Drupal Modules Development in Ireland — Custom, Secure & Scalable

Why Custom Drupal Modules Matter (Fit, Scale & ROI)

A well-engineered module closes the gap between your business processes and Drupal’s core/contrib capability. Done right, it increases delivery velocity, reduces tech debt, and protects long-term ROI by avoiding brittle hacks.

Contrib vs. Custom — Gap Analysis & Decision Framework

We start with a contrib-first assessment: requirements mapping, stability review, maintenance cadence, security history and ecosystem fit. If contrib covers ≥80% without risky overrides, we extend it; otherwise we design a targeted custom Drupal module that delivers the missing 20% cleanly (Entity/Plugin patterns, config export, cacheability) to keep future upgrades smooth.

Security-by-Design & GDPR Alignment

Modules are built with least-privilege permissions, explicit access checks, CSRF/XSS protections, dependency pinning and audit logs. We document data flows, redact PII where possible, and provide config options for retention, consent and portability to support GDPR obligations across Ireland and the EU.

Performance, Maintainability & Total Cost of Ownership

We keep render paths cacheable, databases indexed, and heavy tasks queued. Clear boundaries (Services/Events/Hooks) and automated tests reduce regressions, while documentation and demos shorten onboarding—lowering your TCO over the life of the module.

Our Drupal Module Services in Ireland

We deliver end-to-end Drupal Modules services for SMEs, enterprise and the public/regulated sector—on-prem, cloud or hybrid.

Custom Module Design & Development (Entity/Plugin/Config APIs)

Business-specific features implemented with core APIs: custom entities/fields, Plugin types (Queue, Block, Field, Action), config schemas, and exportable settings for consistent deployments.

Extending & Hardening Contrib Modules

Enhance trusted contrib with site-specific plugins, event subscribers and service decoration—no core/contrib hacks. We also replace abandoned contrib with supported alternatives when needed.

Drupal 11-Ready Upgrades & Refactors

Remove deprecated APIs, modernise routing/controllers, adopt Typed Data improvements and make modules Drupal 11-ready. Where valuable, we refactor UI pieces into SDC-friendly components.

API-First & Decoupled (JSON:API, GraphQL, Webhooks)

We design Drupal modules that behave like stable products—not ad-hoc endpoints. For JSON:API, we create custom resource types with strict schemas, sparse fieldsets, filters, sorting, pagination and ETags for cacheability. For GraphQL, we add typed resolvers, input validation and data-loader patterns to prevent N+1 queries. Public endpoints are protected with OAuth2/JWT, CORS rules and rate-limits; consumer access is partitioned by scopes/roles. Event-style integrations use signed webhooks with HMAC verification, idempotency keys and automatic retries with back-off. Every contract is versioned, documented (OpenAPI/SDL) and covered by contract tests so decoupled apps (Next.js, Vue, native) stay fast and reliable as your Drupal modules evolve.

Commerce Extensions (Payments, Tax, Shipping, Promotions)

Our commerce modules extend Drupal Commerce with enterprise-grade features for Ireland and the EU. We implement gateways such as Stripe/Adyen/Global Payments with PSD2/SCA (3-D Secure 2), tokenisation, Apple Pay/Google Pay and robust refund/capture flows. VAT is handled correctly with place-of-supply rules, OSS/IOSS, rounding and invoice sequencing. We integrate shipping providers (An Post, DPD, DHL, UPS) for live rates, label creation and tracking, while promotions support complex eligibility, coupon pools, stack/priority logic and audit trails. All payment events are reconciled nightly, errors are surfaced in dashboards, and PCI-DSS responsibilities are kept to SAQ-A by design.

Editorial & Workflow (Moderation, Dashboards, Automation)

We build editorial modules that speed up publishing without sacrificing governance. Custom dashboards surface “my drafts”, “needs review”, scheduled content and policy violations. Moderation states reflect your process (draft → legal review → approved → published), with role-aware transitions, notifications and SLAs. Bulk ops let teams publish/unpublish, archive, or reassign ownership across large content sets. Scheduled actions (publish/expire) and automated checks (links, alt text, schema, reading level) keep quality high, while immutable revisions and audit logs provide full accountability.

