The way customers interact with websites and applications has changed drastically in recent years. The amplifying devices, disparate platforms, and varied contexts have pushed marketing beyond its conventional boundaries. No longer limited to traditional advertising and promotion, marketing has taken an all-encompassing role of adding value to customers. This evolution reflects the dynamic and multifaceted nature of present-day marketing significantly influenced and shaped by the advancements in technology and the broader shifts in the digital landscape.

This transformation demands an agile tech stack with solutions like Headless Content Management Solutions that can support a customized website and help businesses deliver personalized experiences. Headless CMS accounted for 5.0% of the market in 2021 and will grow at a CAGR of 27.5% through 2026. (IDC, Worldwide Website Software Forecast, 2023–2026)

At Altudo, we help companies navigate this shift and build seamless web experiences using Drupal as a headless content management platform. By integrating Drupal with custom front-end, we architect websites and applications optimized for diverse use cases.

In this blog, we will explore how businesses can leverage Drupal’s decoupled architecture to enable faster time-to market and reduce the dependency on IT teams for a more adaptable development environment. We will also highlight Altudo’s capabilities for headless Drupal integrations across platforms.

The Headless Drupal CMS advantage

While Drupal can power the full technology stack for web presences, its “headless” architecture decouples the front-end from the back-end, providing enhanced flexibility and scalability. Here’s how:

• The back-end Drupal system acts as the content repository and API


• The front-end presentation layer can be built using any framework

It is powered by an API (Application Programming Interface), which enables different front-end technologies to interact with the Drupal back-end. This separation of concerns unlocks immense capabilities and benefits:

• Implementing omnichannel customer experiences by surfacing Drupal content across web, mobile, smart devices, etc., through a unified API


• Specialized front-end allow website personalization and customized UX for specific devices and user contexts


• Technology freedom means front-end can use React, Angular, Vue, Flutter, etc., independent of the back-end


• Decoupled content and presentation layers enable rapid UX innovation, improved performance through lightweight front-end that reduce server-side processing


• Reduced data and content silos with a centralized hub for creating, organizing, and managing content


• Enhanced security by restricting content accessibility to the public

Together, these Drupal capabilities enable highly flexible digital properties suited to individual needs. According to a research, 35% of marketers reported a better user experience after switching to Headless CMS, and 43% said they are less reliant on IT.

Key considerations to move to Headless Drupal

Considering the following factors to make an informed decision and successfully transition to a Headless Drupal setup:

• Content strategy: Evaluate your content strategy to ensure it leverages the flexibility and scalability offered by a Headless Drupal. Consider how decoupling the frontend and backend can enhance content delivery and management.


• Development expertise: Assess your team's expertise in working with a decoupled architecture. Moving to Headless Drupal may require adjustments in development practices, so having the right skills on your team is essential for a smooth transition.


• Integration requirements: Examine your integration needs with other systems and third-party services. A Headless Drupal setup allows for seamless integration with various front-end frameworks and third-party tools. Ensure that the solution you opt can meet your integration requirements.


• Performance: Understand the performance implications of a Headless Drupal architecture. While it can offer advantages in terms of speed and responsiveness, it's crucial to optimize the backend and frontend to achieve the desired performance benefits.


• Security: Prioritize security when moving to Headless Drupal. Ensure that your architecture adheres to best practices for securing both the front-end and back-end components. Consider how data is transmitted between the two to maintain a robust security posture.

Altudo’s Headless Drupal approach

With over a decade of experience offering Drupal solutions, our team brings deep expertise across full-stack and headless implementation. Rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach, our Drupal experts customize the integration strategy based on your specific requirements to align with your marketing efforts.

Explore the ultimate guide to Headless Drupal guide to know everything about making your headless CMS decisions.

For accelerated delivery of a future-ready digital platform that meets current and emerging business needs, we leverage various proprietary tools and frameworks:

UI component library

Our extensive library of reusable React and Angular components kickstarts front-end development. These components help rapidly build UIs consistent with Drupal’s design system. The library includes:

• Layout components – Header, footer, nav, sidebar


• Content components – Titles, text, images, media


• Data components – Tables, grids, cards


• Navigation components – Tabs, paginators, breadcrumbs


• Form components – Inputs, selects, buttons, alerts


• And many more...

These components work seamlessly with data from the Drupal back-end via its APIs and JSON output, allowing developers to focus on business logic rather than reinventing common UI elements.

Altudo website framework

While our UI component library accelerates piece-by-piece development, our website framework goes a step further by providing a complete front-end scaffold. Built in React, NextJS, and GraphQL , it provides the following benefits:

• A modern design system and theme


• Configurable layouts


• Integrated components


• A responsive boilerplate


• A robust routing system


• Seamless data connectivity


• Implementation of SEO best practices

Collectively, these components lay the groundwork for a production-ready website that seamlessly integrates with Drupal CMS. This jumpstarts the core front-end capabilities, allowing the development team to focus on custom modules.

