Drupal 9/10
Background and prerequisites
Coding
YAML, which stands for YAML Ain't Markup Language, is a human-readable data serialization format that's been widely adopted in a variety of use cases in Drupal 8, including info files and menu routing.
Local development set up
Developers are expected to know how to work on a copy of the live site, instead of making potentially hazardous changes or testing new ideas directly on the live site. You should be able to set up a development environment for your work.
Tools
Essential lessons
Developers will need to know how to create new Drupal modules--bundles of PHP code that extend, alter, or otherwise enhance Drupal's functionality. This requires knowledge of Drupal's system to allow your custom code to interact with existing functionality. You'll also need to get familiar with the suite of APIs that make up the Drupal framework, many of which exist to ensure you don't have to rewrite the same code over and over. These essential lessons will give you an overview of what Drupal is doing "under the hood". Dive in to an individual topic and explore related tutorials to understand how to leverage it in your custom module.
Introduction
APIs and Systems
Advanced concepts
Dive deeper into the systems, APIs, tools, workflows, and best practices of Drupal development.
Drupal 7
Background and prerequisites
Coding
Local development set up
Developers are expected to know how to work on a copy of the live site, instead of making potentially hazardous changes or testing new ideas directly on the live site. You should be able to set up a development environment for your work.
Tools
Essential lessons
Advanced concepts
Learning tips
Learning to be a master of Drupal development can be a daunting task, especially when you're just getting started. There's a lot to learn, and a lot of the best information is spread out across Drupal.org and various other websites, books, and podcasts. As you're climbing the ladder and becoming more proficient with Drupal, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Drupal is open source software, and as such, the code is freely available to read. Looking at how Drupal core or other contributed modules have solved problems similar to yours is a great way to get started.
- The Drupal API is quite extensive; focus on mastering high-level concepts and terminology first. Don't try and memorize all the details--instead, use the tools available to look up the documentation and examples for implementation-specific details.
- Knowing when to write custom code vs. using an existing solution is an important skill.
If you are interested in taking the Acquia Certified Developer Exam, you will also definitely want to work your way through our exam guide.
Broaden your skills
There are many ways to grow your skills and knowledge outside of tutorials. Here are some of our favorite resources for exploring Drupal development.
Contribute to the Drupal project
Although not a requirement, many Drupal developers also enjoy being active members of the Drupal community and contributing their solutions back to Drupal.org in the form of a contributed module, or by helping to resolve bugs in the modules they use, or even in Drupal core itself. Nothing will improve your understanding of Drupal like explaining it to someone else--or taking pieces of it apart and fixing them.
Community Events
DrupalCon sessions and other local/regional events are a great way to get up to speed on the latest in Drupal development. All DrupalCon sessions are recorded and are available for free on the Drupal Association's YouTube channel. Many Drupal "Camps" (local or regional Drupal community events) also record sessions. For DrupalCon and many other Drupal events, the recorded sessions are embedded on the session description pages on the event's website.
- DrupalCon -- Find links to past and future DrupalCons and session recordings.
- Drupical -- Filter and find Drupal camps, sprints, user groups, and training events.
- Upcoming Drupal community events -- Filter and find Drupal-related events.
Meet some developers
Get to know more about what it means to be a Drupal developer through these interviews: