WordPress development
Custom WordPress themes built on the block editor, with few plugins, two languages and a plan for updates.
Drupal for large, multilingual sites
A Drupal development company in Dubai, for sites with many editors
Drupal is an open-source content management system, the software editors use to publish, built for sites with many contributors, many kinds of content and more than one language. As a Drupal development company in Dubai, we build new Drupal sites, move old ones onto a supported version and keep them patched. If your site is simpler, WordPress may do the job for less, and we will tell you so.
01What you get
Approvals that match how you work
Drupal's core Workflows and Content Moderation modules add stages such as draft, published and archived. Each role gets only the steps it needs. An author writes and submits, an editor reviews, and only then does the page go live.
Content with a structure
Each kind of content, such as a service, a branch, a doctor or a news item, has its own fields. Editors fill in the fields and the design does the rest. The same entry can appear on several pages, or feed an app, without being copied.
Arabic and English in one system
Drupal's core modules can translate content, menus, blocks, categories and forms, and Arabic is one of the right-to-left languages it supports out of the box. We give the Arabic side its own layout and typeface, as our page on Arabic and bilingual websites explains.
A version that is still supported
The Drupal Security Team publishes advisories for core and for covered modules. Core security releases have a set window on the third Wednesday of each month. Your site stays on a supported version, and fixes are applied on a staging copy first.
02What is included
- Content model: content types, fields and categories
- User roles, permissions and an approval workflow
- Custom theme built with Twig templates
- Arabic and English set-up with right-to-left layouts
- Migration from Drupal 7 or another system
- Upgrade audit and plan for Drupal 10 sites
- Module shortlist, checked for security advisory coverage
- Headless set-up with a Next.js front end, where it fits
- Integrations with your CRM, sign-in or other systems
- Staging, release routine, documentation and editor training
03How we approach it
- 01
Decide whether Drupal is right
Drupal earns its cost when many people publish with approvals, when content comes in many types and languages, or when the site must connect to other systems for years. For a company site with one or two editors, WordPress is usually cheaper to build and easier to staff. We set out both routes before you commit.
- 02
Model the content before the pages
We list every kind of content, its fields and who edits it, then agree the roles and the approval steps. Page designs follow from that model. Changing the model later costs far more than getting it right on paper.
- 03
Keep the site in code, not in clicks
Composer, a tool that manages PHP software, records the exact version of Drupal core and every module. Site configuration is exported to files and kept with the code. Each change is tested on a staging copy and then released, rather than made by hand on the live site.
- 04
Migrate from Drupal 7, do not patch it
Drupal 7 stores content in a different way, so it cannot simply be updated to a current version. We build a new site on current Drupal and move your content across with scripted migrations, rehearsed until the numbers match. Old addresses are redirected to the new ones.
- 05
Plan the next upgrade before launch
Drupal 10 reaches end of life on 9 December 2026, and Drupal 12 is scheduled for release that same week. Moving between recent versions is an update of the existing site, once every module and piece of custom code is ready. We check that early, and a care plan can carry the work.
04Technology
- Drupal
- PHP
- Composer
- Drush
- Twig
- MySQL
- Apache Solr
- Next.js
Questions
Questions, answered
Drupal or WordPress: which is better for a large website?
Choose Drupal when many editors publish with approval steps, when you have many content types that must relate to each other, or when the site runs in several languages with detailed permissions. These are built into Drupal's core.
Choose WordPress when the site is mainly pages and articles, the team is small and the budget is modest. It costs less to build, and more developers know it. See our page on WordPress development.
Is Drupal 7 still supported?
No. Drupal 7 reached end of life on 5 January 2025, so it no longer receives security fixes from the Drupal project. The longer a site stays on it, the larger the risk.
The way forward is a migration: a new site on current Drupal, with your content moved across by script. We start with an audit of the old site, so the quote reflects what is really in it.
Does Drupal support Arabic and right-to-left websites?
Yes. Drupal's core supports right-to-left languages, and Arabic is included by default. Content, menus, blocks, categories and forms can all be translated, and each page can be linked to its counterpart in the other language.
The software handles the direction of the text. The Arabic design, typeface and wording still need their own attention, which is where most of the work lies.
Can Drupal be used as a headless CMS with Next.js?
Yes. Drupal's core includes a JSON:API module, which hands content to another application in a standard data format. Editors keep working in Drupal, while a front end built with Next.js delivers the pages.
It suits sites where speed or design freedom matters and the same content feeds several places. The cost is two systems to host and maintain, so we recommend it only when those gains are real.
How often does a Drupal website need security updates?
Core security releases have a window on the third Wednesday of each month, and fixes for contributed modules can arrive on any Wednesday. A window is a slot, not a promise: when there is nothing to fix, nothing is released.
We review each advisory, apply the relevant ones on a staging copy, then release them to the live site. Either your team follows our written routine, or a care plan covers it.
Related services
Next.js and React development
Server-rendered websites and web front ends built with Next.js and React, with a content system your editors can use.
Arabic and bilingual websites
English and Arabic websites with right-to-left layouts, Arabic type and copy written for Arabic readers.
Sectors we build this for
Healthcare and clinics
Clinic and hospital websites with doctor profiles, treatment pages and appointment requests, in English and Arabic.
Hospitality
Hotel, restaurant and venue websites built for direct bookings, readable menus and quick loading on a phone.
Logistics and trade
Tracking, quote tools, customer portals and route pages for freight, warehousing and trading companies.
Updated
Let's build somethingDubai remembers.
Tell us what you are planning. We will reply with next steps, or a straight answer if we are not the right fit.