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What is Drupal?

Drupal is a free, open-source CMS known for handling large amounts of structured content. Universities, government agencies, publishers and larger businesses use it for sites with thousands of pages, many editors and complex relationships between content. Instead of fitting everything into pages and posts, you define your own content types, fields and taxonomies to match how your organisation actually works.

Softaculous can install two editions. Drupal Core is the base platform: a clean starting point that developers build on. Drupal CMS packages Drupal Core with ready-made features for marketers and content editors, such as SEO tools, forms, an easier editing experience and recipes that add common site features in a few clicks.

Drupal features

What you get when you run Drupal on Hoopla Hosting.

Custom content types and fields

Model any kind of content, such as events, staff profiles, case studies or products, with exactly the fields each one needs, then reuse it across the site.

Views

Build lists, tables, grids, feeds and search pages from your content through the admin interface, with filters, sorting and paging, and no code.

Layout Builder

Design page layouts with drag-and-drop sections and blocks, either for a single page or as a template for every item of a content type.

Granular roles and permissions

Create roles for authors, editors, reviewers and administrators and control access down to individual actions and content types.

Multilingual core

Translate the interface, content and configuration into more than 100 languages with modules that ship as part of Drupal Core.

API-first architecture

JSON:API and REST support in core let you use Drupal as a headless CMS for mobile apps and JavaScript front ends.

What can you build with Drupal?

Large content sites

News, publishing and knowledge sites with thousands of articles and many contributors.

Government and education

Sites that need accessibility, approval workflows and detailed editor permissions.

Directories and databases

Member directories, resource libraries and listings built from custom content types and Views.

Headless and multi-channel

A single content hub that feeds a website, an app and other channels through Drupal's APIs.

Softaculous one-click application installer

Why host Drupal with Hoopla?

Install Drupal in a few clicks with Softaculous in cPanel, then keep it running on fast, secure New Zealand hosting backed by a local support team.

  • One-click install and updates with Softaculous
  • Staging copies to test changes safely
  • Daily backups with JetBackup
  • Free SSL certificates
  • LiteSpeed web server and SSD storage
  • Web application firewall
  • Auckland infrastructure and 24/7 support
  • Free migration from your current host
FREE MIGRATION

Drupal hosting requirements

Drupal needs a recent PHP version, MySQL/MariaDB and more memory than simpler CMSs, especially during updates and cache rebuilds. Modern Drupal sites are managed with Composer, so SSH access is useful, and it is included with our cPanel hosting. We recommend Business Hosting for production Drupal sites. Small sites and development installs can start on web hosting.

Recommended: Business Hosting

$43.43+GST49.94incl. GST/month

Starting price, plus room to upgrade as your Drupal site grows.

Prices are in NZD and exclude GST.
COMPARE PLANS

Not sure what you need? Ask our team.

Getting started with Drupal

  1. Order a Business Hosting plan, or log in to your existing Hoopla cPanel account.
  2. Open Softaculous Apps Installer in cPanel and search for Drupal.
  3. Choose the domain to install on, set your admin username, password and email, then click Install.
  4. Log in as the admin user and work through the status report at Reports > Status report.
  5. Create your content types and fields, or apply Drupal CMS recipes for common features.
  6. Set up a cron job in cPanel for Drupal's scheduled tasks, and use SSH and Composer to manage modules and updates.

Drupal Hosting FAQs

What is the difference between Drupal Core and Drupal CMS?

Drupal Core is the base platform that developers build on. Drupal CMS packages Drupal Core with pre-configured features such as SEO tools, forms and an easier editing experience. Both can be installed from Softaculous.

Does Drupal need Composer?

Modern Drupal sites are managed with Composer. Our cPanel hosting includes SSH access, so you can run Composer for updates and modules.

Which plan do I need for Drupal?

Drupal uses more memory than simpler CMSs, so we recommend Business Hosting for production sites. Small or development sites can start on web hosting.

Can you migrate my existing Drupal site?

Yes. Migration assistance is included with our hosting plans. Our team can help move your Drupal files and database, and you can then run updates using SSH and Composer.

Is Drupal hard to use?

Drupal has a steeper learning curve than WordPress for site builders, but day-to-day editing is straightforward once a site is set up. Drupal CMS is designed to make the first steps easier for non-developers.

Can I test Drupal updates before going live?

Yes. Softaculous can create a staging copy of your site so you can test module and core updates first, and our daily backups give you a restore point.

Related applications

Joomla

A flexible CMS with multilingual sites and user access control built in.

Silverstripe

The open-source CMS and framework made in Wellington.

Concrete CMS

Edit pages directly on the page with drag-and-drop blocks.

Browse all applications available in Softaculous

Ready to launch Drupal?

Choose a plan, or contact our team and we can help you pick the right one.