How to Install Drupal Step by Step on Your Hosting

Introduction

Drupal is the third of the major CMSs (alongside WordPress and Joomla). It’s the most technical of the three, but also the most powerful and flexible. It’s used in large projects: universities, governments, media outlets and large companies.

In this article you’ll see how to install Drupal on your hosting step by step.

What Drupal is and what it’s for

Drupal is a free and open source CMS. Unlike WordPress (designed to be easy) or Joomla (a middle ground), Drupal is designed for large and complex projects.

It’s ideal for:

• Websites with a lot of structured content.
• Portals with many content types (articles, events, users, etc.).
• Institutional or large organization websites.
• Websites needing advanced permission control.
• Complex multilingual projects.

Drupal is the CMS used, for example, by Oxford University, the White House or The Economist. For demanding projects.

Server requirements for Drupal

Before installing Drupal, make sure your hosting meets:

• PHP 8.1 or higher (Drupal 11 requires PHP 8.3+).
• MySQL 5.7 or MariaDB 10.4 or higher (also supports PostgreSQL or SQLite).
• SSL certificate recommended.
• Minimum 128 MB PHP memory (256 MB recommended).
• PHP extensions: gd, pdo, xml, curl, mbstring, zip.

Drupal needs more memory than WordPress. For large projects, a hosting plan with more resources or a VPS is appropriate. At miHosting we advise you based on your project.

Method 1: Install Drupal with Softaculous (recommended)

The fastest way to install Drupal.

Step 1: Open Softaculous

1. Log in to cPanel.
2. Find Softaculous Apps Installer.
3. Click Drupal.

Step 2: Configure the installation

1. Click Install Now.

2. Fill in the details:

   Field	What to enter
   Protocol	https:// (if you have SSL)
   Domain	The domain where you want Drupal
   In Directory	Empty to install it in the root
   Site Name	Your website’s name
   Admin Username	Your administrator username
   Admin Password	A strong password
   Admin Email	Your email

3. Click Install.

[Imagen sugerida: screenshot of the Drupal installation form in Softaculous]

The installation takes a minute or two. Softaculous shows you at the end:

• Your website’s URL.
• The admin panel URL (yourdomain.com/user or yourdomain.com/admin).
• Your credentials.

Method 2: Install Drupal manually

Step 1: Download Drupal

1. Go to the official website (drupal.org).
2. Download the latest version in ZIP or tarball format.

Step 2: Upload the files

1. Connect via FTP or use cPanel’s File Manager.
2. Go to public_html or the desired folder.
3. Upload the Drupal ZIP file.
4. Unzip it.

Step 3: Create the database

1. In cPanel, go to MySQL Databases.
2. Create a database, for example user_drupal.
3. Create a user with a strong password.
4. Assign the user to the database with all privileges.

Write down: database name, username and password.

Step 4: Run the installer

1. Open your browser and go to https://yourdomain.com.

2. The Drupal installation wizard opens automatically.

3. Follow the steps:

   • Choose language: choose the language.
   • Choose profile: select “Standard” (the most common).
   • Requirements review: Drupal checks the requirements. If something fails in red, it must be resolved.
   • Database configuration: enter your database details.
   • Install: wait for it to finish.
   • Configure site: site name, email, administrator username and password.

[Imagen sugerida: screenshot of the Drupal installation wizard]

Step 5: Final adjustments

Drupal will ask you to configure some regionalization and mail server options. Follow the instructions.

Initial configuration after installation

Once Drupal is installed:

1. Configure SSL. Enable HTTPS for the entire site in Configuration → System → Secure pages.
2. Configure friendly URLs. In Configuration → Search and metadata → Clean URLs, enable them for SEO.
3. Configure the language. Drupal supports several languages; download the package if you need it.
4. Install a theme. Choose a suitable design.
5. Configure cache. In Configuration → Development → Performance, enable cache and CSS/JS aggregation.
6. Review user permissions. Drupal has a very powerful role system.

Useful tips

• Drupal needs more resources than WordPress. Don’t choose it if your hosting is very basic.
• Use Softaculous to start. Avoid manual errors.
• Enable cache. Drupal is powerful but can be slow without cache.
• Configure CSS/JS aggregation. Improves load speed.
• Back up before updating. Drupal updates may require manual steps.

Common problems

The installer shows unmet requirements

One of the requirements (PHP, extensions, memory) isn’t met. Review what’s missing and enable it or ask support to enable it.

The website shows error 500 after installing

It may be a PHP memory issue. Raise memory_limit from cPanel → Software → Select PHP Version → Options.

I can’t log in to the admin panel

Check that you use the correct URL (yourdomain.com/user) and the right credentials. If you forgot the password, use the “Forgot your password?” link.

Drupal is slow

Enable cache and CSS/JS aggregation. If it’s still slow, consider a higher hosting plan.

Friendly URLs don’t work

Check that Apache’s mod_rewrite module is active and that .htaccess is in the root.

Frequently asked questions

Is Drupal free?

Yes, the Drupal software is free and open source. What may have a cost are paid themes and modules.

Is Drupal difficult to use?

It has a steeper learning curve than WordPress. For technical users it’s very powerful; for non-technical users, it can be complex at first.

When to choose Drupal?

For large, complex projects or those with many content types. For simple websites or blogs, WordPress or Joomla are better.

Does Drupal need more resources than WordPress?

Yes, in general. Drupal consumes more memory and needs a hosting with more resources.

Can I migrate from WordPress to Drupal?

Yes, but it’s not automatic. There are modules like WordPress Migrate that facilitate content migration.

Drupal: power for demanding projects

Drupal is the CMS for large and complex projects. It’s not the simplest option, but for what it’s designed for it’s one of the most powerful. If your project needs complex structures, advanced permission control or serious multilingual websites, Drupal is an excellent option.

If you need suitable hosting for Drupal, at miHosting we have plans with PHP 8.x, free SSL, MariaDB and support from real technicians. For very large projects, we also offer managed VPS. Open a ticket from your client panel and we’ll advise you.