18 Feb 2026

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A Drupal Couple: The Blueprint for Affordable Drupal Projects

The Blueprint for Affordable Drupal Projects

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Development team collaborating around a workshop table with laptops, sticky notes, wireframe sketches, and coffee during an evening work session
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For years we have been talking about how Drupal got too expensive for the markets we used to serve. Regional clients, small and medium businesses in Latin America, Africa, Asia, anywhere where $100,000 websites are simply not a reality. We watched them go to WordPress. We watched them go to Wix. Not because Drupal was worse, but because the economics stopped working.

That conversation is changing.

Drupal CMS 2.0 landed in January 2026. And with it came a set of tools that, combined intelligently, make something possible that was not realistic before: an affordable, professional Drupal site delivered for $2,000, with margin, for markets that could not afford us before.

I want to show you the math. Not to sell you a fantasy, but because I did the exercise and the numbers work. And I am being conservative.

What changed

The real budget killer was always theming. Getting a site to look right, behave right, be maintainable, took serious senior hours. That is where budgets went.

Recipes pre-package common configurations so you are not starting from zero. Canvas lets clients and site builders assemble and manage pages visually once a developer sets up the component library.

Dripyard brings professional Drupal themes built specifically for Canvas (although works with Layout Builder, Paragraphs, etc), with excellent quality and accessibility, at around $500. While that seems expensive, the code quality, designs, and accessibility are top notch and will save at least 20 hours (and usually much more), which would easily eat up a small budget.

Three tools. One problem solved.

We proved the concept about a month ago with laollita.es, built in three days using Umami as a starting point. Umami as a version 0.5 of what a proper template should be. Drupal AI for translations, AI-assisted development for CSS and small components. Without formal templates. With proper ones, it gets faster.

The $2,000 blueprint

Scope first. Most small business sites are simple: services, about us, blog, team, contact. The moment you add custom modules or complex requirements, the budget goes up. This blueprint is for projects that accept that constraint.

Start with Drupal CMS and a Dripyard theme. Recipes handle the configuration. Add AI assistance, a paid plan with a capable model, Claude runs between $15 and $50 depending on usage. Let it help you move faster, but supervise everything. The moment you stop reviewing AI decisions is the moment quality starts leaking.

For hosting, go with a Drupal CMS-specific provider like Drupito, Drupal Forge, or Flexsite, around $20 to $50 per month. Six months included for your client is $300. Those same $300 could go toward a site template from the marketplace launching at DrupalCon Chicago in March 2026, compressing your development time further.

With a constrained scope, the right tools, and AI under supervision, ten hours of net work is realistic. At LATAM-viable rates, $30 per hour on the high side, that is $300 in labor.

The cost breakdown: $500 theme, $300 hosting or template, $300 labor, $50 AI tools. Total: $1,150. Add a $300 buffer and you are at $1,450. Charge $2,000. Your profit is $550, a 27.5% margin.

And I am being conservative. As you build experience with the theme, develop your own component library, and refine your tooling, the numbers improve. The first project teaches you. The third one pays better.

The $1,000 path

Smaller budget, smaller scope. Start with Byte or Haven, two Drupal CMS site templates on Drupal.org, or generate an HTML template with AI for around $50. A site template from the upcoming marketplace will run around $300.

The math: $300 starting point, $150 for three months of hosting, $200 incidentals. Cost: $450. Charge $1,000. Margin: 35%.

A $1,000 project is a few pages, clear scope, no special requirements. Both you and the client have to be honest about that upfront.

The real value for your client

When a client chooses Wix or WordPress to save money, they are choosing a ceiling. The day they need more, they are either rebuilding from scratch or paying for plugins and extras that someone still has to configure, maintain, and update every time the platform breaks something.

A client on Drupal CMS is on a platform that grows with them. The five-page site today can become a complex application tomorrow, on the same platform, without migrating. That is the conversation worth having. Not just what they get today, but what they will never have to undo.

The tools are there

The market in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and similar regions was always there. We just did not have the tools to serve it profitably. Now we do.

Drupal CMS, Canvas, Recipes, Dripyard, Drupal CMS-specific hosting, AI assistance with human oversight. The toolkit exists. Get back on trail.

Author
Carlos Ospina
Abstract
Drupal CMS 2.0, Canvas, Recipes, and Dripyard have changed the economics of Drupal for regional markets. This is the blueprint for building professional Drupal sites at $1,000 to $2,000 with real margin, for LATAM, Africa, Asia, and similar markets that Drupal could not serve before.
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18 Feb 2026 11:23pm GMT

DDEV Blog: DDEV February 2026: v1.25.0 Ships, 72% Market Share, and New Training Posts

Nancy Lewis: The Beauty of Buford

DDEV v1.25.0 is here, and the community response has been strong. This month also brought three new training blog posts and a survey result that speaks for itself.

