This was DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 for me.

Highlights

I had high expectations for the Driesnote, especially with so many ongoing initiatives around Drupal CMS. The introduction of the new Experience Builder was a key focus, and despite following the development closely, I was still blown away by the demo and the progress.

Watch the Driesnote on YouTube.

AI-Powered Site Building

With the new AI module suite, building AI-driven applications in Drupal has become much easier. We're already exploring our own use cases as part of our AI services. Personally, I was impressed by the progress, particularly the demo of a chat-based site builder assistant. This tool enables users to create data structures, such as new content types, adding and rearranging fields, and more.

While impressive, I don’t see this as a game-changer, since most site managers don’t create new content types frequently. However, it’s certainly a valuable feature, and we plan to integrate it into our NodeHive Headless CMS solution.

AI Module Overview

The new AI module acts as an abstraction layer, making it easy to switch between AI models from different vendors. For instance, you can use the OpenAI ChatGPT-4 mini model for simpler tasks and seamlessly switch to a more advanced model when more complex reasoning is required. I’ll provide a deeper dive into the AI module in future posts.

Drupal CMS: A New Product for Small to Mid-Market Websites

Initiated by Dries, the founder of the Drupal project, Drupal CMS aims to capture market share among small to mid-market websites, positioning itself as an alternative to platforms like Webflow, Squarespace, and WordPress. As of September 2024, it's still a work in progress, but the results are already impressive.

The new installer is clean and intuitive, featuring "preconfigured use cases" with Recipes, making it easier than ever to launch a Drupal-based website. The first version is set for release in January 2025.

Experience Builder

One of the most ambitious aspects of Drupal CMS is the new Experience Builder. This tool offers a modernized approach to page building, comparable to tools like WordPress's Gutenberg Editor or Webflow. Built with React, it delivers rich interactivity, including drag-and-drop functionality, live previews, and undo options.

Though still in its early stages and not yet ready for production, Experience Builder represents a groundbreaking shift in how Drupal’s editorial experience will evolve in the coming years. It's an exciting development for the Drupal platform.

Headless Drupal

While not the main topic at DrupalCon Barcelona, headless architecture was a recurring theme in many sessions. For instance, Brian Perry provided an update on the Drupal API client, which is now stable and ready for production. There was also an impressive demo of Blökkli, a Nuxt based decoupled visual editor developed by our friends at Liip.

I personally led a session titled “Let’s Talk Headless Drupal,” inviting the community to explore Drupal in the context of composable architecture. The turnout was impressive, reflecting the growing interest in Drupal’s headless capabilities. Many are eager to learn more about how Drupal can fit into modern, decoupled ecosystems.

NodeHive Headless CMS

At DrupalCon, I brought along some NodeHive flyers and stickers to share with fellow Drupalistas, and I was surprised by how many people were already familiar with NodeHive. It turns out that many had seen my YouTube videos discussing the NodeHive product.

Try it out yourself on cloud.nodehive.com.

Social Events

DrupalCon isn’t just about the tech—it’s also a vibrant social event. For me, it was a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with Drupalistas from all over the world. The sense of community is always a highlight, making the conference as much about the people as it is about the technology.

CEO Dinner & Drupal Business Network

I attended the CEO Dinner, now known as the "Drupal Business Network," for the first time. This gathering of agency owners focuses on discussing the business side of Drupal. The conversations were insightful, with a common theme being the challenges posed by the global situation—wars, high interest rates, and economic pressures are making business tougher for nearly all agencies.

Trivia Night at DrupalCon

This was my third time attending Trivia Night, which is like a Quiz Show for Drupal nerds. Our team, “Team Mozart,” included Fran Garcia-Linares and Neil Drumm from Drupal Infrastructure Team, Nico Grienauer from Acolono, a Barcelona local whose name I can’t recall and myself. Out of 35 teams, we finished in 5th place, only 5 points behind first place—a great result! It was a fun evening, and to my surprise, the Content Planner module, maintained by NETNODE, even appeared as part of one of the questions.

Key Takeaways from DrupalCon Barcelona 2024

I clearly sensed a feeling of new beginnings and excitement throughout the Drupal community. The momentum around the innovations and developments was evident, indicating that Drupal is entering a new phase of growth and evolution.

Namely:

1. Drupal for AI Applications
2. Drupal Core is powerful base for enterprise solutions and Drupal CMS
3. Drupal CMS is a new product for small and mid market
4. Drupal integrates React
5. Rebranding of the Drupal Brand

We’re thrilled to be part of this dynamic community and eager to see how these innovations unfold in the coming months.