How to Build a Component-Based Website Using Drupal

In today’s fast-paced digital landscape, businesses need websites that are not only visually appealing but also scalable, maintainable, and efficient to update. Enter component-based design—a modern approach to web development that emphasizes reusable, independent UI elements rather than rigid page templates.

When it comes to implementing such architecture, Drupal stands out as a powerful platform. Known for its flexibility and modular nature, Drupal makes it easy to create and manage component-based websites that can evolve alongside your business. Whether you’re a small startup or an enterprise-level organization, adopting a component-based approach in Drupal website development can dramatically improve your team’s workflow and website performance.

In this post, we’ll walk you through how to build a component-based website using Drupal, covering everything from conceptual design to practical implementation.

What Is a Component-Based Website?

A component-based website is built using a collection of reusable design and functionality blocks—called components. Each component handles a specific function or display element, such as a banner, testimonial block, image gallery, or call-to-action (CTA) section.

Instead of building pages as monolithic templates, developers combine components to form flexible page layouts. This makes it easier to:

• Maintain consistency across the site.
• Reduce development time through reuse.
• Empower content editors to build pages without developer intervention.
• Scale efficiently as new components can be added or updated independently.

Think of it like LEGO® blocks—individual pieces that fit together in countless ways to form something larger.

Why Choose Drupal for Component-Based Website Development

Drupal’s modular architecture makes it a perfect fit for component-based design. It was built on the principles of reusability and flexibility long before the approach became a trend in web design.

Here’s why Drupal excels at this method:

1. Flexible Content Architecture

Drupal’s Content Types, Fields, and View Modes make it possible to define reusable data structures for different components. You can easily create and customize content pieces like cards, sliders, or hero banners without starting from scratch.

2. Layout Builder and Paragraphs

Tools like Drupal Layout Builder and the Paragraphs module let editors combine and arrange components visually. These modules allow a component-driven editing experience while keeping the backend structure clean and organized.

3. Theming with Twig

Drupal’s Twig templating engine allows developers to create reusable UI patterns that map directly to components. This makes it easier to maintain consistent markup and style across the site.

4. Integration with Design Systems

A Drupal development agency can integrate your design system or component library—like Storybook or Pattern Lab—into Drupal. This alignment between front-end and CMS ensures that design and content remain synchronized.

5. Scalability and Maintainability

Because each component is isolated, updates and enhancements can be rolled out without disrupting the entire site. This is ideal for organizations that need to scale rapidly or frequently update their content.

Planning a Component-Based Drupal Website

Before diving into development, it’s essential to create a clear plan. Building a component-based system requires alignment between design, content, and development teams.

Step 1: Audit Your Existing Content

Start by analyzing your existing site or planned pages. Identify repeating elements like image-text sections, CTAs, cards, sliders, and testimonials. These will form the basis of your components.

Step 2: Define Your Components

Categorize your components into:

• Atomic Components (Atoms & Molecules): Small UI elements such as buttons, icons, and form fields.
• Organisms: Larger sections like headers, footers, and feature blocks.
• Templates: Layouts that combine multiple organisms.
• Pages: Final compositions using these templates and content.

This structure mirrors Atomic Design principles, which pair beautifully with Drupal’s modular system.

Step 3: Align Design and Development

Ensure designers, developers, and content editors collaborate early. Tools like Figma or Sketch can help map design components, which developers then recreate in Twig templates or Paragraph types.

Step 4: Plan for Scalability

Anticipate future needs—plan for variations, responsive states, and different content types. The goal is to make components flexible enough for editors to build complex layouts without new code.

Building Components in Drupal: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s go through the practical side of creating a component-based website in Drupal.

1. Install and Configure Key Modules

To build a flexible system, you’ll need a few essential modules:

• Paragraphs: Enables creation of flexible, fieldable components.
• Layout Builder: Allows visual page assembly using reusable blocks.
• Entity Reference Revisions: Supports nested components (Paragraphs within Paragraphs).
• Twig Tweak: Provides helpful functions for rendering and managing components.
• UI Patterns or Component Libraries: Optional but useful for integrating design systems.

💡 Pro Tip: A skilled Drupal company can help you choose between Paragraphs or Layout Builder depending on your content strategy and editorial workflow.

