Drupal is an open-source content management system used to create multilingual websites and online applications. Drupal 8 is better than ever.

Its configurable features have increased significantly with each version, enabling non-coders to build sophisticated websites without touching the code. At the same time, Drupal's transition to an object-oriented coding strategy is just one significant improvement on the backend that has made this powerful system more customizable than ever before.

What does this dual advantage mean for you as a developer new to Drupal? It means you need to wear two hats — builder and coder — if you want to deliver websites and online applications that remain ready for change and growth with minimal custom intervention.

Given Drupal's legacy and new features, it's impossible to cover everything in this guide. However, the following will get you started with important concepts and resources so that you can wear each hat.

• How Drupal Works
• Installing Drupal
• Building Drupal Sites
• Customizing Drupal Sites
• Maintenance
• Migrating to Drupal 8

Before diving into the details of how to install Drupal 8 and develop a site, you need to start thinking in Drupal. That means an introduction to how Drupal works.

Thinking in Drupal can ignite ideas regarding your site that you had already planned. You might find you want to revisit aspects of your plan in order to take advantage of Drupal features you hadn't considered.

Your first step to thinking in Drupal is to understand the Drupal web page and how it comes together. This section introduces the following.

• URL paths - more than just the page address.
• Drupal pages - pages which are not the full web page.
• Drupal page structure - centers on the content region that displays the page.
• From data to web page - involves several Drupal systems.
• From web page to site architecture - more than just the menu and site sections.

This is a preview of the Drupal 8 Refcard. To read the entire Refcard, please download the PDF from the link above.