GraphQL integrations

To streamline headless data integration, we leverage the power of GraphQL to connect Drupal with front-ends such as React, Angular, and mobile apps. It provides multiple advantages:

• A unified data query language


• Precisely requested data structures


• A single, versatile endpoint


• Enhanced performance


• Type safety

We build GraphQL wrappers around Drupal to enable robust data querying. This powers components and front-ends while optimizing data loads.

Hybrid rendering

For scenarios requiring server-side rendering in addition to headless capabilities, we employ hybrid rendering, which involves:

• Drupal for content management


• Node.js/Next.js layer for server-side rendering


• React for client-side rendering

The Node layer pre-renders pages for an efficient initial performance, and Next.js seamlessly handles snappy client-side rendering. Meanwhile, content is sourced from Drupal in the background. This approach combines the flexibility of Next.js with the SEO advantages of server-side rendering.

Discover how Drupal’s Headless application improves your website’s SEO.

Omnichannel content delivery

One of the key advantages of headless Drupal is its ability to deliver content seamlessly across multiple channels from a centralized content repository. At Altudo, we use different approaches for different channels:

• Websites: We build high performing, customized websites using modern JavaScript frameworks. The Headless Drupal back-end handles structured content, ecommerce functionality, user management, and more, while the front-end takes care of the presentation. This includes public marketing websites, portal experiences, web apps, intranets, dashboards, and ecommerce storefronts.


• Mobile apps: We design apps optimized for touch and mobility while leveraging Drupal for content and data. For native iOS, Android, and cross-platform applications, we integrate Drupal back-end through its APIs. This integration offers consistent content sourced from Drupal, customized, platform-native interfaces, access to core Drupal features and unified experiences across different apps.


• Smart displays: For smart TVs, kiosks, embedded systems, and IoT devices, we craft tailored front-ends. Drupal provides the content, while we design custom interfaces suited for large displays, unique input methods, and specialized device capabilities.


• Wearables: We create Drupal-powered experiences for wearables, including smartwatches, VR/AR headsets, and glasses, using APIs to deliver content. Each front-end is tailored to the specific use case, using Drupal's real-time data processing, multilingual support, seamless media integration, and other capabilities for seamless and interactive user experiences.

Combination of Drupal back-end with Next.js front-end

With a component-driven architecture, Next.js seamlessly caters to the content consumption needs of B2B enterprises from headless Drupal. It allows creation of UI components that integrate with Drupal’s content repository via its REST/GraphQL APIs. This partnership offers:

• Drupal – An enterprise-grade back-end for content, media, data, security, workflows, and more


• Next.js – A Modern front-end for customizable UI components and experiences

Together, they enable the delivery of immersive, real-time digital experiences powered by Drupal's robust content services.

We leverage Next.js with Typescript to ensure heightened type safety while integrating with Drupal. Our UI components, website framework, and front-ends are aligned with Next.js best practices for optimizing performance and facilitating the maintainability that B2B businesses require.

Our Next.js architecture includes the following components:

• RESTful web services & JSON:API modules to facilitate seamless communication between the backend and frontend


• Configured REST resources for Content, File Upload, Webforms to ensure optimized data transfer and interaction between Drupal and Next.js


• JSON Web Token Authentication (JWT) to support JWT token authentication for RESTful API's


• Customized API response to meet specific formatting requirements for resource data


• Next.js component library to enhance development efficiency and maintain consistency in the design and functionality of components across the application

Altudo, a leading digital transformation agency with a team of 450+ Drupal SMEs, has successfully delivered more than 600 Drupal projects for businesses across various industries. With a strong portfolio, we've earned the trust of 45+ Fortune 500 clients, establishing ourselves as a preferred partner for top brands.

Our excellence has been globally recognized through the reception of 10+ awards, a testament to the quality and innovation embedded in our solutions.

With over a decade of experience building digital experiences, we deliver outcome-driven solutions with our specialized services by combining marketing automation, customer experience strategies, and advanced technology identification with deep strategic and technical capabilities for headless Drupal integrations.

What next?

As the digital landscape evolves, adopting Headless Drupal offers a future-proof and flexible digital transformation strategy with smooth content operations. With its capabilities, businesses can deliver tailored digital experiences to build meaningful connections, cultivate brand loyalty, and achieve sustainable growth.

Altudo invites you to explore how our team can architect custom Headless Drupal integration for your needs with a 1:1 no-obligation consultation. Whether you are a business seeking to elevate your digital presence or a developer looking to push the boundaries of innovation and revolutionizing web development, Altudo's expertise and comprehensive services stand ready to accelerate your digital transformation journey.