What's New

CraftQuest Survey: DDEV at 72%

The 2026 CraftQuest Community Survey↗ collected responses from 253 Craft CMS developers and found DDEV at 72% market share for local development environments. The report notes: "This near-standardization simplifies onboarding for newcomers, reduces support burden for plugin developers, and means the ecosystem can optimize tooling around a single local dev workflow."

Conference Time!

I'll be at Florida Drupalcamp this week, and will speak on how to use git worktree to run multiple versions of the same site. I'd love to see you and sit down and hear your experience with DDEV and ways you think it could be better.

Then in March I'll be at DrupalCon Chicago and as usual will do lots of Birds-of-a-Feather sessions about DDEV and related topics. Catch me in the hall, or let's sit down and have a coffee.

Community Highlights

Community Tutorials from Around the World

What People Are Saying

"I was today years old when I found out that DDEV exists. Now I am busy migrating all projects to Docker containers." - @themuellerman.bsky.social↗

"ddev is the reason I don't throw my laptop out of the window during local setup wars. one command to run the stack and forget the rest. simple as that." - @OMascatinho on X↗

v1.25.0 Upgrade Notes and Known Issues

Every major release brings some friction, and v1.25.0 is no exception. These will generally be solved in v1.25.1, which will be out soon. Here's what to watch for:

As always, please open an issue↗ if you run into trouble - it helps us fix things faster. You're the reason DDEV works so well!

DDEV Training Continues

Join us for upcoming training sessions for contributors and users.

Zoom Info: Link: Join Zoom Meeting Passcode: 12345

Sponsorship Update

After the community rallied in January, sponsorship has held steady and ticked up slightly. Thank you!

Previous status (January 2026): ~$8,208/month (68% of goal)

February 2026: ~$8,422/month (70% of goal)

If DDEV has helped your team, now is the time to give back. Whether you're an individual developer, an agency, or an organization - your contribution makes a difference. → Become a sponsor↗

Contact us to discuss sponsorship options that work for your organization.

Stay in the Loop-Follow Us and Join the Conversation

Compiled and edited with assistance from Claude Code.

18 Feb 2026 7:49pm GMT

The Drop Times: Drupal Core AGENTS.md Proposal Triggers Broader Debate on AI Guardrails

A proposal to add an AGENTS.md file to Drupal core has been closed as "works as designed," but not before prompting a wider debate about AI-assisted contributions, disclosure policies, and reviewer fatigue. While some contributors see structured agent guidelines as necessary guardrails, others warn that tooling alone cannot resolve deeper process and governance challenges.

18 Feb 2026 1:00pm GMT

Tag1 Insights: Building the Document Summarizer Tooltip Module with AI-Assisted Coding

At Tag1, we believe in proving AI within our own work before recommending it to clients. This post is part of our AI Applied content series, where team members share real stories of how they're using Artificial Intelligence and the insights and lessons they learn along the way. Here, team member Minnur Yunusov explores how AI-assisted coding helped him rapidly prototype the Document Summarizer Tooltip module for Drupal, while adding AI-generated document previews, improving accessibility, and refining code through real-time feedback.

From Idea to working Drupal prototype with AI-assisted coding

I started with a simple goal: build a working prototype that could summarize linked documents directly in Drupal, without having to spend too much time on it. AI-assisted coding helped me move from idea to an installable module quickly, even though the first versions weren't perfect. The focus was on getting something functional that I could iterate on, instead of hand-writing every piece from scratch.

The prototype I put together with AI-assisted coding works and can be installed and tested. You can find it on GitHub at https://github.com/minnur/docs_summarizer_tooltip.

Screenshot of the Document Summarizer Tooltip module for Drupal showing a tool tip modal containing the AI-generated summary of a PDF file

Initially, I tried using Cline with Claude Sonnet to generate the module. It produced a full module structure, but the result didn't actually work in Drupal. JavaScript in particular needed refactoring, so I switched over to Claude Code, which became my main tool for debugging and refining the implementation.

What broke, what worked, and what I fixed with Claude Code

One of the biggest pain points was the tooltip behavior itself. The tooltip wasn't positioning correctly, which meant the UX felt off and inconsistent. I used Claude Code iteratively to adjust the JavaScript until the tooltip appeared in the right place and behaved in a way that felt natural.

Another issue was that the tooltip wasn't showing the title as expected. I tracked down the generated function responsible for rendering the header, wired in my own variables, and then asked Claude Code to include that variable in the header output. After that targeted change, the tooltip finally displayed the title properly and felt much closer to what I wanted.

Turning document links into smart, AI-powered tooltips

The core concept of the module is straightforward: detect document links on a page and show an AI-generated summary in a tooltip on hover. It started life as a PDF-only prototype, focused on a single file type so I could validate the idea. Once I had the tooltip behavior working smoothly, with correct positioning, title rendering, and consistent UX, I was ready to expand the scope. I asked Claude Code to refactor the module to support more file types beyond PDFs and rename it to "Document Summarizer Tooltip."

The refactor mostly worked, but the rename was incomplete. Some files kept the old name and needed manual updates. This was a good reminder that while AI can handle broad changes efficiently, it still needs a human to double-check details across Drupal files and configuration.

