Drupal 8

Section 1

Introduction

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

Section 2

How Drupal Works

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.