Drupal 11.3 delivers major performance boost, native HTMX, stable navigation module & more

Drupal 11.3 introduces the CMS' most substantial performance improvements in a decade. The update reduces the number of database queries and cache operations in both cold and warm caches. Render and caching layers now merge database and cache activity, particularly benefiting path alias and entity loading. The frontend also sees major changes, as BigPipe now uses HTMX, resulting in less JavaScript and faster page loads for site visitors.

In addition to performance updates, Drupal 11.3 makes HTMX a core feature, allowing developers to leverage its dependency-free, modern JavaScript capabilities. Following those architectural changes, the Navigation module now reaches stable release, replacing the older Toolbar with a more contemporary navigation experience. Content editors benefit from enhancements to CKEditor, gaining the ability to link to internal site content through autocomplete and dropdown menus, while improved options streamline list formatting for better content presentation.

These improvements extend to theming and developer workflows. Themes now support the #[Hook()] attribute system that modules use, allowing for cleaner integration and more maintainable code. The release also puts a command-line tool in core for exporting content in the standardized format pioneered by the community-supported Default Content module. Though experimental, a new MySQLi database driver is also present, offering early access for those testing new backend configurations.