Accessibility, ARIA, and making AI summaries usable for everyone

Once the basic behavior was there, I wanted to think about accessibility. A tooltip full of AI-generated content is not very helpful if screen readers or keyboard users can't access it. I asked the AI to help with adding accessibility considerations as a next step, including ARIA attributes and behavior that would work beyond simple mouse hover.

The initial AI-generated settings form went a bit overboard and included more fields than I actually needed. That said, it did a good job of covering a lot of reasonable options. From there, I was able to prune back the form to something simpler and more focused, which also made the UI easier to understand and configure.

What AI got right (and what still needed review)

One thing that stood out to me was how well the AI handled some of the integration details. It added Drupal AI integration and CSRF token support with almost no issues, which saved a lot of time. It also recognized variables I introduced and reused them correctly across functions, which made iterations smoother.

At the same time, the generated code was not something I could just drop in without reading. A few Drupal API calls looked right on the surface but weren't actually real. That required a thorough review and manual fixes. I didn't have time to add unit tests for this prototype, but in the future I'd like to see how well AI can help suggest or scaffold tests alongside code changes.

How clients can use AI for prototyping, accessibility, and tests

There are a few clear ways clients could apply this approach. First, AI-assisted coding is very effective for rapid prototyping, especially when you need to validate a module concept before committing a lot of engineering time. Second, using AI to help with accessibility improvements in templates can speed up the process of making interfaces more inclusive.

Finally, I see a lot of potential in using tools like Claude Code to support test creation and maintenance. While I didn't get to that stage on this project, generating tests, fixing contributed modules, and experimenting with code improvements all look like strong fits for this kind of workflow. The Document Summarizer Tooltip itself could also be directly useful on content-heavy sites that want instant, inline document previews.

If you'd like to explore the code or try the module yourself, the prototype is available on GitHub at https://github.com/minnur/docs_summarizer_tooltip.

This post is part of Tag1's This post is part of our AI Applied content series content series, where we share how we're using AI inside our own work before bringing it to clients. Our goal is to be transparent about what works, what doesn't, and what we are still figuring out, so that together, we can build a more practical, responsible path for AI adoption.

Bring practical, proven AI adoption strategies to your organization, let's start a conversation! We'd love to hear from you.

18 Feb 2026 12:00am GMT

17 Feb 2026

feedDrupal.org aggregator

Nonprofit Drupal posts: February 2026 Drupal for Nonprofits Chat

Join us THURSDAY, February 19 at 1pm ET / 10am PT, for our regularly scheduled call to chat about all things Drupal and nonprofits. (Convert to your local time zone.)

We don't have anything specific on the agenda this month, so we'll have plenty of time to discuss anything that's on our minds at the intersection of Drupal and nonprofits. Got something specific you want to talk about? Feel free to share ahead of time in our collaborative Google document at https://nten.org/drupal/notes!

All nonprofit Drupal devs and users, regardless of experience level, are always welcome on this call.

This free call is sponsored by NTEN.org and open to everyone.

Information on joining the meeting can be found in our collaborative Google document.

17 Feb 2026 6:15pm GMT

Specbee: 8 Critical considerations for a successful Drupal 7 to 10/11 migration

Your Drupal 7 site has reached its end of life as of January 2025. If you're planning a move to Drupal 10 or 11, this blog will help you prepare for a smooth and well-planned migration.

17 Feb 2026 9:15am GMT

Metadrop: Managing Drupal Status Report requirements

You know the drill. You visit the Drupal Status Report to check if anything needs attention, and you're greeted by a wall of warnings you've seen dozens of times before.

Some warnings are important. Others? Not so much. Maybe you're tracking an update notification in your Gitlab and don't need the constant reminder. Perhaps there's a PHP deprecation notice you're already aware of and planning to address during your next scheduled upgrade. Or you're seeing environment-specific warnings that simply don't apply to your infrastructure setup.

The noisy status report problem

The problem is that all these warnings sit alongside genuine issues that actually need your attention. The noise drowns out the signal. You end up scrolling past the same irrelevant messages every time, increasing the chance you'll miss something that matters.

Over time, you develop warning blindness. Your brain learns to ignore the status report page entirely because the signal-to-noise ratio is too low. Then, when a genuine security update appears or a database schema issue emerges, it gets lost in the familiar sea of orange and red.

This problem multiplies across teams. Each developer independently decides which warnings to ignore. New team members have no way to know which warnings matter and which ones are environmental noise. The status report becomes unreliable, defeating its entire purpose.

…

17 Feb 2026 8:11am GMT

DDEV Blog: Xdebug in DDEV: Understanding, Debugging, and Troubleshooting Step Debugging

Illustration showing how Xdebug connects from PHP container to IDE debugger

For most people, Xdebug step debugging in DDEV just works: ddev xdebug on, set a breakpoint, start your IDE's debug listener, and go. DDEV handles all the Docker networking automatically. If you're having trouble, run ddev utility xdebug-diagnose and ddev utility xdebug-diagnose --interactive - they check your configuration and connectivity and tells you exactly what to fix.

