Platforms · Drupal Development
We build and maintain Drupal sites for associations, government bodies and universities: precise content models, editorial workflows people actually use, multilingual from the start and accessibility held to WCAG 2.2 AA. Request a quote.
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OlDevs is a full-stack technology studio in Vancouver, British Columbia that specialises in Drupal for large and regulated web estates.We model content with entities, fields and Views, then build editorial workflows and permissions that match how associations, government bodies and universities really approve and publish. Our work covers Drupal CMS and modern Drupal versions current at the time of writing, decoupled builds with a JavaScript front end, migrations from older Drupal versions, and accessibility to WCAG 2.2 AA. Security releases and long term maintenance are handled by the same accountable team that built the site.
Key facts
Drupal platform expertise
We model content as entities, bundles and fields rather than pages, so a policy, a member profile and a research paper each carry their own structured data. That structure then drives listings, search facets, feeds and any future front end without a rebuild.
Views turns your content model into the listings people actually need: committee directories, tender notices, course catalogues, event calendars and filtered archives. We build them as configuration, so editors can adjust filters and sorting without a developer.
Moderation states, revisions and role based permissions map to how your organisation really signs off. Draft, review, legal check, publish, with each role seeing only what it should and a full revision history for anything that later needs an audit trail.
Drupal handles translation in core, so language is part of the content model rather than a plugin bolted on late. We configure interface, content and configuration translation, language negotiation and the EN/FR editorial routine bilingual obligations demand.
Where a JavaScript front end earns its keep, Drupal serves structured content through JSON:API or GraphQL while editors keep a familiar admin. We protect previews, editorial workflow and accessibility instead of trading them away for a faster first demo.
Migrations from an older Drupal version, or from another CMS entirely, run through the Migrate API as repeatable, re-runnable scripts. We map fields, preserve URLs and redirects, move files and media, and prove the result with content audits before launch.
Process
Discovery and content audit
We map what you publish, who approves it, which obligations apply and what the current estate actually contains. Broken structures and abandoned sections get identified early, before anyone pays to rebuild them.
Content model and prototypes
We design entities, fields, taxonomies and workflow states, then prototype the key screens and listings. Editors try the model on real content while it is still cheap to change.
Build in weekly increments
One accountable team builds the site in the open, with a working demo every week on a staging environment you can click through. Feedback lands while it is still a conversation rather than a change request.
Migration, accessibility and launch
Content migrates through repeatable scripts, redirects are mapped, and accessibility is verified with keyboard and screen reader passes. We rehearse the cutover, then run it with a rollback plan ready.
Maintenance and long term care
After launch we handle security releases, module updates, monitoring and backups, with a named person you can reach. You own the code and can take it elsewhere at any time.
How we work
Site configuration lives in version control and moves through development, staging and production by deployment, not by hand. Nothing important is a setting someone changed once in production and cannot explain a year later.
Core and contributed modules are managed with Composer and pinned, so upgrades are reviewable and reversible. Patches are tracked rather than applied invisibly, which keeps future updates from quietly undoing custom work.
Semantic markup, keyboard operability, visible focus and forms that announce their own errors are part of the build, checked as components are made. We test the admin experience too, because editors use assistive technology as well.
Drupal's render cache, dynamic page cache and a CDN in front of them do most of the work. We profile slow Views, tune image styles and cache tags, and measure real pages on real connections rather than a synthetic score alone.
Drupal publishes security advisories on a known schedule. We track advisories for the modules you actually run, test updates on staging, and apply them promptly, which is far less disruptive than an emergency upgrade years overdue.
You get written documentation of the content model, the workflow states and the deployment process, plus live training for the people who publish. The goal is a team that can run the site confidently without phoning us first.
Who it's for
Enterprises with many brands, regions or product lines that need one governed content platform, strict publishing permissions and a content model that survives reorganisations.
Member bodies, agencies and universities with accessibility duties, bilingual obligations, committee structures and approval chains that a simple page builder cannot represent honestly.
Networks where head office controls brand, templates and compliance while each location edits its own hours, offers and contacts inside permissions that stop anyone breaking the pattern.
Founders whose product depends on structured, multilingual or membership content from day one, and who want an editorial platform that will not need replacing after the first growth spurt.
Weekly
Working demo cadence
1 day
Enquiry response time
WCAG 2.2 AA
Accessibility standard
FAQ
Drupal earns its place when content is genuinely structured and governance matters: many content types, real relationships between them, multilingual requirements, granular editorial permissions and long approval chains. WordPress is often the better fit for simpler marketing sites. We will tell you honestly which one suits your project before you commit to either.
Drupal CMS is a packaged, ready to use starting point built on Drupal, aimed at teams that want common features configured out of the box rather than assembled piece by piece. Classic Drupal remains the flexible base for bespoke builds. We confirm the details of both, current at the time of writing, against the official release notes at project start.
Yes. We audit the existing content model, decide what should carry across and what should be retired, then write repeatable migrations with the Migrate API. URLs and redirects are preserved, files and media move with their metadata, and the migration runs many times on staging before it runs once for real.
We build to WCAG 2.2 AA: semantic markup, keyboard operability, visible focus, sensible heading structure and forms that announce their errors. We test with keyboards and screen readers rather than trusting an automated scan alone, and we cover the editor experience too, since an inaccessible admin blocks the staff who rely on assistive technology.
Yes. Drupal exposes content through JSON:API or GraphQL, so a React, Vue or similar front end can consume it while editors keep the admin they already know. Decoupling adds moving parts, so we recommend it only when there is a clear reason, such as an app sharing the same content or a front end your own developers maintain.
We do, if you want us to. Drupal security releases follow a published schedule, and staying current costs far less than an emergency upgrade two years late. Maintenance covers core and contributed module updates tested on staging first, plus monitoring, backups and a named person to call. You own the code either way.
Yes. The studio is in Vancouver and we work with clients across Canada remotely: video calls in your time zone, a shared board you can check at any hour, and on-site visits when the work genuinely calls for them. Procurement documents, accessibility requirements and bilingual obligations are familiar territory for us.
Let’s connect
Tell us what you’re building. We’ll reply within one business day with next steps and a tailored quote — no obligation.