Are you wondering how to expand the functionalities of Drupal CMS? Modules are the solutions that you are seeking. Check our list of the must-have modules for Drupal, which can vastly facilitate and accelerate your daily work with this CMS.
What Is Module in Drupal?
Modules in Drupal are the extensions that boost the functionalities of the CMS. They are the equivalents of plugins in WordPress. Modules for Drupal can be divided into three groups:
- core modules – default functionalities included in the Drupal core.
- contributed modules – which are developed by the Drupal community.
- custom modules – created by the Drupal Developers on the customer's request.
Currently, there are more than 46 000 modules for all Drupal versions. Thus, choosing the right ones may give you a headache. Beneath, you will find our suggestions of helpful core and contributed Drupal modules.
Views
Views is one of the most popular and commonly used modules in Drupal. It is a core module that enables content presentation in different forms, e.g., lists, tables, galleries, posts, news, etc. Thanks to the Views module, diversified content types, such as nodes, or users, can be straightforwardly displayed.
Paragraphs
It is one of the most powerful modules in Drupal 8 and 9. Paragraphs are the alternatives for the traditional editor, where the content is put into one WYSIWYG field, no matter if it is a piece of text, video, or image. Using the Paragraphs module, you can create many blocks for different content types. Thus, the content management process is more transparent, and editors have more possibilities for content presentation. They can add as many content types as the site builder permits.
WYSIWYG
Another Drupal module is crucial from the perspective of content editors. WYSIWYG provides the visual content editor. Thus, even people with no programming knowledge can successfully manage the website's content.
Commerce
A must-have module when you are considering setting up an e-commerce platform on Drupal: thanks to the Drupal Commerce module, you can develop an online sales solution of any size and designation. It provides many functionalities for B2B, B2C platforms creation, or even building an internal product management system. You can find core features, e.g., product types creation, custom attributes, various promotion options, or tax calculation.
Chaos Tool Suite (ctools)
Also known as the ctools. It is a set of APIs and tools which significantly improve developers' experiences. It contains tools such as Plugins, Content, Form tools, AJAX responder, or Form tools. Moreover, it includes the Page Manager module, which is responsible for page management.
PathAuto
It is a module for Drupal, helpful from the search engine optimization perspective. It enables the automatic generation of SEO-friendly URLs for all content types – nodes, terms, users, etc. Thanks to that, you can save hours of work spent on manual path aliases settings.
Read more about Drupal SEO modules in our article.
Linkit
Linkit Drupal module provides an intuitive interface for internal and external linking using an autocomplete option. Its main advantages against traditional linking are:
- user doesn't have to copy or remember the URL,
- it is a stable solution for internal linking,
- it possesses a user-friendly UI.
Media
It is a core module in Drupal responsible for media management. Using the Media module, one can easily add, edit or delete different media types – images, icons, videos, documents, etc.
Field Group
The module's name speaks for itself – it is used to group fields together. You can group them, e.g., into horizontal and vertical tabs, divs, or HTML elements. Thus, it vastly facilitates content organization and improves the editors' experience.
Admin Toolbar
This Drupal module is an alternative for a default Toolbar (administration menu) used in Drupal. It provides the responsive version of the top menu, transforming it into the drop-down menu. Such a solution enables facilitated access to all pages, maintaining all the functionalities of the original toolbar.
BigPipe
Page load time is one of the most important factors taken into consideration by users and search engines. When the website loads slowly, users can lose their temper and get out of it. Google bots may give it a lower score, and as a result, it will be placed on lower positions in SERP. BigPipe Drupal module introduces caching, primarily used by Facebook. It vastly accelerates the page speed thanks to the used mechanism.
ShareThis
It is a suitable module for Drupal when you run a company's social media channels. Thanks to ShareThis, you can add buttons that allow you to share content published on the website directly on your social media.
MailSystem
When you want to send emails to your customers, the MailSystem Drupal module will be a bull's-eye. You can create mail themes, format content, and manage message delivery.
Drupal Modules – Summary
It is just a little piece of helpful modules for Drupal which enhance CMS functionalities. The accurate set of necessary modules will be different for every project due to the distinct functionalities and diversified expectations.
