Agreed, decoupled Drupal is awesome. It gives great opportunities to build multidevice, inviting and flexible frontends which are totally 2019! To be honest, it is great that Drupal finally took the leap. However, in my journey on creating rich internet platforms, websites and applications based on Drupal, I found out that decoupled Drupal is not (always) the holy grail. In fact, it can really turn out into a maintenance nightmare.
In this talk I want to address the pros and cons I have found when creating decoupled Drupal websites. This session will help architects and technical leads in making the right choices (for you), discussing the following subjects:
- SWOT:
Does the effort it takes to create an application like that weigh up to the benefits you get from it? - Case studies:
We will look at successful decoupled installations as well as examples which at some point launched the inevitable question: 'Why are we doing this?'. - Strategy:
We will dive into decision-making: why and when to choose for decoupled Drupal and when NOT.
Options of decoupled Drupal we will look into are:
- Fully decoupled (Drupal backend, frontend framework frontend using REST services
- Integrated Drupal frontend with available REST services used for multichannel applications (for instance mobile apps)
- Hybrid solutions with partial decoupled "widgets"
Fabian has over 10 years experience with Drupal, spanning from backend development, module development and Drupal site building to fully focusing on frontend techniques (React, Angular, jQuery/javascript), native apps and theming, such as the contrib theme Fortytwo. Data integration and distribution via web services is integral part of his daily work at Finalist. Having a degree in multimedia design, the connection between frontend and backend has always been self-evident and a driving force in UX improvement for every project he works on.
Finalist focuses on clients in the educational field and engages in the disclosure, integration, distribution and publication of data. With many customers the subject of digital transformation is at the top of the list. At Finalist, Drupal is used in addition to other technologies to create student portals, social intranet systems, electronic learning environments and digital learning and working environments for mainly higher education and healthcare.