In this step-by-step tutorial, we will show you how to build a website using the latest Drupal CMS. Drupal is a free, powerful content management system to create custom websites, blogs, portals and more. It has all the features you need to build a fully functional website. It’s customizable, scalable and free to use. However, it’s not as easy as creating a website using WordPress (or using website builders). Basic knowledge of HTML or CSS would be helpful along the way.
When You Might Want to Use Drupal to Create a Website
Whether or not you should go with Drupal when creating a new website depends mainly on two things:
- Your level of technical knowledge
- Your site’s purpose
How to Get Started With Drupal
Step 1: Install Drupal on Your Site
The installation process for Drupal is a little more involved than with many similar platforms. The reason for this is that you will usually need to manually install the software on your site, rather than relying on one-click installs.
To perform a manual installation, you will first need to have a local environment or a site where you want to install Drupal. You’ll have to make sure it meets the minimum requirements in order for the software to run correctly. You’ll also need a MySQL database that the site can use.
Once that’s out of the way, there are several methods for installing the platform. For instance, you can start by downloading Drupal from its website or use the command line to get the files you need. For more information about the different ways you can install the core files, we recommend that you refer to Drupal’s extensive official documentation.
When Drupal’s files have been installed on your site, you can configure your installation. All you need to do is to access your site using its standard URL, which will present you with the Drupal installation wizard.
Step 2: Start Creating Content
While there’s obviously a lot you can accomplish with Drupal, let’s start with the basics: creating new content. Drupal offers plenty of options in this regard, including custom content types. For this example, however, let’s just focus on how to create a single post.
To do this, you’ll want to select the Content option in the upper admin bar. If that option isn’t visible, click on Manage to expand the bar.
If you’re familiar with WordPress’ posts and pages, these options work in much the same way. Articles are primarily used for blog posts, updates, news, and other time-specific content, while pages are best suited to static information.
In this case, let’s create an article. When you click on that option, you’ll be taken to Drupal’s content editor.
Step 3: Use Modules to Add New Functionality to Your Site
Drupal modules are sets of code that you can install on your site to add new features and functionality. A single module can contain CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, in order to alter your site’s capabilities. Every Drupal installation will feature a series of core modules, but you can also download and install new ones yourself.
The easiest way to find these tools is to browse the Drupal Modules page.
Step 4: Update Your Site’s Appearance With a Theme
Finally, let’s end our beginner’s guide to Drupal by looking at yet another way you can enhance your site. This time, we’ll show you how to change your site’s look and layout with a Drupal theme.
Themes work similarly to modules, but they are solely focused on altering your site’s appearance rather than its functionality. You can find both free and premium themes all across the internet. However, a good place to start is the official theme repository.
Conclusion
Drupal is an excellent choice if you prefer a highly customizable CMS. It provides a wide array of themes to help you create a professional-looking site. You can also extend the site’s functionality by adding modules.
In this tutorial, you’ve got everything you need to kick-start a new site with Drupal, such as installing the platform with its themes and modules. We’ve also covered other essential things, such as how to create a blog, back up the site, and update the platform.
