Drupal 10 was released in December 2022 and has brought a wave of exciting new features and improvements with it.
Apart from WordPress, it’s a popular open-source content management system (CMS) that is gaining traction.
Whether you’re an experienced Drupal user or just starting, Drupal 10 offers a range of benefits that will enhance your website’s functionality, security, and user experience — so you must consider migrating to Drupal 10.
Let’s delve into some of the key features of Drupal 10 and explore some of the many advantages of migrating to Drupal 10.
1) A New Front-end Look with Olivero Theme
Drupal 10 has introduced a brand new default theme called Olivero. This theme has replaced the older Bartik theme, giving your website a much more modern and user-friendly feel.
Here are some features of Olivero that make it special:
- Olivero features a smooth and clean interface that is a treat for the eyes. It’s a big step up from the previous Bartik theme and offers a more contemporary look that reflects the improved features of Drupal 10.
- Olivero is designed with accessibility in mind — this means people with disabilities can navigate and interact with your website without any issues.
- Olivero theme is responsive; No matter what device your visitors use — whether it’s a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone — Olivero will automatically adjust to provide an optimal viewing experience.
- Olivero serves as a solid foundation for your website. You can customize it with various elements like colours, fonts, and graphics to create a unique look that matches your brand identity.
- Olivero is lightweight and designed for speed and offers faster loading time — this means your website keeps visitors happy and engaged.
So, if you’re looking to create a website that’s not only beautiful but also user-friendly and accessible, the Olivero theme of Drupal 10 makes it a possibility.
2) Fast and SImple Back-end Management with Claro Theme
Drupal 10 has introduced the Claro theme, which is a brand-new interface designed to make managing your website easier and faster. This theme replaces the older Seven theme and offers several improvements for administrators, content creators and editors. Here are some of its offerings:
- Simplified Navigation: Claro reorganizes admin tabs based on user experience studies, making it more intuitive to find the features you need.
- Mobile-Friendly Editing: The new theme adapts easily to different screen sizes, allowing you to manage content and edit pages even on your smartphone or tablet.
- Accessibility Focus: Claro prioritizes accessibility, ensuring everyone can comfortably manage your website’s content regardless of their abilities.
In short, Claro is designed to improve the administrative experience in Drupal 10, offering a smoother workflow and increased efficiency for content creators and website administrators.
Drupal 7 Security Support Ends on 5 January 2025!
As per the official report from Drupal, Drupal 7 will no longer receive any security support after this date. So, it’s best that you migrate to Drupal 10 as soon as possible. Although the migration process can be complex, we can help you migrate to Drupal 10 easily with minimal downtime.
3) CKEditor 5 for Click-worthy Content Creation
Have you ever gotten frustrated copying text from Google Docs or Word and seeing weird formatting appear on your Drupal website?
With the new version. Drupal 10 says goodbye to CKEditor 4 & introduces the new CKEditor 5 — a powerful and modern text editor.
CKEditor 5 can be said to be the next generation of word processing for your Drupal website. It’s like upgrading from an old phone to the latest model.
This new editor comes built-in with Drupal 10, so there’s no need for any extra installation steps. Here’s what content creators will love the most about CKEditor 5:
- Easy Editing: Editing links and images will be as easy as editing on WordPress. You don’t need to open separate windows — you can do it all right within the editor itself.
- No Weird Formatting: If you paste text from Google Docs or Word, CKEditor 5 will remove any unnecessary formatting, saving you time and effort.
CKEditor 5 is a game-changer in Drupal 10, making content creation smoother and more efficient than ever before.
So, let your creativity run loose and focus on crafting amazing content while CKEditor 5 will handle the rest!
4) Modern JavaScript Components for Fast Loading
One of the most prominent Drupal 10 features is that it brings exciting changes under the hood, and one of them involves how your website interacts.
Do you remember jQuery, a library that was used to make websites work smoothly? Well, browsers have gotten smarter and can now handle many tasks jQuery used to do.
This means Drupal 10 can ditch some of the old jQuery code and use modern JavaScript instead.
You can think of this feature as cleaning out your attic — you get rid of things you don’t need anymore. In this case, getting rid of unnecessary code makes your website load faster and run smoother.
And yes, It’s also a trend in web app development — programmers are moving towards modern JavaScript for tasks like handling website content and communicating with servers.
In short, we can say that Drupal is keeping up with changing times! The Drupal team is replacing older jQuery code with modern JavaScript throughout the system.
5) Theme Starterkit Tools for Easy Theme Development
If you’ve been a Drupal user, you can remember the days of wrestling with theme updates in Drupa.! But no more!
Drupal 10 has introduced Starterkit Tools, a game-changing feature for theme development.
Starterkit lets you build themes based on a core foundation, ensuring smooth sailing when updates roll around. It means that there will be no more worrying about conflicts or broken features with each update. But that’s not all!
Starterkit provides a clean template as your starting point, unlike previous versions where you inherited a bulky base theme. This approach gives you more control and flexibility when designing your website and saves a lot of unnecessary stress and time.
If you still love the idea of sub-themes, then don’t worry because sub-theming is available in Drupal 10. You can create additional themes that inherit styles and functionalities from your main theme for a cohesive website experience.
One of the best parts of Starterkit is that it takes the hassle out of theme creation. A simple built-in script automates the entire process — you just have to type a command and your theme is ready to roll!
