Drupal is a free PHP-based content management system (CMS) used in the development and maintenance of digital information, including apps and websites. Concentrating on code minification, caching, image optimization, server optimization, and effective module administration can enhance a Drupal website's performance. These elements facilitate better user experience and quicker page loads.
Besides improving SEO results, Drupal speed optimization is crucial for website owners and administrators who want to provide an exceptional user experience and ensure websites manage heavy traffic loads effectively.
This guide will describe how to improve Drupal website optimization to maintain a high-performing website. Continue reading!
Top 10 Drupal Website Performance Practices
Optimized Drupal performance is synonymous with fast page load times, typically within a few seconds. It should be able to handle increased traffic and content growth. Drupal website performance optimization brings user satisfaction and is suitable for search engine optimization. The practice involves technical adjustments, code optimizations, and server configurations.
Here is a list of Drupal performance optimization best practices for 2025:
1.PHP-FPM in Drupal Performance Optimization
PHP-FastCGI Process Manager, or PHP-FPM, speeds up PHP-based apps without causing web servers to lag. It is a very effective and scalable PHP processor, separating the execution of PHP code from web servers such as Apache. It manages PHP processes separately, allowing for better resource allocation and site performance and leading to website optimization.
In a Drupal-PHP context, when multiple users access the website simultaneously, PHP-FPM distributes and manages PHP execution tasks more effectively and reduces server load/ response times.
2.Check on 404 Error Pages
Drupal's custom 404 error pages improve site efficiency and user experience. While building a Drupal website, you can create helpful custom 404 error pages that point visitors to relevant content. As a result, it allows users to access the website more effectively.
Well-designed custom 404 error pages reduce bounce rates and keep users interested, which are good for Drupal speed optimization. Otherwise, users can leave the website when they encounter a standard 404 error page. As bounce rates decline, both SEO and user retention rates increase.
3.Aggregate CSS/JS
Drupal depends mostly on different CSS and JavaScript files as a content management system. Combining CSS and JS files is essential for producing web pages and enhancing Drupal website performance. Follow the following steps to optimize your Drupal website:
- Navigate to the Drupal administration dashboard to aggregate CSS and JS files in Drupal.
- Next, go to the “Performance” section under the “Configuration” menu.
- In the “Performance” settings, go to enable CSS and JS aggregation options.
- Save your settings.
- Clear the cache to apply these changes.
Aggregating CSS and JS significantly boosts Drupal performance optimization by reducing load times. It enhances user experience and potentially improves search engine ranking.
4.Use Minify JS and CSS
JS and CSS minification increases page performance and improves your site's loading time. It involves stripping unnecessary characters like white space and comments from the code, resulting in significantly smaller file sizes. And we all know that smaller files are easy to load. The fast loading of the files translates to quicker page rendering times.
Follow the following steps for JS and CSS minification and optimize the Drupal website:
- Access the Drupal administration dashboard and go to the “Performance” section within the “Configuration” menu.
- Enable CSS and JS aggregation.
- When you enable these features, Drupal consolidates multiple CSS and JS files into a few efficient ones.
5.Use Built-in Search Engines Tools
Drupal also has strong tools and modules and optimizes content for search engine visibility. You can alter each page's meta tags, titles, and descriptions to make your website more SEO friendly. "Pathauto," one of Drupal's SEO-focused modules, may produce accurate and pertinent URLs for your content. Without needing the user to define the path alias actively, the Pathauto module automatically creates URL/path aliases for nodes, taxonomy terms, and users (content). This allows URL aliases like/category/my-node-title rather than /node/123. The aliases work on a "pattern" system, using tokens that the administrator can change.
6.Perform Database Optimization
Drupal stores user data, customizations, and content primarily in its database, which can grow bloated over time. This typically occurs as a website expands, resulting in longer page load times and slower query execution. Tools and modules like "Database Maintenance" are available to help automate the database optimization process and improve Drupal websites' performance.
By minimizing the number of queries executed, Drupal's query builder and caching methods further lessen the strain on the database server. You should also maintain the habit of:
- Timely cleaning up and optimizing the database tables.
- Removing unused or unnecessary data, such as old revisions, logs, or expired cache entries promptly.
7.Tweak max_execution_time
A setting in Drupal called max_execution_time establishes the longest time a script can execute before ending. Although 30 seconds is usually the default max_execution_time, you can change it in a Drupal setup to avoid excessive resource usage or possible security flaws.
It is essential to set an appropriate max_execution_time value for optimal performance.
- If you set it too low, scripts could end too soon, resulting in broken or unfinished Drupal pages.
- Because attackers may take advantage of long-running scripts, setting it too high puts the system at risk for security breaches.
8.Implement Advanced Cache
Optimizing the native caching mechanism is one of the best methods for making Drupal websites faster. This guarantees that all web page elements are kept in a convenient location after a user's initial visit. When a visitor returns to the page, the page elements load from the cache, speeding up the website's loading.
Apart from the basic cache system, Drupal core also provides two cache modules: the internal cache module and the internal dynamic page cache module.
- The internal cache module caters to anonymous users and caches the page upon the first visit, speeding up the page load process for all subsequent visitors.
- The internal dynamic page cache module speeds up the website for logged-in and anonymous users.
9.NGNIX
A popular option for Drupal websites, NGNIX is a stable, open-source web server with a lightweight architecture and scalability. Its capabilities include managing several requests at once, decreasing the possibility of server overload during traffic surges or DDoS assaults. Additionally, it performs exceptionally well while providing static content, significantly reducing server load and expediting the delivery of JavaScript files, stylesheets, and images—all of which are essential for Drupal's rendering process. Its advanced features, such as request throttling, Gzip compression, and efficient keep-alive connection management, further optimize Drupal website performance.
10. Choose the Right PHP Version and Functions
Choosing the appropriate PHP version, functions, and libraries for your specific use case is vital. Drupal provides a framework with its own set of APIs and functions. Developers should prioritize using native tools over custom or resource-intensive PHP functions and optimize queries for better Drupal website performance.
Conclusion
The guide on Drupal performance optimization above will benefit both beginners and experts. Drupal features allow you to adjust picture sizes for various screen widths, so the website automatically looks good on screens of all sizes. Every module on your website has overhead and code execution time, so we recommend uninstalling all unused modules to optimize Drupal performance. Additionally, pick a hosting environment with enough resources for reliable Drupal performance.
