Using DDEV or Lando for headless Drupal developmentfor Drupal 8 , 9 , 10 , and 11

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8.x , 9.x , 10.x , 11.x

Introduction

As we progress in building a headless Drupal setup, having an efficient development environment is crucial. This lesson explores using DDEV and Lando, two popular local development tools based on Docker. These tools streamline setting up and managing your headless Drupal environment, making development faster and more reproducible.

Why Use DDEV or Lando?

Both DDEV and Lando offer portable and consistent development environments by leveraging Docker containers. This ensures that your local setup mirrors the production environment as closely as possible, which is especially beneficial in headless setups where both Drupal and the chosen frontend frameworks must function seamlessly together.

Setting Up DDEV for Drupal

Let's start by getting DDEV up and running for your Drupal project. DDEV simplifies creating isolated web development environments using Docker, making installations and configurations hassle-free.

Prerequisites

Initializing a Drupal Project with DDEV

  1. Navigate to your Drupal project directory.
  2. Run ddev config and follow the prompts to configure your project, specifying Drupal as your project type.
  3. Start your project with ddev start. DDEV will generate a Docker-based environment tailored for Drupal within minutes.
  4. Access your site at the provided URL, typically https://drupal.ddev.site.

Benefits of Using DDEV

DDEV offers significant advantages, such as easy HTTPS setup, customizable configurations, and support for additional services like Solr or Redis. It's perfect for developers who value flexibility and ease of use in project management.

Setting Up Lando for Drupal

Lando is another excellent development tool built on Docker that automates setup, configuration, and execution of local development environments, accommodating multiple platforms including Drupal.

Prerequisites

  • Docker: Similar to DDEV, Docker needs to be installed and running.
  • Lando: Download and install Lando from the Lando documentation.

Initializing a Drupal Project with Lando

  1. Navigate to your Drupal project directory.
  2. Create a .lando.yml file in your project's root directory. Here's a basic example: 
    name: drupal-project
recipe: drupal
config:
  webroot: web
  3. Run lando start to begin the environment setup. Lando automatically configures the necessary Docker services.
  4. Access your local site using the URL provided, generally http://drupal-project.lndo.site.

Benefits of Using Lando

Lando's strengths lie in its simplicity and extensibility. With configurations defined in the .lando.yml file, it supports integrations with numerous services and tools like Behat and Redis, catering to comprehensive development workflows.

Choosing Between DDEV and Lando

Both DDEV and Lando offer robust solutions for local Drupal development. Your choice may depend on specific needs or personal preferences. Consider these aspects:

  • Ease of Use: Both tools emphasize user-friendliness but may appeal differently based on workflow preferences.
  • Community Support: Each has active communities, providing support, updates, and plugin extensions.
  • Project Requirements: Evaluate your project's complexity, and required integrations to select the tool that aligns best.

Conclusion

Integrating DDEV or Lando into your development workflow can significantly enhance productivity, consistency, and ease of management. These tools create an efficient setup to work in harmony with a headless Drupal configuration, ensuring seamless development processes and environment parity from local to production.

In our next lesson, we will delve into the importance and practical application of "GraphQL in Headless Drupal Architecture", expanding your ability to query Drupal data more flexibly and powerfully. Stay tuned to further your understanding and capability in building effective headless Drupal solutions!