---
esco_uri: http://data.europa.eu/esco/skill/1de3942b-99d8-41e8-9ef0-fbc9e9f6307b
esco_label: "Drupal"
relation: optional
onet_soc: 15-1252.00
source: model-knowledge
confidence: high
qa_count: 0
generator: gemma3:27b (prompt-designed and spot-checked by Claude)
generated: 2026-07-10
---

# Drupal — Software Engineer

As a Software Engineer working with Drupal, 'competence' isn’t just *knowing* it exists – it's being able to extend and integrate with its core functionality. Daily tasks often involve writing custom modules (PHP, YAML) to add features beyond what contributed modules offer, or building RESTful APIs using Drupal's services layer for integrations with other systems. You'll frequently be debugging theme overrides (Twig), working with configuration management (Config Entity API), and optimizing database queries – Drupal’s data model can get complex quickly. Tools include Composer for dependency management, Xdebug for debugging, Drush/Drupal Console for command-line operations, and potentially Docker for consistent development environments.

A key part of being proficient is understanding Drupal's architecture: its entity system, plugin system, routing, and caching mechanisms. You’ll need to be comfortable with the hook system (though increasingly replaced by event subscribers) and how to properly leverage it without creating performance bottlenecks. Pitfalls include neglecting cache invalidation, writing overly complex queries that kill database performance, or failing to adhere to Drupal's coding standards – leading to maintainability issues.  Security is paramount; understanding Drupal’s security best practices (input validation, access control) is crucial.

Good looks like being able to not only *solve* a problem with Drupal but doing so in a way that aligns with its core principles and doesn't introduce technical debt. This means writing well-documented, testable code; contributing back to the community when possible (patches or modules); and proactively identifying potential performance issues before they impact users. It also involves knowing *when* Drupal is the right tool – sometimes a simpler solution outside of a CMS is more appropriate.

Finally, modern Drupal development (Drupal 9/10+) heavily emphasizes decoupled architectures using frameworks like React, Vue or Angular communicating with Drupal via JSON:API. Competence now includes understanding these frontend technologies and how to effectively integrate them with the Drupal backend.

## Weitere Anreicherung

Stage-2 source for future practitioner grounding: arXiv cs.SE (software-engineering preprints).
