Differentiating Marketplace Site Templates and Community Site Templates

By pameeela on

Site templates are available through two distinct pathways, each serving different needs within the community.

The official Drupal.org Marketplace provides a curated collection of site templates that meet certain quality standards, and are built on top of Drupal CMS as a foundation.

Community templates offer an alternative pathway for innovation and experimentation without the constraints of the curation process, by publishing the template as a general project on Drupal.org.

Drupal CMS leadership changes

By dries on

We're excited to announce updates to the Drupal CMS leadership team, with the addition of Bálint Kléri as our new Frontend Lead.

Bálint Kléri named Drupal CMS Frontend Lead

Bálint Kléri has been named Frontend Lead, a new leadership role created to oversee the frontend architecture for Drupal CMS, Mercury and Mercury-based themes. Bálint is a full-time contributor to Drupal Canvas, leading the development of Code Components for Acquia and a key contributor to Mercury, the Drupal CMS design system. 

Marketplace Share Out #8: FAQ and What's Changing Post-Feedback

By farriss on

Thanks to everyone who’s participated in the proposal feedback! Based on your input, here’s a transparent summary of what’s changing, what’s under consideration, and what questions we heard most.

Marketplace Share Out #7: The MVP Proposal Is Here - What We’re Testing and How to Shape It

By farriss on

The Drupal Site Template Marketplace MVP proposal is now live for community review through 13 July 2025 in the Innovation Issue Queue.

Marketplace Share Out #6: Preparing for the MVP Proposal

By farriss on

We’re excited to announce that a draft Drupal Site Template MVP Marketplace proposal will be released next week for public comment. This version outlines a clear Minimum Valuable Product (MVP) focused on early value, sustainability, and trust.

But first — here’s a look at what’s been shaping the direction of this proposal.

Marketplace Share Out #5: Turning Insight into Structure

By farriss on

After weeks of listening, prompting, and pattern-spotting, we’re entering a new phase. The big questions are becoming sharper. The conversation is shifting—from what might be to what must be.

Our early exploration surfaced a wide range of motivations, risks, and hopes for a Drupal Site Template Marketplace. The signal was clear: there’s strong belief in the potential—if we build it in a way that strengthens the ecosystem, not fragments it.

As part of this shift from the breadth of exploration and to the depth of early structure, we’re moving to a biweekly share out cadence. This Share Out #5 update highlights what’s emerging from Slack Prompts #5 and #6, insights from Survey #3 on Governance and Fairness to inform first drafts of the Lean Business Model Canvas and Governance Framework—early scaffolding for what’s to come.

Marketplace Share Out #4: Building Trust, Governance, and Real-World Value

By farriss on

If we want the Marketplace to succeed, contributors, agencies, and end users must believe:

  • Templates are high-quality and secure
  • Contributors are treated fairly and transparently
  • There are clear, enforceable standards for what gets listed

Marketplace Share Out #3: Value and Incentives

By farriss on

Over the last few weeks, the Marketplace Initiative has been mapping assumptions, surfacing motivations, and exploring real-world expectations for a Drupal Site Template Marketplace. The initial rounds of feedback were designed to surface motivations, beliefs, unknowns, and frame what success might mean. 

Now we’re shaping those broad ambitions into working models of value, governance, trust, and experience. We're beginning to sketch what the Marketplace does, how it creates and protects value, and what contributors and users can expect from it.

Marketplace Share Out #2: Surfacing Critical Assumptions

By farriss on

Over the past few weeks, the Marketplace Working Group has been mapping the critical assumptions that must be true for a Drupal Site Template Marketplace to succeed. In this update, we share the high-risk assumptions we’ve identified, the questions we’re testing with the community, and how recent survey responses and Slack conversations are shaping the next phase of our work. You're also invited to join our first real-time collaboration (RTC) session 1 May 2025 at 15:30  UTC about Co-creating Value and Incentives - REGISTER HERE.

Marketplace Share Out #1: What We've Heard So Far

By farriss on

In few weeks since Dries introduced the idea of a Marketplace for DrupalCMS Site Templates, hundreds of community members have weighed in across Slack, blog comments, and BoFs. Many see a Marketplace as essential to Drupal’s growth, particularly in reducing barriers for new users and showcasing Drupal’s capabilities more effectively. However, complex legal, ethical, operational, and cultural concerns remain, and open questions abound about feasibility, governance, and alignment with Drupal's open-source values.

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