Sporting a a range of phenomenal features and a large backing, Drupal is a popular open source content management system that has seen widespread success since it’s launch in 2001. Part of Drupal’s popularity comes off the back of it’s flexible and fast administration dashboard that provides a wealth of options and makes it super easy for website owners to publish their content and media. The powerful administration dashboard also allows webmasters to easily manage, share and edit their content whilst also providing a wealth of options for the customisation of their website.

Drupal is unique compared to other similar content management systems due to the ability to download and install distributions instead of the core application, should it suit you. Distributions are packages that include a full version of Drupal but also come with additional software, themes and libraries which make it easy for beginners to get started with a ready to launch website, rather than having to set everything up and try to install extensions and themes on their own. It’s for this reason that Drupal really shines amongst many other content management systems and, as of 2014, there are more than 400 distributions available in the official Drupal distribution directory.

Drupal Offers A Range Of Features

When it comes to the point of having to choose the right content management system for your website it prove to be a difficult task due to the similarities between most of the applications available. Drupal tries to stand out from the crowd by offering a range of features that are well suited to any type of website and website owner which makes it a great CMS for those looking to try something new.

With such a large amount of features and perks on offer by Drupal is can be hard to read through all of them, so the following is a rundown on some of the more interesting and important ones.

Open Source

Just like the majority of other content management systems, Drupal is released under the GPL open source license which makes it 100% free to download and use on any website whether it be personal or commercial in nature. This licensing also empowers you with the ability to modify the application in any manner that better suits your use for it and redistribute those changes.

Distributions

As touched on above, Drupal is unique in that you can choose to download and install the core application or install a complete distribution. A distribution is a free package that includes Drupal itself along with a range of additional software, themes and libraries. An example of a distribution is the “Ecommerce Kickstarter” which is a distributions that has everything you need to get an online store up and running with minimal effort.

Modules

Just like many other content management systems, Drupal is designed to allow the installation of 3rd party applications that either improve existing features or add brand new functionality to the software. These 3rd party applications are called Modules and, as of 2014, there are more than 15,000 modules available for use on your Drupal website.

Support Community

Drupal is such a popular content management system that it had a large support community across a range of mediums including forums, IRC chat, mailing lists and commercial support. The availability of support makes Drupal a great choice for those with little experience in running and maintaining not just a Drupal site but websites in general.

Localisation

Although English is the default language for Drupal, the application has been made available in 110 languages including both left-to-right and right-to-left languages. This is greatly handy for those wanting to run a website in a language other than English to support their target audience.

Make The Move Today

For those in search of a content management system for their new or existing website, Drupal is worth a look from anyone. Boasting a great deal of handy features that make it easy to manage content, change the look and feel of the application and a dashboard that provides numerous options and settings it is definitely a CMS that would suit most any site. Drupal is used to power millions of websites around the web ranging from online stores, personal websites, communities and government websites.