Starterkit is great for both — developers and designers. It provides customizable templates and prioritizes accessibility, ensuring your website is not only beautiful but also usable for everyone.
6) 10x Security & Performance with Symfony 6 & PHP 8.1
As per the case study by Drupal, Drupal 10 takes a big leap forward by using Symfony 6 as its core & replacing Symphony 4 for good. By using PHP 8.1 as a base, Symphony 6 can deliver exceptional security & performance. You can think of it as the engine of your car getting a complete overhaul and getting fixed for performance and safety.
This new feature of Drupal 10 focuses on two improving 2 key areas:
- Better Performance: With Symphony 6, you can think of your website loading in a flash! Symfony 6 delivers these improvements, making Drupal 10 websites run smoother and faster.
- Improved Security: Just like having a high-end security system for your home, Symfony 6 strengthens Drupal’s defences against online threats. Bug fixes and vulnerability patches will keep your website safe and secure.
Overall, this switch to Symfony 6 & implementing PHP 8.1 will ensure a more robust and secure Drupal experience.
Other Notable Drupal 10 Features
Beyond the sleek interface and improved content creation tools, Drupal 10 packs a punch with several other new features designed to enhance your website’s performance, functionality, and user experience. Here are some of them:
7) Fast Speed
Say goodbye to slow loading times! Drupal 10 utilizes dynamic caching, ensuring only recently changed parts of your website need to be refreshed. This keeps your website fast and responsive for your visitors.
8) Simple Workflows for Development
For Drupal developers, managing configurations just got easier. Drupal 10 allows you to track all site settings within version control systems like Git. This makes development workflows simple and saves time and resources.
9) Faster Content Delivery & Less Distraction
Drupal 10 lets you prioritize content loading over ads. Imagine a webpage with ads — visitors can see the main content first, while ads load in the background. This keeps users engaged and reduces bounce rates.
10) Multilingual and Accessible
With Drupal 10’s new feature, reaching a wider audience is easier than ever as it simplifies creating and managing content in multiple languages, ensuring your website caters to a global audience. Additionally, built-in accessibility features make your site user-friendly for everyone.
11) Enhanced Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
You can attract more visitors with improved SEO features in Drupal 10. With the support of the latest WebP image format, Drupal 10 allows uploading images with small sizes without sacrificing quality. This leads to faster loading times and improves your website’s ranking in search results.
12) Easy Content Management
Importing and exporting content is simple with Drupal 10. Built-in tools and web services allow for easy updates, bulk imports, and easy integration with mobile apps and partner websites.
13) Ready-Made Integrations
Out-of-the-box modules for popular services like email marketing platforms and CRM systems make it easy to connect your website with the tools you already use. This eliminates the need for custom development and saves you valuable time when you choose to switch to Drupal 10
14) Powerful Search
Drupal 10 integrates with Apache Solr which gives you the benefit of a powerful search functionality. You can implement full-text search with advanced features like understanding the structure of languages like Russian.
These are just a few of the many additional features that make Drupal 10 a powerful and versatile platform for building your website. With its focus on speed, performance, and user experience, Drupal 10 equips you with the tools you need to create a successful online presence.
What are the Advantages of Upgrading to Drupal 10?
If you’re still using Drupal 9 or an earlier version, you’re missing out on many benefits! Here’s a glimpse of the benefits of Drupal 10.
- Faster Pages: Dynamic caching refreshes only modified content, enhancing website speed.
- Cost-Effective: Easier site settings management reduces development time and costs.
- Better User Experience: Facebook’s Big Pipe technology loads content faster, keeping visitors engaged.
- Accessibility & Multilingual: Effortlessly build accessible, global-ready websites.
- Improved SEO: Supports Webp images, improving load times and search rankings.
- Easy Content Management: Built-in tools simplify content import/export.
- Mobile-First: Offers modules for Progressive Web Apps, ensuring a great mobile experience.
- Pre-built Integrations: Ready modules for services like Unisender, Bitrix 24, and Google AMP.
- Enhanced Search: Apache Solr integration for accurate, full-text search
Don't Get Left Behind
If you’re still using an older version of Drupal, it’s crucial to understand that you’re missing out on many features.
Your website will become vulnerable to security threats and miss out on all the advancements offered by Drupal 10. Upgrading to Drupal 10 isn’t just about new features; it’s about safeguarding your website and ensuring its continued success.
While upgrading from Drupal 7 to Drupal 10 might seem daunting, the benefits far outweigh the challenges. If you need help with migrating Drupal to a newer version, we can help!
At Codevian, we have the best Drupal developers who will assist you in the migration process and will offer any help you need with Drupal development — be it custom Drupal development or third-party integration.
Additionally, you can hire our Drupal developers for your project.
Final Thoughts
Migrating to Drupal 10 offers numerous benefits for your website, including faster loading pages, reduced development costs, and an enhanced user experience. With features like the Olivero and Claro themes, CKEditor 5, and modern JavaScript, Drupal 10 ensures improved accessibility, mobile support, and faster content creation. Enhanced security and performance with Symfony 6 and PHP 8.1, along with easy theme development and powerful search capabilities, make Drupal 10 a comprehensive upgrade. So, migrate to Drupal 10 and embrace these advancements to boost your website’s functionality and keep up with the latest web standards.