Choosing the right web development technology can be challenging. There are several options available, and it can be hard to decide which one is best for your project.
Did you know over 1 million websites on the internet use Drupal? While only 78 thousand websites use Django.
In this article, we will discuss some top differences between Django and Drupal and you’ll get a clear view of which one to choose for your next project.
We’ll start with what Django and Drupal are.
What’s Django?
Django is a robust, free, and open-source web development framework written in Python. The project was developed and released by Adrian Holovaty and Simon Willison on July 21, 2005.
Furthermore, Django also has functionality for CMS (Content Management System).
Written in: Python
GitHub stars: 65K
What’s Drupal?
Drupal is a beautiful free, and open-source web CMS written in PHP. It was developed and released by Dries Buytaert on January 15, 2001.
Written in: PHP
GitHub stars: 3.7K
| Django | Drupal |
| Django is written in Python. | Drupal is written in PHP. |
| It’s less popular. | It’s more popular. |
| Free to use. | Free to use but have to pay for premium themes. |
| Very hard for beginners with zero programming knowledge. | Very easy to use compared to Django. |
| Companies using: YouTube, Instagram, and Spotify | Companies using: Tesla, Nokia, and eBay |
| Free to use | Free to use as well. |
What to Choose for Your Site?
It depends on your needs.
For Django: If you want to build a very scalable project and you have a sound knowledge of Python programming, then you should go with Django.
For Drupal: Now, if you want an easy-to-maintain website with low server cost, then you should use Drupal. It’s easy to learn and use but still provides many powerful features like responsive design, easy content management, and security.
Pros of Django and Drupal
| Pros of Django | Pros of Drupal |
| 1. Very scalable | Easy to learn and use |
| 2. More secure | Faster on PHP version 8 and above |
| 3. Comprehensive and beginner-friendly documentation | Bigger community support |
Cons of Django and Drupal
| Django | Drupal |
| 1. Harder to learn, setup, and use because of programming concepts | Poor backward compatibility |
| 2. Not suitable for smaller projects | Less secure and more vulnerable |
| 3. Can only accept and process one request at a moment, which makes the website slower | Unit testing is difficult due to Drupal’s method of storing configurations |
| 4. Django is a monolithic framework because it comes in one package. | Provides fewer features as compared to Django |
What are the Main Differences Between Django and Drupal
There are several differences between Django and Drupal. Below, some of the key differences between them are covered to help you understand which one is best.
Speed Difference
Speed is one of the most important factors in choosing a web development technology. Django is quite faster than Drupal which is written in PHP.
But if you’re using PHP version 8 or higher than Drupal will be 3 times faster than Django. Faster websites are also recommended by Google for better rankings.
Read more about: Differences Between Django and PHP.
Security
Django is way more secure than Drupal. For security in Drupal, you may have to install a security plugin/module.
Django comes with built-in protection systems from SQL injection, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and session hijacking.
Ease of Use
Drupal is easy to use than Django because everything there is pre-written and ready to use. While in Django you have to style and develop everything on your own.
Community Support and Documentation
Django’s community support is better than Drupal’s. Both technologies have their respective communities that offer support and documentation.
Django documentation’s much more comprehensive and beginner-friendly overall thanks to its widespread use and long history. You can find solutions to any problem on forums like StackOverFlow and Quora.
Scalability
Django has better scalability than Drupal. While both can handle relatively large websites, Django tends to perform better in cases where there are a lot of pages or server requests per minute.
Languages Supported
Drupal has an edge when it comes to supporting over 94 different languages. Additionally, because Drupal works with all major browsers, making your site accessible worldwide is simple.
User Satisfaction
User satisfaction is an essential factor to consider when designing and developing a website.
Django and Drupal are well-known web development platforms because of how simple they are to use, how well they handle user profiles, and how simple it is to access the admin section. Because of this, both offer the highest user satisfaction.
Companies Using Django and Drupal
Django and Drupal are extremely powerful and very popular web development technologies. That’s why many famous companies use them. Following are some of the well-known companies that use Django and Drupal.
Companies using Django:
- YouTube
- Spotify
- NASA
- Mozilla
- Disqus
Companies using Drupal:
- Tesla
- Nokia
- Keap
- Mint
- NCAA
- Wish
Stats of Django and Drupal
Django and Drupal are very popular web development technologies. That’s why many big companies use them. Following are some of the stats of Django and Drupal.
Stats of Django:
- 65K GitHub stars
- More than 78 thousand websites
- 293K questions asked on StackOverFlow
Stats of Drupal:
- 7.3K GitHub stars
- More than 1 Million (1.8%) websites on the internet
- 20K questions asked on StackOverFlow
What Are Some Benefits of Using Django Over Drupal?
Some of the benefits of using Django over Drupal include:
Speed: Django is a fast content management system, capable of handling large volumes of content.
Flexibility: Django is highly customizable, allowing users to control almost all aspects of the interface.
Extensibility/Scalability: Django supports a wide range of features and technologies, making it easy to add new functionality.
Choose The Right One For You
Drupal is a great choice for small websites as it’s easy to learn, use, and manage. However, if you need a fast and scalable website with more features then Django may be the best choice.
After reading this blog you may be able to choose the best web technology for you Django or Drupal.
What do you think which one is better in the case of Django vs Drupal? Let us know in the comments.
