News Roundup

​The Drupal community offers a variety of events this week for enthusiasts and professionals alike. On April 3rd, the Drupal User Group Berlin is hosting a meetup in Berlin, Germany. Additionally, the Nonprofit Drupal Community Chat occurs on the third Thursday of every month, providing a platform to discuss Drupal's role in the nonprofit sector. For a comprehensive list of upcoming Drupal events, visit Drupal.org's community events page

Drupal.org revamps its project release UI, retiring the “recommended by maintainer” label. Stable releases now appear in blue, with alpha, beta, and RCs in grey, aligning visual cues with semantic versioning. The update reflects deeper Composer integration and Drupal.org’s evolving brand identity.

The DropTimes wraps up its series on essential Drupal contributed modules by spotlighting CMS recipes—curated module sets tailored to specific use cases like forms, scheduling, mapping, accessibility, and privacy. This comprehensive listicle features powerful tools such as Webform, Scheduler, BPMN.iO, Smart Date, and Klaro, helping site builders streamline workflows and expand Drupal's core capabilities. Whether optimizing admin UI or enhancing geospatial interactivity, these modules empower developers, editors, and strategists to build more robust, user-centric digital experiences.

Perforce is hosting a live webinar on April 3 to unpack the 2025 PHP Landscape Report, spotlighting key trends and security risks. Despite PHP’s 30-year evolution, 40% of teams still run on outdated versions. Experts will share insights on safer migrations and smarter deployment strategies.

Pantheon honoured five agencies at its 2025 Partner Summit during DrupalCon Atlanta. Awards went to MMGY Global, TEN7, Four Kitchens, Lullabot, and Evolving Web for excellence in innovation, client success, and open web impact. The recognitions spotlight each agency's standout contributions over the past year.

Drupal Developer Days Leuven 2025, set for April 15–18, announces a powerhouse keynote lineup including Thijs Suiten, Dr. Merlijn Sebrechts, James Abrahams, and Christina Chumillas. Topics span tech-for-good, WebAssembly, AI-driven UI, and the Drupal CMS roadmap. The event promises top-tier insights and networking for the open-source community.

Metadrop launches Visual Layout Suite (VLSuite), a low-code module for building web pages in Drupal with drag-and-drop ease. Designed for both developers and non-tech users, it offers real-time visual editing, reusable templates, and smooth theme integration. VLSuite simplifies page creation while maintaining design consistency and speed.

Droptica Co-CEO Grzegorz Bartman releases a step-by-step video tutorial on building an idea registration system using Drupal. The 18-minute guide shows how to structure and manage employee suggestions via custom content types and views. Aimed at boosting internal innovation, the full tutorial is now live on YouTube.

Next.js 15.2.3 patches a critical flaw that allowed attackers to bypass Middleware in self-hosted deployments. The issue stemmed from a misused internal header, posing serious risks to apps relying on authentication checks. Immediate updates are recommended to secure affected versions.

Lukas Fischer of Netnode shares a video analysis revealing a decline in overall Drupal usage since 2021, but rising adoption of modern versions like Drupal 10 and 11. Drupal 7 remains widespread but is steadily fading post-support. Notably, modern Drupal now powers nearly 7% of the top 10,000 sites, outpacing Adobe Experience Manager in that segment.

Specbee launches SmartLinker AI, a new Drupal module that automates internal linking using GPT-4, Milvus, and Zilliz Cloud. Designed to boost SEO and editorial workflow, it offers real-time link suggestions and customization options. Despite a complex setup, it enables quick, intelligent link generation for content editors.

Talking Drupal celebrates its 500th episode on May 2, 2025, with a special “Community Edition” featuring voices from across the Drupal ecosystem. The milestone show includes key figures like Dries Buytaert and longtime contributors reflecting on the community’s journey. The DropTimes will also launch a special content series chronicling the podcast’s legacy and future.

amazee.io and FreelyGive launch a free, no-signup one-click Drupal CMS trial with built-in AI tools. The initiative aims to simplify AI adoption in content management by removing setup and privacy barriers. Running on amazee.io's secure infrastructure, it offers AI-assisted content creation, smart search, and automation.

Session recordings from DrupalSouth Melbourne 2025 are now live on the official YouTube channel. Held at ACMI from March 11–13, the event featured talks on development, accessibility, content strategy, and more. All videos are free to watch, making it easy to catch up or share key insights.

Talking Drupal #494 explores AI's impact on higher education with insights from Rochester and MIT. Guests Brian Piper and Mike Miles discuss workflow automation, content strategy, and institutional AI policies. The featured Module of the Week, "External Entities", connects Drupal to third-party data sources.

Drupaljam 2025 returns on May 21 in Utrecht with the theme “and beyond,” uniting developers and open-source enthusiasts. A special “Drupal in a Day” Student Track invites university students to dive into web development with hands-on training and career insights. The initiative aims to spark new talent and expand the Drupal community.

