The Drupal Association has released Drupal CMS 2.0, representing the most significant evolution in the platform's 25-year history. This major update transforms Drupal from a primarily developer-focused content management system into an accessible, visual-first platform that empowers marketers and content teams to build and manage enterprise-grade websites with speed and independence, while preserving the open source foundation and flexibility developers rely on.
Quick Intel
Drupal CMS 2.0 directly addresses the long-standing perception that Drupal is complex and developer-centric. By prioritizing marketers and content creators, it enables non-technical users to own their web presence fully—creating branded, professional sites quickly while avoiding vendor lock-in or unnecessary dependencies.
Drupal Canvas serves as the default experience, offering a full component library for visual building with real-time editing and seamless content integration. Teams can launch feature-complete sites rapidly using pre-built templates that include themes, layouts, content structures, and design systems. The optional AI capabilities further accelerate creation: users can generate entire pages from natural language prompts, receive guided assistance via an admin chatbot, and automatically produce compliant alt text for images.
One-click integrations eliminate technical hurdles for common marketing tools, using guided prompts to handle credentials and configurations without coding. All of this rests on Drupal Core 11.3, which brings substantial performance gains, ensuring sites remain fast, reliable, and scalable regardless of traffic or complexity.
"There has been a perception that 'Drupal is hard' and the introduction of CMS 2.0 debunks that notion," said Dries Buytaert, Drupal founder and project lead. "With CMS 2.0, we built a platform teams won't outgrow because it is scalable, flexible and easy to build on. Now marketers and site builders can create professional, on-brand sites without having to rely on developers, avoid unnecessary complexity or getting locked into platforms that don't adapt. Built on Drupal's robust open source foundation, Drupal CMS 2.0 puts easy-to-use enterprise quality publishing tools directly in the hands of marketing teams."
"This release represents a major step forward and it's one the Drupal community has been building toward for years," said Tim Doyle, CEO of the Drupal Association. "Grounded in our open-source roots, CMS 2.0 makes Drupal more accessible and flexible, giving marketers the ability to create and manage sites with the robustness enterprises expect. None of this would be possible without the dedication and expertise of our global community, whose contributions continue to shape Drupal."
Drupal CMS 2.0 maintains full compatibility with the broader Drupal ecosystem while expanding access to a new audience of digital creators. It reinforces Drupal's role as a Digital Public Good, committed to the open web, innovation, security, and accessibility.
Drupal CMS 2.0 is available starting January 28, 2026. For more information and to get started, visit drupal.org/drupal-cms.
About Drupal
Drupal is one of the world's most trusted open source content management platforms, powering millions of websites and digital experiences since its creation in 2001. From humble beginnings in a university dorm room, Drupal has grown into a global force in web technology, supported by a community of thousands of active contributors worldwide. Today, more than 500,000 websites run on Drupal, including digital experiences for the BBC, UNICEF, Tesla, government agencies and leading universities around the world. This diverse adoption showcases Drupal's versatility and enterprise-grade capabilities. The platform's economic impact is significant, with an estimated $3.5 billion in Drupal-based projects, including development and hosting, generated annually through the global ecosystem of Drupal Certified Partner agencies and service providers. Recognized as a Digital Public Good, Drupal's commitment to innovation, security and accessibility has made it a cornerstone of the open web. Through continuous community-driven development and a dedication to web standards, Drupal has consistently evolved to meet the changing needs of the digital world while maintaining its core values of flexibility, security and community collaboration.
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