What is Drupal headless?

Since the mid-2010s, headless architecture has managed to win over more and more digital players. Drupal looked into its possibilities early on, and the solution on offer today has largely proved its worth.

Small definition to start with

Drupal is acontent management platform (CMS) widely used in the creation of websites and quality digital experiences. It's an open source CMSbacked by a large community that's constantly working to improve and extend its functionality. Drupal has a proven track record. It's reliable, scalable and secure.

It consists of a back-end system that manages and organizes content, and a front-end system that displays or interacts with users. Unlike some traditional CMSs, Drupal is designed with a architecture API-first and composable systems that allow great flexibility according to the user's needs. Drupal can be used in different modes:

• The traditional or unified mode in which Drupal manages both content back-end and front-end rendering. It provides a back-end CMS and an HTML rendering engine (Twig) in a composable framework.
• The headless mode in which is devoid of a front-end system and is used as a content repository. Data is stored and managed by Drupal and made available to front-end systems chosen by developers.
• The hybrid mode in which the advantages of traditional and headless modes are combined. A JavaScript framework is integrated in the form of decoupled components. This hybrid approach enables a JavaScript experience while retaining Drupal's back-end functionality. Parts of the site can be decoupled without having to commit to a fully unified or fully decoupled architecture.

In its decoupled mode, Drupal therefore only provides content data via APIs and the front-end is managed by a third-party application. This architecture offers organizations, product teams and marketers greater flexibility and freedomto create innovative, personalized digital experiences.

Headless appeals for its flexibility as media, formats, devices and modes of content delivery tend to multiply.

How Drupal Headless works?

Within this architecture, each content type is stored in an "entity" and created using a template called a "content type". A node is a specific instance of these content types.

Each contains fields that store content data (called "value") such as title, article body, publication date...

Nodes are used to organize and structure content data in Drupal. They can be organized into hierarchies or groups, and provide logical navigation and structure for end users.

Each time new content is created, it is assigned a unique UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) which makes it easy to identify.

A path is a URL that provides access to a specific page on the website. Paths can be defined in Drupal for any type of content or page, whether it's a home page, product page, contact page, etc.

They are used to identify the different types of content or resources that are accessible via APIs.

For example, to access blog posts, the API might use a path such as "/api/v1/articles". Paths can also include parameters or arguments, which can be used to tailor the API response to the user's needs.

Think about making sure that content data is formatted correctly for use by the specific "target". This target corresponds to the platform that receives them.

This may require modifications to the dataset structure or adaptations to meet the needs of the target user interface.

Advantages of headless architecture for Drupal sites

Here's a list of the many advantages of this mode of operation, including:

• Greater flexibility and freedom:This architecture enables developers to create tailor-made digital experiences, adapted to the specific needs of a company and the expectations of its users. Thanks to the decoupled mode, they can choose and select the technologies of their choice to create rich, enjoyable user interfaces.
• The ability to reuse data easily:In a headless architecture, content is stored in a centralized repository and can be easily accessed. This means they can be used within different applications, and any revisions are impacted across all platforms more simply. A good way to reduce development and maintenance costs, in short!
• Scalability: Headless architecture makes it possible to create consistent user experiences across multiple platforms, an essential point for all companies wishing to reach different types of audience, in different ways. Headless architecture offers greater scalability by enabling content to adapt quickly and simply.
• Lower development and maintenance costs: By leveraging the reusability of datasets and third-party technologies, substantial savings can be made. Technical teams can focus on managing content, without having to worry about displaying that information.
• Dynamic, engaging user experiences : Headless architecture enables the creation of personalized user experiences using the latest technologies.

How to implement Drupal headless

Implementing Drupal headless may seem complex to those who have not yet experimented with this architecture. However, with proper planning and an understanding of the steps, implementation is accessible.

Preparing an existing Drupal site for headless deployment

To prepare an existing Drupal site for headless deployment, you need to configure the RESTful APIwhich transmits content data to the front-end in JSON or GraphQL format, with which it is sent in a specific query-based format.

Configuring Drupal's RESTful or GraphQL can be done via Drupal's administration interface, or by using a specific module such as "RESTful Web Services". It allows you to configure access authorizations.

Beware, performance issues are important and must be considered right from site preparation. API integration must be carried out in such a way as to minimize response times and reduce load on the server.

To this end, the caching of content datacan help reduce response times and improve overall site performance.

How to create a new Drupal headless site from scratch

Creating a new Drupal headless site "from scratch" additionally involves installing Drupal on a server.

To install the CMS platform, download the latest version of Drupal from the official website and follow the installation instructions. You can then repeat the steps described above.

How to integrate a front-end layer with a JavaScript framework

Integrating a JavaScript framework is a key step in implementing Drupal headless.

