Version information for the Drupal Core, theme, and modules currently in use.
Drupal Theme and Extensions.
This article covers the Drupal version I'm running, the theme I'm using, and the modules I have installed. As you can see, this website isn't one that places particular emphasis on design — it's very straightforward, built on the default state of Drupal and the Bootstrap5 theme.
The modules I have installed aren't aimed at design. They fall into two groups: modules that add functional capabilities Drupal doesn't include by default — such as SMTP and reCAPTCHA — and modules that fill gaps in Drupal's default feature set, such as Metatag and Easy Breadcrumb.
Basic Configuration.
The basic configuration is Drupal 10.3.x with the Bootstrap5 theme. Bootstrap5 elements are built into HTML tags and CSS from the start, so placing headings, paragraphs, tables, and containers on a page automatically produces a layout styled with Bootstrap5.
When building pages with readability in mind, a moderate amount of decoration is enough, and the default elements available are more than sufficient — so I haven't installed any modules specifically for styling.
Links to Drupal Core and the theme are below.
1. Drupal Core
2. Theme
The theme in use on this website is Bootstrap5 4.0.3. It gives me access to the components Bootstrap5 provides, and the essential Bootstrap5 elements are already wired into the HTML tags by default — so simply writing articles using headings and paragraphs in CKEditor produces a fully composed Bootstrap5 page.
3. Modules
The modules I have installed. My selection covers: a module for adding meta tags that Drupal doesn't configure by default, a module for setting up breadcrumbs freely, the reCAPTCHA-related modules used for the contact form, and a module for using an external SMTP.
A module for freely configuring breadcrumbs. In the theme's default layout, the breadcrumb is placed at the top of the page, but this module lets me position it wherever I want. I can also freely configure which hierarchy levels are linked in the breadcrumb.
When creating pages using Drupal's content system, meta descriptions aren't placed by default. This module makes it possible to add meta descriptions directly from the content interface. After installing it, I simply specify which content types should use Metatag and it's ready to use. It can also be used on pages built with Views.
A module that enables CAPTCHA functionality in Drupal. It can be extended to support Google reCAPTCHA v3 and v2. The CAPTCHA method and where it is applied can both be configured in detail — on this website I use it for the contact form and admin login. The Image CAPTCHA module is also installed by default.
A module that enables Google reCAPTCHA v3 in Drupal. It's an extension of the CAPTCHA module, so CAPTCHA is required. Configuration is straightforward: register the site key and secret key, set the threshold, and specify the challenge type, and it's ready to use.
A module that enables Google reCAPTCHA v2 in Drupal. It's an extension of the CAPTCHA module, so CAPTCHA is required. Configuration is straightforward: register the site key and secret key and configure the challenge display settings, and it's ready to use. I have this module installed to serve v2 as the challenge when v3 determines that one is needed.
A module for using an external SMTP when sending mail from Drupal. On this website I use AWS SES as the external SMTP. Configuration is simple — just set the port and authentication details and it's ready to use.
4. Conclude.
As you can see, I've built this website by adding the minimum modules I consider necessary to Drupal's default state, and using the Bootstrap5 theme with only the elements it provides out of the box. CSS customization is minimal as well — limited to adjusting font sizes and text colors. My own eyesight isn't what it used to be, so I've made the text slightly larger for readability. It's not the most polished-looking design, but it's a comfortable size for reading articles.
At this point the website functions as a website, but I do think there's room to make it a little more readable. Revisiting how articles are written and how they're laid out will change the overall impression, so I'd like to work toward a better shape as I add more content. Drupal's built-in search is solid, but there are excellent modules like Search API available, and I'd like to bring one in once the article library has grown to a reasonable size.
Next, I'd like to run a performance evaluation on the website built with Drupal and Bootstrap5. Since it's running close to default, I should be able to get a good read on the inherent optimization of page elements and the rendering and process caching performance that Drupal and Bootstrap5 bring out of the box.