Drupal Development
Comprehensive Drupal development services including upgrades, optimization, migration, and modernization. Expert solutions for security, performance, and developer experience.
Drupal websites require ongoing maintenance, security updates, and modernization to stay competitive. Many organizations struggle with outdated Drupal versions, performance issues, unnecessary modules, and development workflows that slow down productivity. Migrating to newer Drupal versions or containerizing applications can be complex and risky without expert guidance.
We provide end-to-end Drupal development services from version upgrades and migrations to performance optimization and modern development tooling. Our expertise covers security audits, custom module development, theme customization, and DDEV integration to improve both your website's performance and your team's developer experience.
Our Approach to Drupal Development
We bring deep expertise in Drupal development, helping organizations maintain, upgrade, and optimize their Drupal websites. Our approach combines technical excellence with a focus on long-term maintainability and developer experience.
Version Upgrades & Migrations
Upgrading Drupal versions is one of the most critical maintenance tasks for any Drupal website. We handle:
- Drupal version upgrades: Safe migration from older Drupal versions (7, 8, 9) to the latest stable release
- Content migration: Seamless transfer of content, users, and configurations
- Module compatibility: Assessment and resolution of module compatibility issues
- Database migrations: Careful handling of database schema changes and data transformation
- Rollback planning: Comprehensive backup and rollback strategies for risk mitigation
Security & Performance Audits
Security and performance go hand in hand. Our comprehensive audits cover:
- Security vulnerability assessment: Identifying and fixing security issues before they become problems
- Performance bottleneck detection: Finding slow queries, caching issues, and optimization opportunities
- Code quality review: Analyzing custom modules and theme code for best practices
- Architectural assessment: Evaluating site architecture for scalability and maintainability
Our Development Process
We follow a structured approach to every Drupal project:
- Discovery & Audit: Understanding your current Drupal setup, custom modules, themes, and business requirements
- Planning: Creating a detailed roadmap with milestones, risk assessment, and rollback strategies
- Development: Implementing changes with version control, automated testing, and continuous integration
- Testing: Comprehensive testing across devices, browsers, and user scenarios
- Deployment: Careful deployment with monitoring and validation
- Support: Ongoing maintenance and optimization recommendations
Custom Module Development
Module Assessment & Optimization
We review existing custom modules to ensure they follow Drupal best practices:
- Code review: Identifying bugs, security issues, and architectural problems
- Performance optimization: Improving query efficiency, caching, and resource usage
- Best practices alignment: Ensuring code follows Drupal coding standards
- Documentation: Creating and updating documentation for maintainability
New Module Development
When off-the-shelf solutions don’t meet your needs, we develop custom modules:
- Requirements analysis: Understanding your specific business needs
- Architectural design: Planning the module structure and integration points
- Development: Writing clean, tested, and documented code
- Integration: Seamless integration with existing systems and workflows
Theme Development
Your Drupal theme defines how your content is presented. We provide:
Custom Theme Development
- Design implementation: Converting designs into pixel-perfect Drupal themes
- Responsive design: Ensuring your site works beautifully on all devices
- Performance optimization: Building themes that load fast and perform well
- Accessibility compliance: Making sure your site is usable by everyone
Theme Maintenance
- Security updates: Keeping your theme secure and compatible
- Feature enhancements: Adding new functionality as your needs evolve
- Performance tuning: Ongoing optimization as your site grows
Site Building & Architecture
Content Type Configuration
We optimize content type structures for flexibility and performance:
- Content type audit: Reviewing existing content types for issues
- Field optimization: Ensuring fields are properly configured and indexed
- Relationship design: Setting up entity references and relationships
- Display modes: Configuring view modes for different use cases
Module Management
Keeping your module list lean and purposeful:
- Unnecessary module removal: Identifying and removing modules that add bloat without value
- Module consolidation: Finding lighter alternatives to heavy modules
- Update management: Keeping modules current and compatible
Developer Experience Improvement
We believe great developer experience leads to better outcomes. We improve your development workflow with:
DDEV Integration
DDEV provides a consistent, containerized local development environment:
- Environment setup: Configuring DDEV for your Drupal project
- Team standardization: Ensuring all developers work in consistent environments
- Service integration: Setting up MySQL, Redis, Solr, and other services
- Custom tooling: Adding development tools and automation scripts
Development Tooling
- Composer optimization: Managing dependencies efficiently
- CI/CD integration: Automated testing and deployment pipelines
- Code quality tools: PHPStan, ESLint, and other static analysis tools
- Testing infrastructure: PHPUnit, Behat, and Cypress testing setup
Containerization & Deployment
Modern deployment strategies improve reliability and scalability:
Docker & Containerization
- Container configuration: Creating optimized Docker images for Drupal
- Orchestration setup: Kubernetes or Docker Compose configurations
- Multi-environment support: Development, staging, and production configurations
- Security hardening: Securing containers and managing secrets
Deployment Automation
- CI/CD pipelines: Automated testing and deployment workflows
- Zero-downtime deployment: Strategies for seamless updates
- Rollback capabilities: Quick recovery from deployment issues
- Monitoring integration: Logging, alerting, and performance monitoring
Performance Optimization
A fast website is essential for user experience and SEO:
Caching Strategy
- Drupal caching: Configuring internal page and render caching
- Varnish integration: Setting up reverse proxy caching
- Redis/Memcached: Implementing object caching for database query reduction
- CDN configuration: Content delivery network setup and optimization
Database Optimization
- Query analysis: Identifying and optimizing slow queries
- Index optimization: Adding and adjusting indexes for performance
Security Services
Security is not optional. We provide comprehensive security services:
Security Audits
- Vulnerability scanning: Automated and manual security testing
- Code review: Identifying security issues in custom code
- Configuration review: Ensuring Drupal is securely configured
- Access control audit: Reviewing permissions and user roles
Security Hardening
- Module security: Keeping contributed modules updated and secure
- Custom code security: Writing secure code and fixing vulnerabilities
Why Choose Our Drupal Services
Deep Drupal Expertise
We’ve worked with Drupal across many versions and use cases, giving us the experience to handle any challenge.
Full-Stack Capabilities
Our expertise extends beyond Drupal to cover the entire stack—server infrastructure, databases, front-end technologies, and DevOps.
Modern Practices
We stay current with Drupal best practices, modern development tooling, and the latest security recommendations.
Business Focus
We understand that technology serves business goals. Every recommendation is made with your business objectives in mind.
Getting Started
Ready to modernize your Drupal website? Our engagement typically begins with a comprehensive audit to understand your current setup, identify opportunities, and create a prioritized roadmap for improvement.
Contact us to discuss your Drupal development needs and learn how we can help you build a more secure, performant, and maintainable website.
Get in Touch?
Have a project in mind? We would love to hear about it.