Real-World Lessons: Things I Wish I Had Known About Drupal When I Started

After years of watching developers, content editors, and project managers struggle with the same issues, I've compiled the Drupal lessons for beginners that could save you months of frustration. These aren't abstract theories; they're practical insights born from real projects, real mistakes, and real successes.

Whether you're a developer picking up Drupal for the first time or a project manager trying to understand what your team is dealing with, these lessons will help you avoid the most common pitfalls and make better decisions from day one.

Core Drupal Concepts That Actually Matter

Let's start with what makes Drupal different from other content management systems. Unlike WordPress or simpler platforms, Drupal treats everything as building blocks that you combine to create exactly what you need. This sounds great in theory, but it means you need to understand how these blocks work together.

Content types aren't just blog posts and pages; they're custom data structures you define. Fields aren't just text boxes; they're reusable components you can attach to any content type. Views aren't just lists; they're query builders that let you display content in countless ways. And permissions aren't just admin versus non-admin; they're granular controls that can get as specific as "edit own articles published on Tuesdays."

We've learned that teams who grasp these concepts early build better sites faster. Those who try to force Drupal to work like WordPress end up fighting the system instead of using its strengths.

The configuration system deserves special attention. Everything in Drupal from content types to Views to site settings lives as configuration that you can export as files. This means you can version control your site's structure, not just its code. You can build features on a development site and deploy them to production without clicking through forms. But if you don't understand this system, you'll find yourself recreating work or losing changes during deployments.

Technical Foundations: What You Can't Skip

Never Touch Core or Contributed Code

This might be the most important lesson: never modify Drupal core files or contributed module code directly. When you update (and you must update regularly for security), your changes disappear. Instead, Drupal provides hooks (specific points where you can insert your own code to modify behavior.)

Here's what this looks like in practice. Say you want to change how a form works. Don't edit the form file. Create a custom module and use a form alter hook:

function mymodule_form_alter(&$form, &$form_state, $form_id) {
  if ($form_id == 'user_login_form') {
    $form['#title'] = t('Welcome Back');
    $form['actions']['submit']['#value'] = t('Sign In');
  }
}

This code lives in your custom module, separate from core, and survives every update.

Composer Isn't Optional Anymore

If you're still downloading modules as zip files and extracting them, you're making your life harder than it needs to be. Composer manages all your dependencies (core, modules, themes, and their PHP libraries.) A single command like composer require drupal/pathauto downloads the module, puts it in the right place, and tracks the exact version you're using.

More importantly, Composer lets you update everything safely. Running composer update drupal/core --with-dependencies updates core and everything it depends on, ensuring compatibility. Without Composer, you're manually tracking dozens of interdependencies and hoping nothing breaks.

Local Development Is Non-Negotiable

Clicking around on a live site to make changes is a recipe for disaster. You need a local development environment that matches your production server. Tools like DDEV or Lando give you this with minimal setup. They create Docker containers with the right PHP version, database, and web server configuration.

With local development, you can:

• Test updates before they touch production
• Experiment without fear of breaking anything
• Work offline
• Version control your entire site

Common Drupal Mistakes and Their Fixes

The Module Overload Problem

New Drupal users often install every interesting module they find. "This looks useful, let's add it!" Six months later, the site is slow, updates are painful, and nobody remembers what half the modules do.

Instead, treat each module as a commitment. Before installing, ask:

• Is this actively maintained?
• Does it have a stable release for my Drupal version?
• Can I achieve this with configuration instead?
• Will I actually use this, or does it just seem nice to have?

Keep a documented list of what each module does and why you installed it. Review this list quarterly and remove anything you're not actively using.

The Configuration Sync Nightmare

Picture this: you make configuration changes on production because "it's just a quick fix." Meanwhile, a developer is working on new features locally. When they deploy, their configuration overwrites your production changes, or worse, the configuration won't import due to conflicts.

The fix is simple but requires discipline:

• Always export configuration after changes: drush config-export
• Commit configuration files to version control
• Make configuration changes only in development, then deploy
• Use configuration split for environment-specific settings

The Permissions Maze

Drupal's permission system is powerful but complex. I've seen sites where everyone is an administrator because "it was easier than figuring out permissions." This is both a security risk and a usability problem. Users see options they shouldn't touch.

Create roles that match actual job functions:

• Content Editor: create and edit content, but not configuration
• Site Builder: manage blocks and menus, but not users
• Developer: everything except user management

Test each role by logging in as a test user. If someone needs "just one more permission," consider if they really need it or if there's a better way to accomplish their goal.