This post explains how the pieces fit together and what to do if things do go wrong.

The Quick Version

  1. ddev xdebug on
  2. Start listening in your IDE (PhpStorm: click the phone icon; VS Code: press F5)
  3. Set a breakpoint in your entry point (index.php or web/index.php)
  4. Visit your site

If it doesn't work:

ddev utility xdebug-diagnose

Or for guided, step-by-step troubleshooting:

ddev utility xdebug-diagnose --interactive

The diagnostic checks port 9003 listener status, host.docker.internal resolution, WSL2 configuration, xdebug_ide_location, network connectivity, and whether Xdebug is loaded. It gives actionable fix recommendations.

How Xdebug Works

Xdebug lets you set breakpoints, step through code, and inspect variables - interactive debugging instead of var_dump().

The connection model is a reverse connection: your IDE listens on port 9003 (it's the TCP server), and PHP with Xdebug initiates the connection (it's the TCP client). Your IDE must be listening before PHP tries to connect.

:::note The Xdebug documentation uses the opposite terminology, calling the IDE the "client." We use standard TCP terminology here. :::

How DDEV Makes It Work

DDEV configures Xdebug to connect to host.docker.internal:9003. This special hostname resolves to the host machine's IP address from inside the container, so PHP can reach your IDE across the Docker boundary.

The tricky part is that host.docker.internal works differently across platforms. DDEV handles this automatically:

You can verify the resolution with:

ddev exec getent hosts host.docker.internal

DDEV Xdebug Commands

IDE Setup

PhpStorm

Zero-configuration debugging works out of the box:

  1. Run → Start Listening for PHP Debug Connections
  2. Set a breakpoint
  3. Visit your site

PhpStorm auto-detects the server and path mappings. If mappings are wrong, check Settings → PHP → Servers and verify /var/www/html maps to your project root.

The PhpStorm DDEV Integration plugin handles this automatically.

VS Code

Install the PHP Debug extension and create .vscode/launch.json:

{
  "version": "0.2.0",
  "configurations": [
    {
      "name": "Listen for Xdebug",
      "type": "php",
      "request": "launch",
      "port": 9003,
      "hostname": "0.0.0.0",
      "pathMappings": {
        "/var/www/html": "${workspaceFolder}"
      }
    }
  ]
}

The VS Code DDEV Manager extension can set this up for you.

WSL2 + VS Code with WSL extension: Install the PHP Debug extension in WSL, not Windows.

Common Issues

Most problems fall into a few categories. The ddev utility xdebug-diagnose tool checks for all of these automatically.

Breakpoint in code that doesn't execute: The #1 issue. Start with a breakpoint in your entry point (index.php) to confirm Xdebug works, then move to the code you actually want to debug.

IDE not listening: Make sure you've started the debug listener. PhpStorm: click the phone icon. VS Code: press F5.

Incorrect path mappings: Xdebug reports container paths (/var/www/html), and your IDE needs to map them to your local project. PhpStorm usually auto-detects this; VS Code needs the pathMappings in launch.json.

Firewall blocking the connection: Especially common on WSL2, where Windows Defender Firewall blocks connections from the Docker container. Quick test: temporarily disable your firewall. If debugging works, add a firewall rule for port 9003.

WSL2 Notes

WSL2 adds networking complexity. The most common problems:

Special Cases

Container-based IDEs (VS Code Remote Containers, JetBrains Gateway):

ddev config global --xdebug-ide-location=container

Command-line debugging: Works the same way - ddev xdebug on, start your IDE listener, then ddev exec php myscript.php. Works for Drush, WP-CLI, Artisan, and any PHP executed in the container.

Debugging Composer: Composer disables Xdebug by default. Override with:

ddev exec COMPOSER_ALLOW_XDEBUG=1 composer install

Custom port: Create .ddev/php/xdebug_client_port.ini with xdebug.client_port=9000 (rarely needed).

Debugging host.docker.internal resolution: Run DDEV_DEBUG=true ddev start to see how DDEV determines the IP.

Advanced Features

xdebugctl: DDEV includes the xdebugctl utility for dynamically querying and modifying Xdebug settings, switching modes (debug, profile, trace), and more. Run ddev exec xdebugctl --help. See the xdebugctl documentation.

Xdebug map feature: Recent Xdebug versions can remap file paths during debugging, useful when container paths don't match local paths in complex ways. This complements IDE path mappings.

Performance: Xdebug adds overhead. Use ddev xdebug off or ddev xdebug toggle when you're not actively debugging.

More Information

Claude Code was used to create an initial draft for this blog, and for subsequent reviews.

17 Feb 2026 12:00am GMT

16 Feb 2026

feedDrupal.org aggregator

DrupalCon News & Updates: Must-See DrupalCon Chicago 2026 Sessions for Marketing and Content Leaders

If you are a marketing or content leader, DrupalCon Chicago 2026 is already calling your name. You are the special audience whose creative spark and unique perspective shine a light on Drupal in ways developers alone never could. You promote Drupal's capabilities to the world and ensure the platform reaches the users who need it. You translate technical innovation into stories that resonate with everyone.