Data & Integrations (CRM/ERP, SSO/LDAP, Solr/Elasticsearch)

For line-of-business systems we create resilient, observable integrations. CRM/marketing automation (Salesforce, MS Dynamics, HubSpot, Marketo), ERP (SAP), and identity (Azure AD/Okta SSO, LDAP) are connected through well-scoped services with retries, dead-letter queues and reconciliation reports. Search modules configure Solr/Elasticsearch with synonyms, facets, boosters and per-role visibility. We expose health checks and structured logs (Monolog) to your SIEM, publish metrics for alerts, and keep GDPR central by mapping PII fields, minimising data at rest and honouring retention/erasure requests.

Migration & ETL (Migrate API, Scheduled Imports)

Using Drupal’s Migrate API, we deliver repeatable pipelines from CSV/XML/JSON, legacy databases or third-party APIs. Source plugins normalise data; process pipelines map fields, transform HTML, build references and generate redirects to protect SEO. Delta detection keeps re-imports fast; long-running jobs execute via Cron/Queues with progress checkpoints and back-pressure. Every run writes detailed logs, validation errors and roll-back points, so you can safely retry or undo changes. Dry-runs in staging prove accuracy before we touch production.

Architecture, Security & Quality Standards for Drupal Modules

Our engineering standards keep your modules fast, secure and future-proof.

Clean, Testable APIs (Services, Events, Hooks)

We structure modules around services with dependency injection, emitting domain events and implementing hooks sparingly. This keeps behaviour predictable, easy to override in other modules and straightforward to unit-test. Clear interfaces and typed data make future refactors safe.

Caching & Scalability (Tags/Contexts/Max-Age, Queues, Cron)

Every render path is annotated with cache tags/contexts/max-age so pages stay aggressively cached and invalidate instantly on change. Heavy work is queued (Batch/Queue API) and scheduled (Cron) to protect user requests. For traffic spikes, we design modules to play nicely with CDNs and reverse proxies.

Automated Tests & CI/CD (Unit/Kernel/Functional)

Quality is enforced in pipelines: Unit/Kernel/Functional (and Browser) tests run on each commit alongside coding standards, static analysis and security scans. We publish code coverage, block regressions and generate installable build artifacts so promotion through environments is consistent.

Coding Standards, PHPStan, Documentation & Demos

We follow Drupal/PSR standards, target stringent PHPStan levels and keep inline docs up to date. Each module ships with a README, configuration walkthrough and optional demo content so your team can evaluate and adopt quickly—no black boxes.

Performance & Observability (Cacheable Metadata, Lazy Builders, Query Tuning, Monitoring, Feature Flags)

Performance is designed in: cacheable metadata keeps fragments hot; Lazy Builders render only what must be dynamic; queries are indexed and profiled to avoid table scans. Modules emit structured logs and metrics (latency, error rates, queue depth) for dashboards and alerts. Feature flags let you roll out changes gradually and safely.

Permissions, Sanitisation, CSRF/XSS & Dependency Hygiene

We apply least-privilege permissions, explicit access checks and thorough input sanitisation/output escaping. Forms use CSRF tokens; AJAX/REST endpoints validate origins and payloads. Third-party packages are pinned and audited; only supported contrib is allowed to keep your dependency graph healthy.

Security Reviews, SA-CORE Tracking, Patch Windows & Audit Logs

Security is ongoing, not a phase. We conduct periodic reviews, track SA-CORE and contrib advisories, and schedule patch windows so fixes land predictably. Centralised audit logs (watchdog/Monolog) capture sensitive actions with user, time and request context—critical for compliance and incident response.

Our Process — From Brief to Release

Discovery & Requirements

We begin with focused workshops to align business goals with technical reality. Together we document detailed use cases, the data model, user roles and permissions, editorial workflows, and any constraints around integrations such as CRM, ERP, SSO, search, or payments. We also capture non-functional needs—security, performance, uptime, compliance—and audit existing contrib/custom modules to identify what can be reused. The outcome is a concise discovery pack with a requirements matrix, a risk register, and success metrics tailored to your organisation.

Technical Design & Estimates

Next, we translate the brief into a buildable architecture. You’ll receive a solution blueprint covering services, plugins, events, and hooks; sequence diagrams for external systems; cache invalidation and error-handling strategies; and clear acceptance criteria per story. We call out dependencies, environments (dev/stage/prod), and assumptions, then provide workstream-level estimates aligned to Europe/Dublin deployment windows so stakeholders know exactly what will ship and when.

Build, Peer Review & Test Automation

Development proceeds iteratively with pull requests and peer review to keep quality high. We use coding standards and static analysis from day one, and back changes with Unit/Kernel/Functional tests (and browser tests where UI is involved). Continuous Integration runs the full test suite and security checks on every commit, producing staging builds your team can try early. Where appropriate, feature flags let us ship safely without long-lived branches.

