The Drupal community's work with React

Acro Commerce’s alumni Josh Miller takes a minute to analyze how a Drupal community core initiative is solving for the JavaScript frontend framework React.

Background on the Drupal Community initiative involving React frameworks

The Drupal community has long since made big changes possible by defining initiatives and organizing around specific feature sets that those initiatives champion. One of the four current initiatives is "Decoupled Menus" and this initiative exists to solve a real-world problem for JavaScript frontend frameworks using the full power of Drupal core.

The plan is simple: If we can solve this one problem for JavaScript frontend frameworks (menu systems) by providing a Drupal core JavaScript package on npm, we gain knowledge and experience while also paving the way for more frontend JavaScript packages in the future.

This initiative was recently featured in Dries' December 2020 European Drupalcon Global keynote with the following video:

 

Analysis

The biggest thing to note is that while the initiative started as a way to create a Drupal core JavaScript package for menus, we have found that great menu packages already exist. Instead, a bridge between Drupal and the JavaScript packages that show menus was missing. This is phenomenal news.

 

Instead of focusing on specific implementation using React or Vue.js, the initiative's collective firepower is focused on facilitating data transfer to the frontend. This means the Drupal community is making JavaScript packages first-class citizens without deciding on a winning platform.

This is very good news for Acro Commerce's efforts to transition into React as well as the future hiring potential of finding more than one Drupal developer with frontend JavaScript package experience.

Happening now

There are two primary things the initiative is working on currently.

The first is a write-up that describes how Drupal Core will create, maintain, and deploy JavaScript packages aimed at decoupling and making available Drupal services, like menu. This write-up describes that Drupal core JavaScript packages will be hosted on git.drupal.org, the issue queue and merges will happen on drupal.org, and an automated deployment process will push the package to npm to make it widely available by default.

The second is a survey meant for Drupalers that are working with React.

"The goal of this survey is to learn how developers using headless CMS systems are working with menus. How do they expect responses to look like, any examples of what is out there (and good)"

Are these good questions? Would we have good answers? Let's engage with this initiative as much as we can, its success is tied directly to our own efforts in building out our React side of the business.

Have any questions about ReactJS? Reach out to set up a call with any of our React specialists today.