Drupal is increasingly built with you in mind. Making Drupal more editor‑friendly has been a clear priority in recent years. Thanks to your feedback and insights, great strides have been made in providing tools and workflows that truly support your creative vision.

This year's DrupalCon sessions are set to spark bold insights, fresh strategies, and lively discussions. Expect those unforgettable "aha!" moments you'll want to carry back and weave into your own marketing and content playbook. Here is a curated list of standout sessions designed to help marketing and content leaders turn inspiration into action, build meaningful connections, and discover new ways to make the most out of Drupal's strengths.

Top DrupalCon Chicago 2026 sessions for marketing or content leaders

"Generative engine optimization tactics for discoverability" - by Jeffrey McGuire and Tracy Evans

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has long been one of the web's most familiar acronyms when it comes to boosting content visibility. But new times bring new terms, and it's time to meet "GEO" (Generative Engine Optimization).

Indeed, traditional SEO alone is no longer enough in a world where tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google's AI Overviews are everyday sources of advice. Today, SEO and GEO must work hand in hand. DrupalCon Chicago 2026 has an insightful session designed to introduce you to a new way of helping your content reach its audience in the age of AI-driven recommendations.

Join brilliant speakers, Jeffrey McGuire (horncologne) and Tracy Evans (kanadiankicks), to stay ahead of the curve. Jeffrey A. "jam" McGuire has been one of the most influential voices in the Drupal community for over two decades, recognized as a marketing strategy and communications expert. With their combined expertise, this session is tailored for marketing and content leaders who want practical, actionable guidance.

You'll explore how to make your agency, SaaS product, or company stand out when large language models decide which names to surface. Practical strategies will follow, helping you position your expertise, strengthen credibility signals, and align your content with the data sources LLMs rely on. The session will draw from real-world research, client projects, and observations.

"Context is Everything: Configuring Drupal AI for Consistent, On-Brand Content" - by Kristen Pol and Aidan Foster

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the next session on this list is also about AI. Of course, you already know that artificial intelligence can churn out content in seconds. But how to make sure it's consistent with your brand's voice, feels authentic for your organization, and resonates with your audience?

That's where Drupal's latest innovations, Context Control Center and Drupal Canvas, step in. Expect more exciting details at this session at DrupalCon Chicago 2026, which is a must‑see for marketing and content leaders.

This talk will be led by Kristen Pol (kristen pol) and Aidan Foster (afoster), the maintainers behind Context Control Center and Drupal Canvas. Through live demos, you'll see landing pages, service pages, and blog posts come to life with clear context rules.

You'll also leave with a practical starter framework for building your own context files, giving you the confidence to guide AI toward content that supports your marketing goals and strengthens your brand presence.

"From Chaos to Clarity: Building a Sustainable Content Governance Model with Drupal" - by Richard Nosek and C.J. Pagtakhan

Content chaos is something every marketing and content leader has faced: fragmented messaging, inconsistent standards, and editorial bottlenecks that slow campaigns down. At DrupalCon Chicago 2026, you'll discover an actionable plan to make your content consistent, organized, and aligned with your brand's goals.

Join this compelling session by Richard Nosek and C.J. Pagtakhan, seasoned experts in digital strategy. They'll show how structured governance can scale across departments without stifling creativity. Explore workflows that make life easier for authors, editors, and administrators, including approval processes, audits, and lifecycle management. Discover clear frameworks for roles, responsibilities, and standards.

And because theory is best paired with practice, you'll see real-world examples of how this approach improves quality, strengthens collaboration, and supports long‑term digital strategy on Drupal websites of every size and scope.

"Selling Drupal: How to win projects, and not alienate delivery teams" - by Hannah O'Leary and Hannah McDermott

Within agencies, sales and delivery departments share the same ultimate goal, client success. However, sales teams chase ambitious targets, while delivery teams focus on scope, sustainability, and the realities of open‑source implementation. Too often, this push and pull leads to friction, misaligned expectations, and even dips in client satisfaction.

At DrupalCon Chicago 2026, Hannah O'Leary hannaholeary and Hannah McDermott (hannah mcdermott) will share how they turned that challenge into a partnership at the Zoocha team. Through transparent handovers, joint scoping, and shared KPIs, they built a framework where both sides thrive together.

This session will highlight how open communication improved forecasting, reduced "us vs. them" dynamics, and directly boosted the quality of Drupal delivery. You'll leave with practical strategies to apply in your own organization. This includes fostering empathy across teams, aligning metrics, and creating a culture of transparency.

"A Dashboard that Works: Giving Editors What They Want, But Focusing on What They Need" - by Albert Hughes and Dave Hansen-Lange

Imagine logging in and instantly seeing what matters most to your content team: recent edits, accessibility checks, broken links, permissions, and so on. That's the power of a dashboard built not just to look good, but to truly support editors in their daily work.

