A content management system is a must-have whether you are creating an online store e-learning platform or membership organization. Over the last few years business structures have evolved significantly. Hence business owners are constantly searching for platforms that will make their operations more efficient.
Content management systems serve as the backbone for all forms of websites. With a wide range of options available, it is quite challenging to determine what would be the best suited for a specific website. Joomla and Drupal are the most popular CMS platforms offering a wide range of features and functions.
The following part of this article will compare and discuss some of the critical aspects of Joomla and Drupal. Here you will get to learn about factors like usability, customization options, support, security, popularity, Drupal to WordPress conversion, and price.
Joomla
Joomla is one of the most powerful and open-source contact management systems that you can access for free. It allows users to manage and create blogs websites and other types of online applications. It was introduced back in 2005 and since then has become a popular CMS platform for businesses around the globe.
Joomla comes with an extensive selection of templates and designs for personalizing websites. Business owners with no coding knowledge can also use Joomla for its intuitive and simple interface.
Just like WordPress, it focuses on easy accessibility for website creation. Whether you choose to create a blog or a small business website Joomla is quite reliable and flexible for all types of needs.
Drupal
Drupal is another popular open-source content management system for website management. Launched in 2001 Drupal is based on PHP and makes use of databases PostgreSQL and MySQL.
It has extensive customization and flexibility with different themes in modules for improving the functionality of a website. Drupal has become a popular CMS platform for complex websites like social media, E-Commerce, and government platforms.
The best part of using Drupal is its intuitive interface and new range of features for building professional-looking platforms without advanced coding skills. It helps in creating Drupal to WordPress conversion resources and tools that will help a website stand out for large and small websites.
Similarities between Joomla and Drupal
Both the CMS platforms were introduced between 2000 and 2005. So they have been in the market for about two decades and have become quite mature over time.
Some of the common aspects of both CMS platforms include the following.
Users have access to the software through a free license. Hence it is highly cost effective as one need not pay any license fee. Also, there is a vast community working around the CMS platforms to ensure the introduction of new features. They also help in the quick removal of the glitters. As a result, these have become a lot more secure and reliable for building websites.
Another notable aspect is that both are based on PHP as a programming language and for storage use my SQL. As these CMS platforms in use for quite some time there is a large community and ecosystem for comparison and discussion. Besides you get access to different templates and themes for Drupal to WordPress conversion. There are radius extensions and plug-ins to further complement the features of your web platform.
Comparing functionalities of Drupal and Joomla
Displaying different assets at the time of publishing content
Joomla supports basic contact types which can be further extended using modules and components. The simple system provides good adaptability out of the box however needs immediate development support.
Drupal on the other hand comes with an extensive set of content types and customization options. The available plug-in also makes it compatible with WordPress.
Controlling access
For access control purposes both platforms offer excellent protection and flexibility. You can use them to clearly define user capabilities and permissions at the same time.
Data handling
Drupal and Joomla feature complex database structures. So it allows them to provide better internal data architecture that can work seamlessly with WordPress. However, at times the performance can be low due to poor development work and high complexity. You may face issues when it comes to cracking issues on a site based on Drupal. In both cases, the overall performance is largely dependent on the caching strategies. Without proper implementation, any of the platforms can show poor performance.
Multilingual support
Both platforms have support for multilingual features. Joomla comes with out-of-the-box compatibility as Drupal requires the use of a plug-in. latest iterations come with improved multilingual support. Theme developers are required to do their part in considering translation.
Search engine optimization
Some of the critical SEO aspects like page loading time and content delivery catching techniques are easily manageable with Drupal or Joomla. Joomla features EFSEO which provides excellent features that seem to match well with the powerful usability and functionality of Yoast.
Customization options and flexibility
Regardless of the features available with both platforms out of the box, you get adequate flexibility and support from third-party modules and plug-ins. This gives you the freedom to create whatever you need for your digital platform on any content management system.
Joomla and Drupal are equally powerful but complex at the same time. If you lack technical knowledge then it would be best to get support from a proficient developer for developing and maintaining your website. Programmers can help find out potential glitches and make a website more efficient. The implementation of extensions makes these black forms a lot more capable. Also, certain modules help in enhancing the performance and security of the website.
Ease of use
Despite the easy and intuitive interface, you may find it difficult to access certain features of a CMS platform. These platforms are mostly designed by developers for developers. There are likely to be certain issues for the end user. Drupal is the simplest content creation platform of the lot.
Security features
Both platforms have certain vulnerabilities in terms of security. When considering the security of a CMS platform it is mostly how the organization is dealing with the risks. The challenges with security extend beyond application hence long-term security of a system mostly depends on ongoing maintenance and posting. Regardless of the amount of testing and development of the code framework. One is likely to face security issues from poorly written code, plug-ins, or modules.
Compatibility
As discussed before both CMS platforms enjoy extensive community support. Both Drupal and Joomla are popular across the globe. As a result, it helps generate lots of discussion on forums both among the users and developers that contribute to writing plug-ins. As these are open source platforms they can benefit significantly from continuous contribution.
Regular updates
Joomla and Drupal regular code updates for security and features. However, the process may seem a bit challenging resulting in incompatibilities. Hence for these CMS tools, one would require the best book code and environment of the developer for easy upgrade. Without proper knowledge, it can be quite difficult to implement. For Drupal, a significant version upgrade includes an update on the database as well as rewriting the entire code.
At times Joomla and Drupal introduce major releases that are usually not backward compatible. As a consequence, many of the installations are unable to upgrade without efforts from a Drupal to WordPress migration service. Over time these old Drupal site to WordPress platforms stop receiving security upgrades and become a potential risk for the business.
Difference in pricing
Joomla and Drupal are open-source platforms and basic features available for free. However, if you wish to create a website with more complex features you would require help from Drupal to WordPress migration service in the implementation and maintenance of the organization.
Some of the expenses for getting a website to run with a CMS tool include hosting design of the interface, and domain name registration. A significant difference in terms of CMS takes place during the initial creation and maintenance.
Implementation expenses
Creating a digital business will require expert help. Hence you will either have to recruit professional developers or engage an agency for the same.
Website maintenance
Setting up a digital business involves significant investment. With time you will realize there are more requirements for which you will need expert support.
As the users start using the platform there will be a need for improving certain functions. As the business takes pace there will be a need for scaling and ensuring digital presence. Besides the updates and security help in maintaining the underlying CMS system.
Ongoing Drupal site to WordPress maintenance costs will become a significant part of the business. Also, you will be required to depend on experts to ensure the proper functioning of the Drupal to WordPress conversion.
What would be the right CMS platform for a website?
For simple blogs and websites, the choice of CMS is not very complex. You can easily manage with free tools and the support of an extensive community consistently updating the functions in security. However, if you need something more complex or advanced there are certain considerations to take into account. It is mostly dependent on the needs rather than the benefits and drawbacks of different CMS tools.
Final thoughts
Every CMS tool comes with its own set of strengths and weaknesses however it is important to properly research and development the requirements. It would greatly help you in ensuring that the selected CMS will be best for your business objectives and help in online success.
