On January 15, 2025, the Drupal community launched Drupal CMS 1.0—a streamlined distribution of Drupal designed to be more user-friendly out of the box.
Key highlights include:
Simplified onboarding: A cleaner installer that helps new users get started quickly.
Desktop app integration: Making it easier to spin up local environments.
Modern UI: Updated dashboards and workflows that feel familiar to content editors.
👉 The goal of Drupal CMS is to bridge the gap between Drupal’s powerful core and the usability expected by today’s marketers and site builders.
Experience Builder: A New Way to Design
One of the biggest announcements at DrupalCon 2025 Atlanta was the upcoming Experience Builder.
This tool is a visual, drag-and-drop interface that allows users to build layouts, pages, and entire experiences—without needing to write code.
Features of Experience Builder:
Live editing: See your changes instantly as you design.
Reusable components: Build with flexible blocks powered by React and Tailwind CSS.
Collaboration ready: Editors and developers can work side by side.
No-code design: Greatly reduces the barrier for non-technical content creators.
👉 In short, Experience Builder is Drupal’s answer to WordPress block themes and site editors—bringing design power directly into the CMS.
AI: The New UI
AI is playing a huge role in shaping the future of Drupal. In 2025, Drupal CMS introduces new ways to leverage AI to simplify design and development tasks.
Some exciting use cases include:
Component generation from images or mockups – Upload a Figma file or screenshot, and AI creates the structure in Drupal.
CSS & design assistance – Ask AI to tweak padding, colors, or layout instantly.
Content support – AI can generate placeholder text, product descriptions, or even translations.
Workflow automation – Intelligent agents handle repetitive publishing tasks.
👉 As Dries Buytaert, Drupal’s founder, said at DrupalCon: “AI is the new UI.”
Site Templates & Recipes
Another innovation coming to Drupal CMS is the concept of site templates (a.k.a. Recipes).
Instead of starting from a blank slate, users will be able to:
Choose a preconfigured template for a blog, nonprofit, portfolio, or eCommerce site.
Get demo content preloaded for faster setup.
Customize and extend as needed with modules and themes.
This approach dramatically speeds up site launches, especially for agencies and freelancers who build multiple Drupal sites.
The Future: A Drupal Marketplace?
A big idea being discussed in the community is the creation of a Drupal Marketplace—a central hub where developers can share and sell:
Site templates
Components
Custom modules
AI-driven tools
If it becomes reality, this could open up new revenue streams for developers while giving site builders a faster way to get high-quality features.
Why This Matters for Users
So, what do these innovations mean for you?
For developers: Less time on repetitive coding, more focus on custom features.
For marketers: Visual editing tools like Experience Builder make Drupal less intimidating.
For agencies: Faster project turnaround thanks to site templates and AI support.
For enterprises: A CMS that combines enterprise-grade stability with modern usability.
Final Thoughts
Drupal CMS 1.0 marks a turning point in the platform’s history. Experience Builder, AI integration, and site templates, Drupal is becoming more accessible, efficient, and future-ready.