A digital illustration shows a symbolic bridge made of Drupal logos and code snippets connecting two cliffs. On the left cliff labeled “Training,” several people stand observing. On the right cliff labeled “Professional Experience,” office buildings and development teams are depicted. Mentors walk alongside individuals crossing the bridge. The scene is bathed in sunrise light, with pyramid-shaped mountains in the background, all using a Drupal blue color palette.

IXP Graduates from Initiative to Program: Companies Can Start Using It Now!

The IXP Fellowship has officially evolved from an initiative to a functional program, creating structured pathways for companies to hire and mentor inexperienced Drupal developers. Companies completing engagements receive 250 contribution credits per hire, strengthening the Drupal ecosystem's sustainability. Seed EM, Bluefly, Digital Projex, and Digital Polygon are the first participating organizations. The program addresses the catch-22 of needing experience to get hired while broadening Drupal's talent base. Registration is now open at drupal-ixp.site.

Estimated read time: 5 minutes
Image of a colorful and diverse world map interconnected with drupal.org in the center

Creating Real Business Value: Transforming Drupal.org into a Genuine Business Hub

Drupal.org has untapped potential to become more than a technical platform—it could transform into a genuine business hub connecting clients with service providers worldwide. This post explores how we can create a system where contribution naturally leads to business opportunities through regionalized partnership programs, globally supported initiatives for new developers, and reimagined events. By acknowledging regional economic differences and embracing the full ecosystem pyramid, we can build a Drupal community where contribution and business growth naturally align.

Estimated read time: 9 minutes
A person holding a magnifyin glass on a screen showing drupal.org

Makers, Takers, and What I Call 'Fakers': A Nuanced Look at Drupal Contribution

This post explores the concept of "fakers" in open source communities – those who create an appearance of contribution without truly engaging. While we all begin as relative novices, there's a key difference between newcomers honestly building skills and those misrepresenting expertise. Using personal experiences from the Drupal community, I examine how to distinguish authentic contributors and why drupal.org should be our source of truth, despite challenges in establishing it as the definitive standard.

Estimated read time: 5 minutes
Apyramid with two sides, one eroded and the other perfect

Rebuilding Drupal's Ecosystem Pyramid: A Path to Sustainable Growth

This post introduces my "ecosystem pyramid" model for visualizing Drupal's sustainability challenges. I examine how Drupal's evolution has narrowed its user base, contrasting it with WordPress's approach. I highlight how Drupal CMS and IXP initiatives can rebuild the ecosystem's foundation by lowering entry barriers, especially in regions with differently-scaled pyramids. The key to long-term sustainability lies in rebuilding from the base up while strengthening the middle layers of our ecosystem.

Estimated read time: 7 minutes
Graphic with the text "Drupal CMS 1.0 released" next to the Drupal logo in bold colors.

Building the Bridge: How Drupal CMS and IXP Could Empower Digital Agencies

Drupal CMS creates opportunities for agencies at every stage - from freelancers starting out to established enterprise firms. By supporting both simple site builds and enterprise solutions on the same platform, agencies of all sizes can build diverse teams of site builders and developers. The expanded IXP Initiative supports this ecosystem by developing talent at all levels, offering every agency a path to sustainable growth beyond what closed platforms can provide.

Estimated read time: 3 minutes
A computer showing a page but using a CDN as the origin

Understanding Drupal Caching: From Basic Concepts to Practical Strategy

Understanding Drupal's caching system is key to building high-performance sites. Think of caching as taking snapshots of your content instead of rebuilding everything on each visit. From internal caching to CDNs, each layer serves a purpose. This guide explains how these pieces work together and how to implement an effective caching strategy that balances performance with content freshness.

Estimated read time: 8 minutes
An illustration representing the journey from using to contributing in open source communities

Beyond Makers and Takers: Being a Faker in Open Source

Recent events in the WordPress community have reignited discussions about open source contribution, echoing Dries Buytaert's insights on "makers" and "takers" in the ecosystem. However, there's a third category worth examining: those who create an appearance of contribution without truly engaging with the community's needs. Through Drupal's mature contribution recognition system, we can explore ways to encourage more meaningful participation and help everyone find their authentic path to contributing, moving beyond surface-level engagement to genuine community involvement. This reflection isn't about criticism, but about fostering a culture where various forms of contribution are valued and authentic engagement is encouraged.

Estimated read time: 5 minutes
A developer realizing an idea while working on a site with the ECA module

Rethinking Custom Modules: How ECA Blew My Mind

During Palcera's implementation of the IXP Initiative platform, the power of ECA (Event, Condition, Action) challenged my assumptions about when custom modules are truly necessary. This experience demonstrates how mature contributed modules can efficiently handle complex business logic that traditionally required custom code. As a technical architect, I'm excited to help organizations leverage Drupal's ecosystem more effectively, improving development efficiency while reducing maintenance overhead through strategic use of existing solutions.

Estimated read time: 4 minutes
Anilu y camoa in a selfie with the Drupicon behind threm, at DrupalCon Lille 2023

DrupalCon Barcelona 2024: The Drupal Couple's Journey

As the Drupal Couple, we attended DrupalCon Barcelona 2024 and want to share our week at the conference. Here's how we experienced the sessions, community moments, and Drupal's future through our different perspectives.

Estimated read time: 5 minutes
Person writing in a laptop creating a workflow

BLT End of Life: When Technical Decisions Forget About Users

Acquia's Build and Launch Tool (BLT) reaches end-of-life on December 31, 2024. As a Technical Account Manager who has helped numerous organizations with their Drupal implementations, I've seen how this transition highlights a common challenge in our industry: technical decisions that sometimes lose sight of user needs. Let's explore what this means for teams and what it tells us about the broader pattern of technical decision-making.

Estimated read time: 4 minutes
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