Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Use Drupal as a Mobile App Development Tool

Profile picture for user Firas Ghunaim
Firas Ghunaim

Share

image

Have you ever wondered why Drupal isn't widely recognized for mobile app development, despite its popularity in web development? You're not alone! Many people question this, which is why we're diving into the topic to reveal Drupal's potential for mobile app development as well.

Drupal is not only a powerful web-based content management system (CMS), but it's also an excellent platform for mobile app development projects. As one of the most widely-used open-source CMS tools, Drupal offers reliable performance, robust security, easy content authoring, and, most importantly, flexibility.

 

Drupal 9 Mobile Development

 

This flexibility allows you to create versatile and structured content to suit the dynamic needs of web and mobile experiences. Its customization potential makes Drupal incredibly accessible and practical for building and managing mobile applications and websites.

 

Drupal's Top 5 Features for Mobile App Development

 

  1. Flexible and Easy Integration: Drupal 8 core's RESTful Web Services module simplifies integration, enabling other apps to read and update information on your site via the web. REST supports GET/POST/PATCH/DELETE methods and integrates an authentication system that can be applied to modules and resources.

  2. Content Capabilities: Drupal enables you to manage essential information and separate it from less critical content. It's an excellent portal for news and consultants, as it's fully customizable to your needs, allowing you to modify block behavior by creating modules.

  3. SDKs and Libraries to Keep You Updated: Drupal provides ready-to-use SDKs and libraries for troubleshooting and staying up-to-date. Some key SDKs and libraries include:

    • Waterwheel Swift: Connects native iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS applications to Drupal 7 and 8.
    • Drupal 8 iOS SDK: SDK and sample app to connect native iOS apps with Drupal 8.
    • DrupalCloud: Android library for Drupal Services.
    • DrupalGap: Open-source mobile application development kit for Drupal websites, utilizing PhoneGap and jQuery Mobile.
       

  4. Ready-to-Use Modules: Drupal offers contributed modules for various purposes. The Views data export module provides representations in JSON, XML, xHTML microformats, Atom, and more.

  5. Synchronization Made Easy: Sync your mobile app and website content with a single click on the control panel.

 

Drupal Architecture

 

While tools like WordPress might be suitable for creating simple blogs or pages without much user interaction, Drupal enables you to be an active part of the design process. Its features are multilingual, and it's highly customizable and integratable. Drupal's toolsets offer a smooth startup process, and regular updates keep your content and features relevant in the ever-changing market and business environment.

 

The Drupal Community

In the development industry, staying updated with market and business trends for mobile and web application development is crucial. Meetups, community groups, and conferences provide opportunities to learn from experts and find custom solutions to unique problems. Drupal's Community Server is an invaluable resource for searching for bug fixes, consulting with developers and fellow programmers, and learning about upgrades and security releases. You can also customize your update cycle to receive notifications as frequently as needed.

 

Conclusion

Drupal is a highly agile, adaptable, practical, and secure system. It's not just for front-end or back-end development; Drupal excels at managing content within a built templating engine and should be used for both. If you have any questions or are ready to start your mobile app development project, explore our projects here and contact us today!