Drupal is a powerful and flexible CMS that can support everything from small nonprofit sites to enterprise-level portals. But with that power comes complexity—and it’s easy for even experienced developers to run into challenges that can slow down projects, cause performance bottlenecks, or create long-term maintenance issues. By being aware of common pitfalls and following best practices, you can build Drupal sites that are secure, scalable, and maintainable.
Pitfall #1: Over-customizing Core
A common mistake is modifying Drupal core files directly. While it may seem like a shortcut, this practice breaks the upgrade path and leads to major headaches down the road.
Best Practice: Never hack core. Use custom modules, themes, and patches when necessary, and rely on Composer to manage dependencies.
Pitfall #2: Ignoring Configuration Management
Manually changing site configurations across environments (local, dev, stage, prod) often leads to inconsistencies and errors.
Best Practice: Use Drupal’s Configuration Management system to export and import configuration. Store config files in version control so that changes are tracked and easily deployed.
Pitfall #3: Poor Performance Tuning
Out-of-the-box Drupal can handle a lot, but without proper caching and optimization, sites can quickly slow down under load.
Best Practice: Enable caching layers (Drupal cache, Redis, or Memcached), use a CDN, and configure SOLR or Elasticsearch for search-heavy sites. Regularly monitor performance and optimize images, CSS, and JS aggregation.
Pitfall #4: Weak Security Practices
Leaving unused modules installed, ignoring updates, or using weak permission settings can open doors to vulnerabilities.
Best Practice: Keep core and contributed modules up to date, use the Drupal Security Advisories feed, audit user roles/permissions, and follow OWASP guidelines.
Pitfall #5: Not Prioritizing Accessibility
Accessibility is sometimes treated as an afterthought, but it’s a requirement for modern sites—especially those serving public or government audiences.
Best Practice: Follow WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 standards, use semantic HTML, test with screen readers, and leverage Drupal’s accessibility modules.
Pitfall #6: Skipping Documentation and Code Standards
Messy, undocumented code may work in the short term but makes long-term maintenance a nightmare.
Best Practice: Adhere to Drupal coding standards (use phpcs and drupal/coder), write clear documentation, and provide helpful comments in code and configuration.
Pitfall #7: Reinventing the Wheel
Drupal has over 40,000 contributed modules, but developers sometimes create custom code for functionality that already exists.
Best Practice: Explore the contrib ecosystem before writing custom code. If you must go custom, design with reusability and maintainability in mind.
Conclusion
Drupal development comes with unique challenges, but most pitfalls are preventable with the right practices. By respecting Drupal’s architecture, leveraging its tools, prioritizing performance and security, and following community standards, developers can avoid costly mistakes and deliver robust, future-proof websites.
Building with Drupal isn’t just about writing code—it’s about working smarter, planning ahead, and contributing to a long-term sustainable digital solution.