The Drupal France Meetup returns to Grenoble on March 27, hosted at Ecedi's office from 19:00–21:00 CET. Marie and Malika Hanotte will share insights on transitioning to UI Suite for better front-end outcomes, while Nicolas Loye demos TypeSense search integration. The event will also be streamed live on Drupal France's YouTube channel.

Day three at DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 featured insightful sessions on AI advancements and the Experience Builder, emphasizing real-world applications. Attendees actively shared their experiences on social media, highlighting the collaborative spirit of the Drupal community. The day underscored the importance of in-person connections within the community.

As Drupal reaches a turning point, community voices like Josh Koenig, Matt Krebsbach, and Jesus Manuel Olivas are sparking debate over its future and the relevance of the DXP model. While Josh and Jesus critique the traditional DXP strategy, Matt defends Acquia’s evolution towards a more flexible, composable experience. Their views diverge—on positioning, modernization, and vendor influence—but converge on one point: Drupal must evolve to stay competitive.

Streamline contributions with GitLab CI: Automate builds, tests, and deployments using a .gitlab-ci.yml file to ensure smooth integration and high-quality code. Customize pipelines with environment variables, triggers, and runners for efficient CI/CD workflows. Follow best practices like using merge requests, optimizing pipelines, and integrating quality checks to boost collaboration and maintainability.

The Drupal Kochi community will host its monthly meetup on March 27 at TinkerSpace, Kochi, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM IST. Open to all Drupal enthusiasts, the event encourages casual discussions and networking. An online option may be arranged based on interest.

At DrupalCon Atlanta 2025, Dries Buytaert unveiled major strides in Drupal’s marketing strategy, including a refreshed brand and a drupal.org rebuild. The Drupal Association has hired product marketers and launched tools like a pitch deck and redesigned profiles to support certified partners. These moves aim to grow adoption and empower the community’s key contributors, dubbed “makers.”

At DrupalCon Atlanta 2025, Dries Buytaert unveiled a bold roadmap for Drupal CMS, emphasizing onboarding, marketing, experience building, and AI integration. A key highlight was a new open-source desktop app, introduced by Gábor Hojtsy, that simplifies Drupal installation with a single click for macOS and Windows. The app, currently available on GitHub, aims to streamline setup and boost adoption by offering a frictionless start for new users.

A new analysis by WP Security Ninja crowns Drupal as the more secure CMS over WordPress, thanks to its strict module vetting and robust architecture. While WordPress dominates in usage and ease, its plugin vulnerabilities pose significant security risks. Drupal, though technically demanding, offers enterprise-grade protection ideal for high-risk environments.

Gagana Girish of Specbee wins the 2025 DrupalCon Atlanta T-shirt Design Contest with the most public votes. Her artwork will be the official design for this year’s event, spotlighting community creativity. Though awarded a free ticket, she won’t attend in person.

Kristen Pol, Co-Founder of Quant CDN, has received the 2025 Aaron Winborn Award at DrupalCon Atlanta, marking the award’s 10th anniversary. Honored for her years of technical leadership and deep community support, Kristen used her speech to highlight mental health and the power of connection. The award, created in memory of Aaron Winborn, celebrates outstanding commitment to the Drupal community.

DrupalCon North America 2026 is set for March 23–26 in Chicago, Illinois. Announced at DrupalCon Atlanta 2025, the event promises four days of open-source collaboration in the Windy City. Developers, designers, and tech leaders are invited to join for sessions, networking, and community updates.

DrupalCon Asia 2025 heads to Nara, Japan, from November 17–19, following last year's success in Singapore. The event, hosted at Hotel Nikko, promises a vibrant mix of Drupal innovation and cultural charm. Organized by Drupal Asia with key partners, early-bird registration opens May 5.

Grace Themes compares WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, highlighting their strengths across usability, adaptability, and complexity. WordPress stands out for beginners, Joomla suits designers, and Drupal excels with advanced, multi-user systems. The post stresses CMS choice should align with project needs and user expertise.

​DrupalCon Atlanta 2025's second day continues to engage attendees with in-depth sessions and vibrant discussions. The conference offers a diverse range of topics, including AI integration in Drupal, content strategy, and user experience design. Participants are encouraged to explore the schedule to tailor their experience. ​

Day 3 of DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 spotlights security, privacy, and inclusion with key sessions by Christopher Gervais, Jurgen Haas, and Matthew Saunders. Gervais unveils advances in AutoUpdates and TUF integration for Drupal's supply chain security, while Haas showcases Drupal CMS as a privacy-compliant framework. Saunders redefines neurodiversity as a business strength, urging companies to build inclusive, high-performing teams.