To do this, developers must first choose an appropriate JavaScript framework for their needs. The JavaScript frameworks most commonly used for Drupal headless sites include React, Angular and Vue.js.

To make the right choice, you can consider the complexity of your project, the level of performance it requires and the skills of the team.

Once the JavaScript framework has been chosen, it needs to be integrated with Drupal. To do this, it is possible to use specific modules such as "JSON API" which passes content data to the JavaScript framework for display on the front-end.

The next step is to create custom templates to display the information transmitted by the RESTful or GraphQL API.

It is then possible to use JavaScript libraries such as React or Vue.js to create reusable components for the user interface.

To ensure optimum performance, consider aspects such as content caching and reducing the load on the server. Techniques such as pagination or lazy loading can be used to improve site performance.

Think about taking into account the compatibility between versions of the JavaScript framework and Drupal to ensure smooth site operation.

Finally, once the front-end layer is integrated, you can start creating dynamic, engaging user experiences using the latest technologies.

The benefits of Drupal headless for developers

Technical teams will find many advantages to the headless solution offered by Drupal. Here they are in detail:

Easier, faster development

Drupal headless enables a significant improvement in development speed thanks to the separation of backend and frontend. This enables each employee to concentrate on his or her specific area of expertise: backend developers can work on content management and API, and front-end on user interface design and integration with JavaScript frameworks. This enables greater specialization and a reduction in development times.

In addition, the CMS is a real strength. Indeed, the use of pre-built modules offers real time savings and reduces the amount of custom code needed to develop new features.

Developers can also take advantage of the reusability of stored datas and third-party technologies, enabling them to achieve substantial savings in terms of development and maintenance costs.

Better collaboration between front-end and back-end development teams

As we saw earlier, with Drupal headless, the front-end team can work more efficiently and collaboratively with the team in charge of the front-end.

The separation of these two aspects facilitates communication and the division of tasks between the teams, as each can focus on its expertise and tickets without risking interference with the other.

In addition, Drupal headless uses modern development standards such as RESTful or GraphQL, which enable easier and faster integration of third-party technologies.

Front-end teams can use the latest and most popular JavaScript frameworks to create personalized user interfaces and engaging experiences.

Code reuse across different platforms

Content can be easily offered across different applications or media, which is one of the major arguments in favor of headless architecture.

It also enables the use of third-party technologies, offering great flexibility for the creation of customized user experiences.

The benefits of Drupal headless for users

Drupal headless also offers many advantages for end users (and this is important!) by enabling innovative, personalized digital experiences.

A richer, enhanced user experience

Drupal headless enables the creation of personalized, engaging experiences using the latest technologies such as JavaScript libraries such as React, Angular and Vue.js.

It's also possible to use CSS frameworks such as Bootstrap, Foundation or Materialize to create elegant, responsive user interfaces, and offer, for example, interactive HTML5 elements such as formulars custom and drag-and-drop elements.

Better performance and faster sites

When used properly, Drupal headless contributes to significant performance improvements. In fact, by separating the back-end and front-end, it becomes possible to optimize the loading of content data using techniques such as pagination or lazy loading that enable a significant reduction in loading time.

In addition, Drupal headless enables easier integration with third-party technologies such as CDNs and content delivery networks. This improves performance by distributing static content to dedicated servers around the world, reducing the load on the main server and improving load times for users.

Better scalability and flexibility

Drupal headless makes it possible to create consistent user experiencesacross multiple platforms. Headless architecture offers greater scalability by enabling content to adapt quickly and simply to different platforms and screen sizes.

Another plus, the use of third-party technologies for front-end development allows great flexibility in creating customized user experiences.

Last tips before taking the plunge

Here are a few good practises to know:

1. Getting to grips with headless architecture:before you start developing, it's important to fully understand the architecture and operation of this solution to anticipate its implications.
2. Choosing the right technologies.This architecture opens up many possibilities, so it's important to be right when choosing your stack and to keep several points in mind: user needs, performance requirements and development team skills.
3. Ensure data security. It's important to ensure that datas are stored and transmitted securely to avoid security breaches.
4. Test regularly. Testing is essential to ensure that the application works properly and that the data is of high quality. Carry out tests to ensure that the application works properly and to detect and correct bugs.

For several years, user experience standards have been constantly evolving towards greater richness and more personalization. A level of requirement that demands greater responsiveness and flexibility in order to accommodate new technologies simply.

Decoupled architecture makes it easier to integrate these new evolutions. So it's a paradigm shift that's important to consider for your project.

However, this decision cannot be improvised and requires a high level of expertise.

To benefit from all its advantages while retaining the benefits of Drupal, don't hesitate to call on experts or consultants who can guide you through all these issues.