Author: Marla Laubisch
In August, Digital Solutions updated the platform to the latest version of Drupal (D10). Although the transition was smooth, there were associated upgrades that may not be immediately apparent, and make the platform more performant and future-ready.
In addition to Drupal itself, the platform also utilizes Symfony and PHP. The current versions were approaching their end of life and/or were not compatible with D10.
Symfony is a PHP web application framework that is ideally suited for Drupal. Using a framework accelerates development, and also prepares us for future platform enhancements. One reason the transition from D7 to D8 was so laborious was that we weren't using Symfony then, and the platform had to be rebuilt "by hand," so to speak, without taking advantage of the built-in modules and functionalities of a framework. If a future Drupal upgrade significantly alters the product, we'll be able to transition more smoothly.
We also upgraded to PHP v8.1. Unlike JavaScript, which generally runs in your browser, PHP operates on our servers. As a result, performance is a crucial factor - we can't speed up your browser but we can speed up PHP on our side with this upgrade, yielding a 15% performance increase from PHP v7.
CKEditor5 is now part of Drupal's core modules. Although some contributed modules are very well-supported, a core module draws on a wider base of developers to maintain and enhance it, so this is a plus for the platform. We enabled v5 in production in early April, and have appreciated your feedback and snickets (ServiceNow tickets) about the editor.
Lastly, we've streamlined the platform by removing unneeded D7 features and modules. This will also boost performance as unnecessary code and libraries won't be loaded.
In conclusion, the recent updates to our platform have not only made it more performant but also better prepared for the future. The integration of Drupal 10, Symfony, and PHP v8.1, along with the streamlining of features and modules, ensures a faster and more reliable user experience. As we continue to enhance our platform, we are grateful for your ongoing feedback and collaboration, which play an essential role in shaping its development. Together, we'll create a robust, future-ready platform that meets the evolving needs of our users and drives innovation in the digital landscape.