Drupal Turns 25: A Quarter-Century of Open-Source Innovation

This week, Drupal turns 25. From its beginnings as a student message board to becoming one of the world’s most powerful open-source content management platforms, Drupal’s story is one of community, innovation, and quiet influence at global scale.

For everyone who has built, scaled, or relied on Drupal over the years, this milestone is worth celebrating — and for us at ComputerMinds, it’s also a moment to reflect on our own history alongside the platform.

From Early Experiment to Global Platform

When Drupal first appeared in 2001, it wasn’t trying to be a CMS in the way we think of one today. What set it apart early on was flexibility: a modular architecture, a strong developer ethos, and a belief that complex digital experiences could be built collaboratively and openly.

Fast-forward 25 years and Drupal now powers everything from government services and universities to media platforms and global enterprises. It has weathered huge shifts in the web — from Web 2.0 and mobile, to APIs, headless architectures, and composable digital platforms — while staying true to its open-source roots.

That ability to evolve without losing its core values is a big part of why Drupal is still here, and still relevant.

One of the First Drupal Agencies (Back in 2004)

At ComputerMinds, we spotted Drupal’s potential early. In 2004, when Drupal was still a relatively niche technology, we became one of the first agencies to specialise in it.

Back then, choosing Drupal wasn’t the obvious or “safe” option. But what we saw was a platform that could be shaped to fit ambitious ideas — not the other way around. That belief has guided our work ever since.

Our First Drupal Project: Video Sharing Before It Was Cool

Our very first Drupal project is one we still smile about.

We worked on a video-sharing website at a time when streaming video on the web was far from mainstream. Bandwidth was limited, browsers were inconsistent, and the idea of user-generated video content was genuinely revolutionary.

Drupal gave us the flexibility to experiment, to build custom functionality, and to push beyond what most platforms could handle at the time. It felt bold. It felt future-facing.

I still remember the day when the CEO came in with a worried look on his face, and then proceeded to show us something called "YouTube" which was "doing something similar, but is nothing to worry about".   

25 Years On — Still Building with Drupal

A quarter of a century later, Drupal continues to be the platform of choice for organisations that need:

• Flexibility without lock-in
• Scalability and security at enterprise level
• The freedom to integrate with anything
• A strong, values-driven open-source community

At ComputerMinds, we’ve grown alongside Drupal — from early experimental builds to complex, mission-critical digital platforms. The tools have evolved, the architecture has matured, but the underlying reason we chose Drupal in 2004 remains the same today.

Happy Birthday, Drupal 🎉

To the Drupal community — maintainers, contributors, agencies, and organisations around the world — happy 25th birthday. Thank you for building something that continues to empower innovation, collaboration, and ambitious digital ideas.