Join Albert Hughes (ahughes3) and Dave Hansen-Lange (dalin) at their session as they share the journey of shaping a dashboard for 500 editors across 130 sites. You'll hear how priorities were set, how editor needs were balanced with technical realities, and how decisions shaped a tool that keeps content teams focused and confident.

You'll walk away with practical lessons you can apply to your own platform and a fresh perspective on how smart dashboards can empower editors and strengthen content leadership.

"Drupal CMS Spotlights" - by Gábor Hojtsy

As marketing and content leaders, you will appreciate a session on Drupal's latest innovations that can make a difference in your work. One of the greatest presentations for this purpose at DrupalCon Chicago 2026 is the Drupal CMS Spotlights.

Drupal CMS is a curated version of Drupal packed with pre-configured features, many of which are focused on content experiences. For example, you can instantly spin up a ready-to-go blog, SEO tools, events, and more.

The session brings together key Drupal CMS leaders to share insights on recent developments and plans for the future. You'll hear about Site Templates, the new Drupal Canvas page builder, AI, user experience, usability, documentation, and more.

Gábor Hojtsy (gábor hojtsy), Drupal core committer and initiative coordinator, is known for his engaging style, so you'll enjoy the session even if some details get technical.

"Launching the Drupal Site Template Marketplace" - by Tim Hestenes Lehnen

For marketing and content leaders, the launch of the Drupal Site Template Marketplace is big news. Each template combines recipes (pre‑configured feature sets), demo content, and a Canvas‑compatible theme, making it faster than ever to launch a professional, polished website. For anyone focused on storytelling, campaigns, or digital experiences, this is a game‑changer.

The pilot program at DrupalCon Vienna 2025 introduced the first templates, built with the support of Drupal Certified Partners. Now, the Marketplace is expanding, offering a streamlined way to discover, select, and implement templates that align with your goals.

Join Tim Hestenes Lehnen (hestenet), a renowned Drupal core contributor, for a session that dives deeper. He'll share lessons learned from the pilot, explain how the Marketplace connects to the roadmap for Drupal CMS and Drupal Canvas, and explore what's next as more templates become available.

Driesnote - by Dries Buytaert

The inspiring keynote by Dries Buytaert, Drupal's founder, is a session that can't be missed. Driesnote closes the opening program at Chicago 2026 and sets the tone for the entire conference. It's your perfect chance to see where Drupal is headed, and how those changes make your work easier, faster, and more creative.

At DrupalCon Vienna 2025, the main auditorium's audience was the first to hear Dries' announcements. Among other things, they heard about the rise in the AI Initiative funding, doubled contributions into Drupal CMS, and site templates to be found at Marketplace.

Marketers and content editors were especially amazed to see what's becoming possible in their work: content templates in Drupal Canvas, a Context Control Center to help AI capture brand voice, and autonomous Drupal agents keeping content up to date automatically.

This year, the mystery of what's next is yours to uncover. Follow the crowd to the main auditorium at DrupalCon Chicago and expect that signature "wow" moment that leaves the audience buzzing.

Final thoughts

Step into DrupalCon Chicago 2026 and reignite your marketing and content vision. Connect with peers, recharge your ideas, and see how Drupal continues to evolve. The sessions are designed to spark creativity and provide tools that can be put to work right away. As you head into the event, keep an open mind, lean into the conversations, and enjoy the energy that comes from sharing ideas across our amazing community.

Authored By: Nadiia Nykolaichuk, DrupalCon Chicago 2026 Marketing & Outreach Committee Member

16 Feb 2026 8:03pm GMT

Talking Drupal: Talking Drupal #540 - Acquia Source

Today we are talking about Acquia's Fully managed Drupal SaaS Acquia Source, What you can do with it, and how it could change your organization with guest Matthew Grasmick. We'll also cover AI Single Page Importer as our module of the week.

For show notes visit: https://www.talkingDrupal.com/540

Topics

Resources

Guests

Matthew Grasmick - grasmash

Hosts

Nic Laflin - nLighteneddevelopment.com nicxvan John Picozzi - epam.com johnpicozzi Catherine Tsiboukas - mindcraftgroup.com bletch

MOTW Correspondent

Martin Anderson-Clutz - mandclu.com mandclu

16 Feb 2026 7:00pm GMT

Drupal AI Initiative: Four Weeks of High Velocity Development for Drupal AI

Authors: Arian, Christoph, Piyuesh, Rakhi (alphabetical)

While Artificial Intelligence is evolving rapidly, many applications remain experimental and difficult to implement in professional production environments. The Drupal AI Initiative addresses this directly, driving responsible AI innovation by channelling the community's creative energy into a clear, coordinated product vision for Drupal.

Dries
Dries Buytaert presenting the status of Drupal AI Initiative at DrupalCon Vienna 2025

In this article, the third in a series, we highlight the outcomes of the latest development sprints of the Drupal AI Initiative. Part one outlines the 2026 roadmap presented by Dries Buytaert. Part two addresses the organisation and new working model for the delivery of AI functionality.

