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This documentation is incomplete. Add more information.

This documentation is incomplete. Add more information.

Since the recommended method for installing and updating a Drupal 8 site is via Composer, this page also describes how to update modules using Composer. And because you're using the command line, we also use Drush for some tasks.

Before troubleshooting database update issues, always back up your database and codebase.

If there are problems preventing safe execution of database updates, update.php will display an error.

Read the error message carefully to determine the issue.

Invalid Modules or Themes

Sometimes, update.php may report invalid modules or themes. This happens when a module or theme is listed in core.extension.yml but is missing or incompatible with the site.

Updating a Drupal site is complex, time-consuming, and costly. While it may seem straightforward, secure and reliable updates that instill confidence in site owners and ensure site availability are a significant challenge.

The Automatic Updates service for Drupal aims to simplify this process and ensure updates are applied safely and correctly.

Note: Automatic Updates is a strategic initiative for the Drupal project. It is still under active development, and there are several important considerations:

Drupal Site Administration

Adding Content

This section introduces site administration for new Drupal 8 users. It covers using the admin account and offers tips on where to start.

Adding Content

This guide assumes you used the standard installation profile, which provides two content types: Basic Page and Article. (If you used the minimal profile, you’ll need to create content types first.)

Before we begin: make sure you are logged in as a user with permission to create content — ask your site administrator if you’re unsure. Otherwise, some fields may not be visible to you.

1. Click “Add content” from the homepage (either in the navigation menu or the admin menu).

Drupal 8 uses the Internal Page Cache module, which is recommended for small to medium-sized sites. This core module, enabled by default, caches pages for anonymous users. It can be found in core/modules/page_cache.

This feature enhances performance by speeding up the site. Pages requested by anonymous users are stored on first load and reused afterward; depending on your site configuration, the performance improvement can be significant.

The term “Cron” refers to automated tasks that your site performs every N hours. For example, it checks whether updates are available for the Drupal core, as well as for any contributed modules and themes you've added.

By default, Cron runs every three hours, but this can be changed to every hour, every six hours (or more). You can run cron manually at any time from the top of the “Reports” > “Status Report” page. Additional modules are available for extended cron functionality.

Drupal allows you to create a new revision each time content is updated. This enables you to track how content has changed over time on your site.

While this feature is now enabled by default, you can change the revision behavior for each content type by going to Administration > Structure > Content Types > Operations > Edit > Publishing Options and checking the “Create new revision” box. This ensures a new revision is created when a node is edited. (Editors can override this setting when editing individual nodes.)