Making Smart Architecture Decisions

Working with teams has taught us that the best Drupal sites start with careful planning, not immediate building. Your content model (how you structure content types, fields, and relationships) is the foundation everything else builds on. Changing it later isn't just difficult; it can require migrating thousands of pieces of content.

Start by mapping out your content needs:

• What types of content will you have?
• What fields does each type need?
• How do these types relate to each other?
• What taxonomies or categories make sense?

For example, if you're building a site for a university, you might have:

• Programs (with fields for degree type, department, requirements)
• Courses (with references to programs they belong to)
• Faculty (with references to courses they teach)
• News (with references to relevant programs or faculty)

This interconnected model lets you do powerful things like automatically showing all courses for a program or all news about a faculty member. But if you don't plan these relationships upfront, adding them later means updating every piece of existing content.

Choosing Between Custom Code and Contributed Modules

Every feature you need presents a choice: use a contributed module or write custom code. There's no universal answer, but here's a framework for deciding:

Use a contributed module when:

• It's a common need (like SEO tools or form builders)
• The module is well-maintained with regular updates
• It does 80% or more of what you need
• Customization would take significant development time

Write custom code when:

• Your need is specific to your business logic
• Existing modules are bloated with features you don't need
• You need complete control over the functionality
• The feature is critical and you can't depend on outside maintenance

Performance Considerations from Day One

A fast site isn't just about good hosting; it's about smart architecture. Every View you create, every field you add, every module you enable affects performance. Starting with performance in mind is much easier than fixing a slow site later.

Key decisions that affect performance:

• Use Drupal's built-in caching aggressively
• Limit the number of fields per content type
• Be careful with Views that query large datasets
• Use image styles to serve appropriately sized images
• Enable aggregation for CSS and JavaScript
• Consider a CDN for static assets

Professional Recommendations for Long-Term Success

Our experience shows that successful Drupal projects share common practices beyond just technical implementation. These practices make the difference between a site that serves you well for years and one that becomes a burden.

Documentation That Actually Helps

Every Drupal site needs three types of documentation:

Technical Documentation:

• Custom module functionality
• Deployment process
• Server requirements and configuration
• Integration points with other systems

Site Builder Documentation:

• Content model explanation
• Views and their purposes
• Block placement logic
• Menu structure reasoning

User Documentation:

• How to create each content type
• Workflow for publishing content
• Common tasks and how to complete them

Keep documentation where people will actually find it: in your repository's README files, in a shared wiki, or even as help text within Drupal itself.

Testing and Deployment Workflows

Manual deployments where someone copies files and runs database updates by hand are risky and stressful. Set up automated deployments that:

• Run when code is pushed to your repository
• Automatically run database updates
• Import configuration changes
• Clear caches
• Run automated tests

This might seem like extra work upfront, but it pays off the first time a deployment happens smoothly at 5 PM on a Friday without anyone breaking a sweat.

Security as an Ongoing Process

Security isn't a one-time setup; it's an ongoing commitment. Subscribe to Drupal security announcements and act on them immediately. Critical security updates often have working exploits within hours of announcement.

Beyond updates, implement these security practices:

• Regular backups tested with actual restores
• Strong password requirements and two-factor authentication
• Regular permission audits
• Security modules like Security Kit
• Monitoring for unusual activity

Building for Content Editors, Not Developers

Developers often build interfaces they understand but that confuse content editors. Spend time making the editorial experience pleasant:

• Use helpful field descriptions
• Organize fields logically with field groups
• Provide sensible defaults
• Hide technical fields that editors don't need
• Create editorial dashboards with common tasks

Happy content editors mean better content and fewer support requests.

Conclusion: Your Path Forward with Drupal

These lessons represent years of collective experience from the Drupal community. Every mistake mentioned here has been made by skilled developers, and every success has been earned through patient learning and iteration.

The key takeaway isn't that Drupal is difficult. It's that Drupal rewards thoughtful planning and consistent practices. Sites built with these lessons in mind run smoothly for years. Sites that ignore them require constant firefighting and eventually expensive rebuilds.

Remember: you don't have to learn everything at once. Start with the fundamentals. Never hack core, use Composer, set up local development. Build your first simple site. Make mistakes in a safe environment. Ask questions in the community. Each project will teach you something new.

Building Drupal sites involves countless decisions about architecture, modules, performance, and workflow. If you're planning a Drupal project and want guidance on making these decisions for your specific needs, we can help you create a technical plan that avoids common pitfalls and sets your project up for long-term success. Our team has navigated these choices across dozens of projects and can share specific recommendations based on your requirements and goals.