Converting ambition into measurable progress

To turn the potential of AI into a reliable reality for the Drupal ecosystem, we have developed a repeatable, high-velocity production model that has already delivered significant results in its first four weeks.

A Dual-Workstream Approach to Innovation

To maximize efficiency and scale, development is organized into two closely collaborating workstreams. Together, they form a clear pipeline from exploration and prototyping to stable functionality:

  • The Innovation Workstream: Led by QED42, this stream explores emerging technologies like evaluating Symfony AI, building AI-driven page creation, prompt context management, and the latest LLM capabilities to define what is possible within the ecosystem.
  • The Product Workstream: Led by 1xINTERNET, this team takes proven innovations and refines, tests, and integrates them into a stable Drupal AI product ensuring they are ready for enterprise use.

Sustainable Management through the RFP Model

This structure is powered by a Request for Proposal (RFP) model, sponsored by 28 organizations partnering with the Drupal AI Initiative.

The management of these workstreams is designed to rotate every six months via a new RFP process. Currently, 1xINTERNET provides the Product Owner for Product Development and QED42 provides the Product Owner for Innovation, while FreelyGive provides core technical architecture. This model ensures the initiative remains sustainable and neutral, while benefiting from the consistent professional expertise provided by the partners of the Drupal AI Initiative.

Professional Expertise from our AI Partners

The professional delivery of the initiative is driven by our AI Partners, who provide the specialized resources required for implementation. To maintain high development velocity, we operate in two-week sprint iterations. This predictable cadence allows our partners to effectively plan their staff allocations and ensures consistent momentum.

The Product Owners for each workstream work closely with the AI Initiative Leadership to deliver on the one-year roadmap. They maintain well-prepared backlogs, ensuring that participating organizations can contribute where their specific technical strengths are most impactful.

By managing the complete development lifecycle, including software engineering, UX design, quality assurance, and peer reviews, the sprint teams ensure the delivery of stable and well-architected solutions that are ready for production environments.

Drupal CMS

The Strategic Role of AI in Drupal CMS

The work of the AI Initiative provides important functionality to the recently launched Drupal CMS 2.0. This release represents one of the most significant evolutions in Drupal's 25-year history, introducing Drupal Canvas and a suite of AI-powered tools within a visual-first platform designed for marketing teams and site builders alike.

The strategic cooperation between the Drupal AI Initiative and the Drupal CMS team ensures that our professional-grade AI framework delivers critical functionality while aligning with the goals of Drupal CMS.
Results from our first Sprints

The initial sprints demonstrate the high productivity of this dual-workstream approach, driven directly by the specialized staff of our partnering organizations. In the first two weeks, the sprint teams resolved 143 issues, creating significant momentum right from the first sprint.

AI Set up
Screenshot Drupal AI Dashboard

This surge of activity resulted in the largest regular patch release in the history of the Drupal AI module. This achievement was made possible by the intensive collaboration between several expert companies working in sync. Increased contribution from our partners will allow us to further accelerate development velocity, improving the capacity to deliver more advanced technical features in the coming months.

AI Agent debugger
Screen recording Agents Debugger

Highlights from the first sprints

While the volume of work is significant, some new features stand out. Here are a few highlights from our recent sprint reviews:

  • AI Dashboard in Drupal CMS 2.0: Artem from 1xINTERNET presented the AI Dashboard functionality. This central hub for managing AI features and providers has been officially moved into the Drupal CMS 2.0 release, serving as the user interface for AI site management.
  • Advanced Automation: Anjali from QED42 presented new JSON and Audio field automators, which enable Drupal to process complex data types via AI.
  • The Context Control Center: Kristen from Salsa Digital presented the evolution of our context governance, converting config entities into content entities to enable revision management and better targeting.
  • The New Markdown Editor: Bruno from 1xINTERNET demonstrated a sleek new Markdown editor for prompt fields, featuring type-ahead autocomplete for variables and tokens. This will be released with the 1.3 version of the Drupal AI module.
  • Agents Debugger: To help developers see "under the hood," Marcus from FreelyGive introduced the new debugger module to trace AI agent interactions in real-time.
  • Technical Deep-Dives: We've seen steady progress on Symfony AI (presented by Akhil from QED42), Model Context Protocol (presented by Abhisek from DropSolid), and Reranking Models (led by Sergiu from DropSolid) to improve search quality.

Become a Drupal AI Partner

Our success so far is thanks to the companies who have stepped up as Drupal AI Partners. These organizations are leading the way in defining how AI and the Open Web intersect.
A huge thank you to our main contributors of the first two sprints (alphabetical order):

We invite further participation from the community. If your organization is interested in contributing expert resources to the forefront of AI development, we encourage you to join the initiative.

