Top 11 Most Popular Drupal Modules

10 min read

When we mention modules, what comes to mind? Is it something mechanical? Something of a technological nature? Or is it something that has a lot of mobility in terms of its place and function? Or, do scenes of busy futuristic cockpits with a lot of different levers and buttons come to mind?

If any of these things, or anything similar, pop into mind when the term “modules” is mentioned, then you are definitely on the right track. Modules in the context of CMS companies, such as Drupal, are reusable components that can be used in templates or added to pages. Implement modules via drag-and-drop areas and flexible columns. It’s like adding all of those flashing buttons and chrome levers to the “cockpit” of your website.

What this ultimately does is add a much greater amount of functionality for visitors that come to your site to make for a streamlined and user-friendly experience. While these modules are great at making your site a memorable and appealing experience, it can be hard to know which of the many Drupal modules are worth using and which of them would simply get in the way. That’s what we’re here to help with.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular Drupal modules to get your site to “out of sight” levels of functionality!

1. Webform Module

This is one of the most versatile Dropule modules, and should be near the top of everyone’s list when setting up their site. When we say this module handles forms, that means all forms of all kinds. It can handle an extremely broad range of forms, which are a necessary part of many websites. Ranging from survey forms to feedback forms to contact forms, the list of forms is so extensive it’ll need a form of forms just to contain itself! Whether or not a form of all forms could even contain itself, this should definitely be in everybody’s initial repertoire when setting up their first online Drupal site.

That’s how the Webform module for Drupal looks from he inside. Image source.

2. Paragraphs Module

The paragraphs module puts a lot of power into the hand of the creator. This module is the go-to option for anything that requires a paragraph-like field. Examples would be videos, slideshows, quotes, text blocks, images, and so on. While it is a seemingly simple module to utilize, its range of uses is as wide as a creator can think of. This should definitely be in every creator’s toolkit when picking their first Drupal modules.

Paragraph Drupal module in action. Image source.

3. Display Suite

Get a good lay of the (online) land with the Display suite. Being one of the core Drupal modules, the display suite allows creators to build and edit page layouts at the click of a button. It does this by providing an intuitive and easy-to-use drag and drop interface that makes arranging content easier than ever.

This works in tandem with the various templates and layouts that Drupal provides. This lets a creator select a solid foundation to start on, then work from there as they design their dream website layout. With the ability to define custom fields and custom view modes, the possibilities are endless with Drupal’s Display suite.

Lots of options! Image source.

4. Admin Toolbar Module

Possibly one of the most, if not the most, important Drupal modules is the Admin Toolbar. This is an extremely useful tool for site admins and site builders. What it does is add greater functionality to the initial Drupal toolbar. The initial toolbar is fairly limited, and might be hard for someone starting fresh to easily craft the site they want. Using the Admin toolbar helps bring out the maximum potential of the default toolbar by adding easy-to-use drop-down menus for each of Drupal’s inherent tools.

Toolbar for professional Drupal admins. Image source.

5. Drupal GraphQL Module

This one’s important, but to understand the GraphQL module, it’s important to know what GraphQL is in the first place. GraphQL is a modern querying language that replaces older languages to more easily communicate with APIs. It works more efficiently, offering quicker delivery speeds and cutting down on any unnecessary traffic—which might be a result of using an older querying language. In the context of Drupal modules, the GraphQL module allows Drupal sites to utilize GraphQL in many of its normal functions.

6. Pathauto Module

The Pathauto Module has a simple job with a vital impact on the success of any Drupal site. A good site creator should understand SEO and how effective use of SEO will help get their site out to the masses. This module helps create SEO-friendly URLs, while also allowing site admins to manipulate the patterns it uses and update it with different tokens. This module is a must-have for anybody that wants to ensure their site’s relevance in search engines.

A tiny illustration of how Pathauto module for Drupal generates URLs. Image source.

7. Devel Module

No reason to get scared by the name. This is actually one of the most integral modules for site developers and site admins to get the most out of their Drupal modules. Everything needs a good test run every now and then, and this module allows developers to test their sites by generating a lot of content for nodes, comments, users, and various entities. Don’t let those bugs get by you. Make sure that your site passes the test of the Devel module.

8. Google Analytics

Analytics is a content creator’s favorite word—or at least, it should be. To be brief, analytics are all of the data that comes from the various types of traffic that a website gets. Similar to tracking view counts and likes on a YouTube video, the Google analytics Drupal module allows website creators to understand if their content is hitting its mark, and where it is getting across in the online world most effectively.

And it has advanced settings! Image source.

9. Date Module

This one’s a simple, yet very necessary one. Simply put, this module incorporates the data on your site with a variety of customization options. While it’s not the flashiest or most interesting of Drupal modules, knowing what the date is will always be an appealing facet of any website.

10. jQuery Update

This last one is for the coders. Another simple one with a very important job, the jQuery Update module makes sure that all of the core JavaScript code on a site stays up to date. It does this by automatically updating the version of jQuery in Drupal core to its most current form.

11. Ecwid Shopping Cart

Ecwid is a powerful and easy-to-use shopping cart solution that seamlessly integrates with your Drupal website. Simply set up this plugin and your products, categories and checkout pages will automatically embed on your Drupal site and adjust themselves to the given page size and layout.

With Ecwid, your store data is fully hosted on Ecwid secure servers. So, regardless of the hosting for Drupalyou use, you get free of cost:

unlimited storage and regular backups
seamless upgrades and security updates
secure checkout via encrypted HTTPS connection

So, you don’t need to worry about shopping cart software updates, security patches and server maintenance. Your store gets all the new features and bug fixes automatically.

The More the Merrier

These great Drupal modules will be sure to get you heading in the right direction. Always be on the lookout, however, for all of the other fun and intuitive Drupal modules that the online world has to offer.

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Feb 2, 2022

About the author

Max has been working in the ecommerce industry for the last six years helping brands to establish and level-up content marketing and SEO. Despite that, he has experience with entrepreneurship. He is a fiction writer in his free time.