2. Create Paragraph Types (Reusable Components)

Go to Structure → Paragraph types → Add Paragraph type.
Examples of components you can create:

• Hero Banner: Includes title, background image, and CTA button fields.
• Text & Image Section: For split layout content.
• Testimonial Block: Contains reviewer name, photo, and quote.
• Card Grid: Displays multiple linked cards dynamically.

Each Paragraph type will represent one reusable component.

3. Add Fields and Configure Display

For each Paragraph type:

• Add fields for content elements (text, images, links, etc.).
• Use Display Modes to control how the component appears.
• Adjust field formatters to define visual hierarchy and spacing.

4. Create Twig Templates

Each Paragraph type gets its own Twig template. For example:
paragraph--hero-banner.html.twig

This file contains your HTML structure:

<section class="hero-banner" style="background-image: url('{{ content.field_background_image }}')">
  <div class="hero-content">
    <h1>{{ content.field_title }}</h1>
    <a href="{{ content.field_cta_link }}" class="btn-primary">{{ content.field_cta_text }}</a>
  </div>
</section>

With Twig, you can:

• Keep your markup clean and semantic.
• Add conditional logic for flexibility.
• Maintain consistent component styles.

5. Assemble Pages with Layout Builder

Enable Layout Builder under the desired content type.
Now editors can:

• Add sections and blocks (components) visually.
• Rearrange layouts without needing a developer.
• Mix and match Paragraph-based and block-based components.

This empowers non-technical users while maintaining the component-based philosophy.

6. Integrate with a Design System

For a more advanced setup:

• Use Pattern Lab or Storybook to document components.
• Map Twig templates to these patterns using the UI Patterns module.
• Ensure your front-end team and Drupal developers share the same component source of truth.

This approach ensures brand consistency and faster design-to-development cycles.

7. Optimize and Maintain

Finally:

• Use Configuration Management to version-control your component structure.
• Document each component—fields, behavior, and usage.
• Periodically audit and refactor outdated components.

Example Use Case: Enterprise Marketing Site

Let’s say a Drupal development agency is building a marketing website for a SaaS brand.

Here’s how a component-based structure might look:

Editors can use these same building blocks to assemble hundreds of unique pages—all consistent, responsive, and easy to maintain.

Best Practices for Component-Based Drupal Website Development

To ensure your project runs smoothly, keep these best practices in mind:

1. Keep Components Modular and Reusable

Avoid hardcoding context-specific logic. Each component should be flexible enough to work on multiple pages or sections.

2. Name Components Consistently

Follow a clear naming convention for Paragraph types, Twig templates, and CSS classes. For example:

3. Use View Modes and Display Suite

These Drupal features let you define multiple display configurations for a single content type—useful when the same component appears differently across pages.

4. Implement Version Control

Store your configurations, Paragraphs, and templates in Git. This ensures smooth collaboration between developers in a Drupal company environment.

5. Document Everything

Maintain a living style guide or component library that outlines:

• Field requirements
• Design guidelines
• Usage examples

This documentation becomes invaluable as your site scales.

The Business Benefits of a Component-Based Drupal Website

Building a component-based system with Drupal isn’t just a developer preference—it’s a strategic advantage for your business.

1. Faster Time to Market

With pre-built, reusable components, new pages and landing pages can be launched in hours instead of days.

2. Consistent Branding

A centralized design system ensures every page adheres to brand standards, reducing the risk of visual inconsistencies.

3. Lower Development Costs

Reusable components mean you’re not reinventing the wheel every time. A Drupal development agency can deliver more value in less time.

4. Easier Maintenance

When a design update is needed, developers can change a single component template and apply it site-wide instantly.

5. Empowered Content Teams

Content editors no longer need to rely on developers for layout changes. They can build and experiment freely within defined boundaries.

Conclusion: Building the Future with Drupal

A component-based website is more than just a design approach—it’s a philosophy that champions scalability, reusability, and collaboration. With its modular structure, robust ecosystem, and powerful tools like Paragraphs and Layout Builder, Drupal is the ideal CMS to bring this philosophy to life.

Whether you’re building a marketing site, enterprise portal, or e-commerce platform, a component-driven Drupal website ensures flexibility for the future.

If you’re ready to elevate your digital presence, it’s time to hire a Drupal developer or partner with a Drupal development agency that specializes in component-based architectures. They can help you design, implement, and optimize a system tailored to your business goals.