UAT, Documentation & Training

Before release, we run hands-on UAT using realistic fixtures so your team validates behaviour against real scenarios. We provide runbooks, READMEs, and inline docs, plus a versioned CHANGELOG. Developer and editor/admin training ensures your team can operate and extend the module confidently, with recordings and cheat-sheets for future reference.

Release & Distribution (Composer/Private Repo)

Releases are packaged as Composer-installable artifacts to your private registry— or published to drupal.org if you choose to open-source. We use semantic versioning with signed tags and clear release notes. Promotion through environments follows a documented runbook, with pre- and post-deploy checks and monitoring hooks to make rollouts predictable and reversible.

Post-Go-Live Support, SLA & Roadmap

After launch, you get SLA-backed support with monitoring and incident response, scheduled patch windows, and ongoing security advisory tracking for core and contrib. Observability dashboards surface performance, accessibility, and error trends, while quarterly reviews refine a joint roadmap so your Drupal modules continue to evolve with the business.

Industries We Serve (Ireland & EU)

E-commerce & Marketplaces, Higher Education, Government & Non-Profit, Financial Services & Insurance, Healthcare & Pharma, Media & Publishing, B2B SaaS & Corporate—each with sector-specific security, accessibility and compliance needs that our Drupal Modules address.

Frequently Asked Questions about Drupal Modules

Do we need a custom module or can contrib cover it?

We always evaluate contrib first. We map your requirements against mature modules (maintenance history, security advisories, Drupal 11/PHP 8.3 support) and avoid risky overrides. If contrib delivers ≥80% cleanly, we extend it via plugins/events; if not, we scope a small, well-documented custom module that fills the exact gap without blocking future upgrades. This keeps cost predictable and avoids long-term technical debt for Irish organisations.

How long does a typical module project take?

Simple integrations (e.g., a payment gateway plugin or a custom field type) typically ship in 2–4 weeks. Complex data models, editorial workflows, or multi-system integrations usually run 1–3 sprints. After discovery, you’ll get a written design, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and a realistic timeline that fits Europe/Dublin release windows.

How do you guarantee security, performance & compliance?

We design for least-privilege access, explicit permission checks, CSRF/XSS protection, sanitisation/escaping, and locked dependencies. Performance is engineered with cache tags/contexts/max-age, lazy builders, queues/batches, and indexed queries. For compliance in Ireland/EU, we document data flows, minimise/partition PII, enable audit logs, and align retention/consent settings with GDPR. Everything is backed by automated tests, CI (coding standards + static analysis), and scheduled patch windows.

Will our module work with Drupal 11 — and beyond?

Yes. We eliminate deprecated APIs early, target supported runtimes (PHP 8.3+), and follow core patterns (services, typed data, cacheable metadata) so upgrades stay incremental. Versioned CHANGELOGs and upgrade notes make future maintenance straightforward.

Who owns the IP/source code? Can it stay private?

You do. Code resides in your private Git repo and private Composer/Packagist, with license and assignment clarified in contract. If you choose to open-source parts of it, we’ll structure namespaces and docs accordingly—otherwise it remains fully private.

Can you publish to drupal.org or keep it internal?

Both are viable. Publishing to drupal.org brings community feedback and wider testing, but reduces strict control over roadmap and release cadence. Keeping it private preserves governance and SLAs. We’ll advise on pros/cons for your sector (e.g., public sector vs. commercial) and proceed accordingly.

Do you support headless/decoupled requirements?

Absolutely. We build JSON:API/GraphQL schemas, custom resources, signed webhooks, and cache-aware endpoints (ETag, Cache-Control) with CORS/OAuth2/JWT as needed. For navigation, we expose Linkset endpoints so React/Next/Vue apps consume Drupal-managed menus while editors stay in control.

What maintenance & SLA options do you offer?

Tiered SLAs with monitoring, alerting, incident response, and scheduled updates (core/contrib). We include security advisory tracking, quarterly health checks, performance/a11y regression scans, and a continuous-improvement backlog. RTO/RPO targets and out-of-hours (Europe/Dublin) release slots are available for regulated or high-traffic sites.

Let’s Build Reliable Drupal Modules Together

Ready to ship custom Drupal modules that are secure, fast and easy to maintain? Partner with Drupart — Ireland’s Drupal agency — for module design, development and long-term support that keeps your platform moving. Let’s scope your requirements and start a low-risk build.