Sign up to join the Drupal AI Initiative

16 Feb 2026 4:00pm GMT

Debug Academy: Four PHP Communities, One Uncomfortable Conversation

Four PHP Communities, One Uncomfortable Conversation

#Drupal, Joomla, Magento, Mautic. All PHP-based, all use Composer, all have talented & passionate communities. And all share the same problems around growth and sustainability. There is a solution.

No, we should not merge the codebases. Sure, you could have AI "Ralph-Wiggum" its way to a monstrosity with passing tests. But these frameworks are trusted for their code quality and security, and using AI to Frankenstein-smush them together would destroy that trust instantly.

What I'm proposing is merging the communities behind a single framework.

Why now? Because (yes, I'm going there) while AI can't merge codebases, it can help developers who already know PHP, Composer, and open source ramp up on a new framework far faster than before. The barrier to a knowledgable human using a different technology has never been lower.

ashrafabed

16 Feb 2026 1:58pm GMT

The Drop Times: What Keeps You Invested in Drupal?

ORGANIZATION NEWS

DISCOVER DRUPAL

EVENT

FREE SOFTWARE

16 Feb 2026 1:48pm GMT

UI Suite Initiative website: Live show - Display Builder & UI Suite DaisyUI by WebWash !

It was fantastic to see Ivan Zugec diving deep into our ecosystem! We actually popped into the chat during the stream (he jokingly referred to us as the "End Boss"), and it was great to see him exploring the capabilities of Display Builder alongside UI Suite DaisyUI.Here is our recap of his session available on WebWash youtube channel:

16 Feb 2026 12:14pm GMT

1xINTERNET blog: DrupalCamp England coming to Salford, Manchester

The UK's largest Drupal event arrives at the University of Salford, Manchester on 28th February - 1st March - and there's something for everyone, whether you're a seasoned Drupal professional or simply curious about what open source technology can do for your organisation.

16 Feb 2026 12:00pm GMT

Drupal.org blog: GitLab issue migration: how to use the new workflow

Now that some of the projects that opted-in for GitLab issues are using them, they are getting real world experience with how the issue workflow in GitLab is slightly different. More and more projects are being migrated each week so sooner or later you will probably run into the following situations.

Creating new issues

When creating issues, the form is very simple. Add a title and a description and save, that's it!

GitLab has different work items when working on projects, like "Incidents", "Tasks" and "Issues". Our matching type will always be "Issue". Maintainers might choose to use the other types, but all integrations with Drupal.org will be made against "Issue" items.

Type of item

Labels (issue metadata)

As mentioned in the previous blog post GitLab issue migration: the new workflow for migrated projects, all the metadata for issues is managed via labels. Maintainers will select the labels once the issue is created.

Users without sufficient privileges cannot decide things like priority or tags to use. Maintainers can decide to grant the role "reporter" to some users to help with this metadata for the issues. Reporters will be able to add/edit metadata when adding or editing issues. We acknowledge that this is probably the biggest difference to working with Drupal.org issues. We are listening to feedback and trying to identify the real needs first (thanks to the projects that opted in), before implementing anything permanent.

Reporters will be able to add or edit labels on issue creation or edit:

issue with metadata

category

So far, we have identified the biggest missing piece, the ability to mark an issue as RTBC. Bouncing between "Needs work" or "Needs review" tends to happen organically via comments among the participating contributors in the issue, but RTBC is probably what some maintainers look for to get an issue merged.

The previous are conventions that we agreed on as a community a while back. RTBC is one, NW (Needs Work) vs NR (Needs Review) is another one, so we could use this transition to GitLab issues to define the equivalent ones.

GitLab merge requests offer several choices that we could easily leverage.

  • Draft vs ready could mimic "Needs work" vs "Needs review". Contributors will switch this back and forth depending on the feedback needed on the code.
  • Merge request approvals could mimic "RTBC". This is something that can even be required (number of approvals or approval rules) per project, depending on the maintainer's preferences.

merge request approvals

We encourage maintainers to look at the merge requests listing instead (like this one). Both "draft" vs. "ready" and "approved" are features you can filter by when viewing merge requests for a project.

Automated messages

There are automated messages when opening or closing issues that provide links related to fork management, fork information, and access request when creating forks, and reminders to update the contribution record links to the issue to track credit information.

Crosslinking between Drupal.org issues and GitLab issues

When referring to a Drupal.org issue from another Drupal.org issue, you can continue to use the [#123] syntax in the summary and comments, but enter the full URL in the "related issues" entry box.

When referring to a GitLab issue from another GitLab issue, use the #123 syntax, without the enclosing [ ].

For cross-platform references (Drupal to GitLab or GitLab to Drupal), you need to use the full URL.

What's next

Same as before, we want to go and review more of the already opted-in projects, collect feedback, act on it when needed, and then we will start to batch-migrate the next set: low-usage projects, projects with a low number of issues, etc.

The above should get us 80% of the way regarding the total number of projects to migrate, and once we have gathered more feedback and iterated over it, we'll be ready to target higher-volume, higher-usage projects.

Related blog posts:

16 Feb 2026 9:28am GMT