Drupal powers over 160 websites at the University of Washington and 1 in 30 websites globally.
Members of our community are often asked, "Why do you use Drupal?" Some of the most frequently mentioned characteristics are:
- robust, well-documented framework
- flexibility and ease of customization
- scalability
- excellent community support
- accessibility
- security
"Because we all have different needs, Drupal allows you to create a unique space in a world of cookie-cutter solutions." (Drupal.org)
The web developer perspective
Web developers often choose Drupal as a content management system over its popular counterpart WordPress. Both are well-established, open source, PHP-based platforms with a wide library of contributed modules/plugins and loyal users. So, why pick Drupal?
Ease of development
Simply put, Drupal was created with developers in mind. Drupal core provides a base framework that emphasizes change and customization – a solid foundation for nearly any type of website. Developers can combine contributed modules to achieve advanced functionality, or when needed, can easily create custom solutions by relying on the “Drupal way”. This guiding philosophy applies to code structure and standards, security guidelines and site building, as well as to content strategy and the community at large. Flexibility is Drupal’s main tenet, and hooking code into Drupal’s system is straightforward.
Multisite capabilities
Even with this flexibility in mind, developers often need a base-build site they can use more easily to launch similar websites. Drupal’s built-in multisite functionality allows several separate, individual websites – each with their own databases, themes and modules – to be served from a single Drupal installation. Each site in turn can still use custom functionality or theming. WordPress has its own version of multisite, however all websites in the instance share a single database. Drupal's approach improves performance, portability and security.
A clean foundation
If Drupal caters to developers, it can be argued that WordPress favors users. Out of the box, WordPress makes many decisions for you, and perhaps in contrast to Drupal, is easy to learn. In many ways, WordPress simplifies the task of getting started building a new website – allowing less technical users to succeed, and more technical users to spend less time building the basics – but in other ways, this can complicate the task of customization.
Next generation improvements
Of course, both Drupal and WordPress are incredibly capable platforms. Drupal is a developer’s playground, but requires a deeper understanding of how it works to really get going. WordPress is closer to a plug-and-play system, with the caveat that making custom changes can be more challenging. Drupal 8, however, helps close the gap on its ease-of-use by better addressing the needs of end users without sacrificing its dedication to developers, such as with the introduction of REST APIs and Big Pipe performance enhancement.
Examples
Drupal development is thriving at the University of Washington. Just check out some of our many websites.