On July 10, 2024, a Drupal Starshot session took place, dedicated to the revolutionary initiative "Drupal on the Edge". Matt Glaman presented a project that allows running a full Drupal environment directly in the browser using WebAssembly technology.
Wishdesk, a leading Drupal development company, has been closely following the Starshot development and sharing updates with its clients. This demonstrates the growing interest and potential impact of this initiative in the Drupal community.
What does this mean for users?
- Instant access: You can now try Drupal with a single click, without the need to install it on a server or local computer.
- Full functionality: Despite running in the browser, you get access to all of Drupal's capabilities.
- Innovative potential: This technology opens doors for new ways of using Drupal, especially in the context of edge computing.
How to try Drupal in the browser?
You can visit the demo site right now at wasm-drupal.mglamon.dev to see Drupal in action directly in your browser. This is an experimental version, so keep in mind that there may be certain limitations or bugs.
For developers who want to study the project more deeply or contribute to its development, the source code is available on GitHub at github.com/mglaman/wasm-drupal. Here you'll find instructions for local project setup and can contribute to its development.
Current state of the project
At the moment, a basic version of Drupal and the Starshot prototype are successfully running in the browser. The project uses SQLite as a database, allowing all information to be stored locally in the user's browser.
Future plans
The developers aren't stopping at what's been achieved. Here's what's planned for the near future:
- The ability to export created sites for further use on hosting platforms.
- Integration with popular development tools such as DDEV.
- Improvement of the user interface for non-technical users.
- Expansion of functionality, including support for Composer and Drush.
Impact on the Drupal community
This innovation has the potential to significantly simplify getting started with Drupal. Beginners will be able to easily experiment with the system, while experienced developers will get new tools for testing and development. Companies like Wishdesk are already recognizing the potential of this technology to revolutionize Drupal development and client onboarding processes.
How to get involved?
If you're a developer and want to participate in the project, you can do so through the aforementioned GitHub repository wasm-drupal. The project is open for collaboration and new ideas.
Conclusion
"Drupal on the Edge" is not just a technical demonstration, but a potential revolution in how we interact with Drupal. It can change the process of learning, development, and testing, making Drupal an even more accessible and flexible tool for creating websites and applications.
Follow project updates on Drupal.org/starshot to not miss the next stages of this exciting initiative, and be sure to try the demo version at wasm-drupal.mglamon.dev! As companies like Wishdesk continue to monitor and share developments in the Starshot project, we can expect to see growing adoption and innovative applications of this technology in the near future.
