Getting Started

Varbase 11.0.x is a Drupal 11 distribution built with the Drupal Recipes architecture. It provides a fully featured content management platform that can be installed quickly using Composer.

Quick Install

The recommended way to install Varbase is using DDEV. Create a project directory, configure DDEV, then use Composer to create the Varbase project inside the container:

mkdir my_varbase_site
cd my_varbase_site
ddev config --project-type=drupal11 --docroot=web --php-version=8.4
ddev start
ddev composer create-project "drupal/varbase_project:11.0.x-dev"
ddev launch

The Varbase Installer will guide you through the site setup, including applying all Varbase recipes and configuring the full feature set.

Recipe-Based Architecture

Unlike previous versions of Varbase that used a Drupal installation profile, Varbase 11.0.x is built entirely on Drupal Recipes.

A recipe is a composable configuration package that can:

• Install and configure Drupal modules

• Set default configuration values

• Assign user permissions

• Configure content types, fields, and display settings

The main entry point is the varbase_starter recipe, which orchestrates the application of all Varbase recipes in the correct order. This recipe pulls in:

• Drupal Core recipes for foundational functionality

• Drupal CMS 2.0 recipes for common website features (media, SEO, anti-spam, privacy, and more)

• Varbase-specific recipes that provide the enhanced features and configurations that distinguish Varbase from a standard Drupal installation

What to Read Next

• Installing Varbase: Detailed installation instructions for DDEV.

• Understanding Varbase: A deeper look at the recipe architecture and how Varbase is structured.

• Requirements: System requirements for running Varbase.