expertise. This AI functionality helps with:

1. Field Operations - Easily create, update, or delete fields.
2. Content Type Configurations - Make real-time adjustments to content types, set validation rules, and configure taxonomy terms.
3. SEO and Accessibility Support - The AI bot suggests SEO improvements in real-time, offering keyword optimization, metadata adjustments, and on-page analysis to ensure accessibility standards are met.
4. Alt Text Generation - Automatically generates descriptive alt text for images, helping both SEO and accessibility compliance.

These features are built with responsible AI principles, including transparency and the ability to swap language models to customize outputs.

Recipe Builder and Prebuilt Modules for Streamlined Setup. The Recipe Builder is an innovative approach to creating flexible, packaged features, reusable templates for common website functionalities. Prebuilt recipes include:

1. Events Management
2. Multilingual Content Handling
3. Data Privacy
4. Content Authoring Workflows
5. Media Management
6. Analytics and Marketing Tools

Built on Drupal’s core architecture recipes combine essential modules, content types, and configurations, making it easier to deploy new sites. Additionally, the Project Browser allows users to find and install recipes directly, enhancing user control and site consistency.

Migration Capabilities with AI-Powered Content Import - One standout feature is the AI-powered content import tool, designed to facilitate seamless migration from other CMSs to Drupal. This tool can crawl a site’s URLs and intelligently import content structures, metadata, and media assets without needing manual adjustments, making it easier for enterprises transitioning to Drupal.

Experience Builder and Single Directory Components (SDC) - The Experience Builder built on SDC (Single Directory Components) elevates user experience by providing an intuitive, drag-and-drop content arrangement system. This feature is particularly useful for enterprise-scale sites that require custom workflows, real-time updates, and a highly configurable UI. It also includes:

1. React-Based Admin Interface - A modern, modular UI that can be extended and customized, providing a consistent, future-proof experience for both developers and content creators.
2. Advanced Permissions and Roles - Enabling granular control over who can modify different parts of the site, keeping content secure and workflows organized.

Language Model Flexibility Drupal’s support for multiple language models (LLMs) means that organizations can use AI models specific to their industry or in-house models. With support for seven major providers, Drupal’s language model flexibility is a game-changer for companies needing specialized outputs, catering to custom compliance, customer service needs, or other sector-specific language handling.

Drupal CMS is undergoing a significant transformation into a no-code, AI-enhanced platform that simplifies content management and web-building for enterprises, all while staying highly configurable and scalable. With the release of Drupal CMS 1.0 set for 15, January 2025, it brings many powerful features that redefine how digital experiences are built and maintained. Let’s take a closer look at what’s changing and how it stacks up against a popular competitor, WordPress.

Reader might have following questions,

1. Drupal core will not be open source any more? - Ans :- Drupal core is essential for Drupal CMS as base, so it will be continue to be open source.
2. Is Drupal CMS easy to use for non-technical users or beginners? - Ans :- Yes, the AI assistant simplifies tasks for non-technical users, enabling them to configure fields, manage SEO, and set up workflows without coding knowledge.
3. What are “recipes” in Drupal CMS, and how do they simplify site building? - Ans :- Recipes are prebuilt package/templates for website functionalities like SEO, media management, and multilingual support, making it easy to add and customize features quickly.
4. How does Drupal CMS handle SEO and accessibility? - Ans :- Drupal CMS has out-of-the-box SEO tools, with AI-driven recommendations for improving keywords, metadata, and accessibility standards on each page.
5. Is Drupal CMS designed to keep up with future trends, and how often is it updated? - Ans :- Drupal CMS has a strong roadmap for continuous innovation, with regular updates and an active community contributing to its long-term adaptability.