What's New in Varbase 11

Varbase 11.0.x represents a major architectural shift for the Varbase distribution. This release moves away from the traditional modules-based architecture to a modern recipes-based architecture, aligning with the direction of the broader Drupal ecosystem.

Recipes-Based Architecture

The most significant change in Varbase 11 is the adoption of Drupal Recipes as the primary building block for the distribution.

• From profiles to recipes: The varbase_starter recipe replaces the old Varbase installation profile. Instead of a monolithic profile that installs everything at once, Varbase now uses composable recipes that can be applied individually or as a group.

• Module-to-recipe conversion: Each former Varbase module has been converted into a corresponding Varbase recipe. This provides greater flexibility, easier maintenance, and better alignment with upstream Drupal standards.

• Three-layer recipe stack: Varbase 11 builds on three layers of recipes:

  1. Drupal Core recipes

  2. Drupal CMS 2.0 recipes

  3. Varbase-specific recipes

Built on Drupal 11

Varbase 11.0.x is built on Drupal 11, taking full advantage of the latest Drupal core features, performance improvements, and API enhancements.

Drupal CMS 2.0 Alignment

Varbase 11 integrates with the Drupal CMS 2.0 initiative, incorporating its recipes for common website functionality:

• Admin UI: Improved administrative experience

• Anti-spam: CAPTCHA and spam prevention

• Authentication: User login and authentication handling

• Forms: Enhanced form building and management

• Media: Core media management capabilities

• Privacy: GDPR and privacy compliance tools

• SEO: Search engine optimization configuration

• Accessibility: WCAG compliance and accessibility tooling

AI Integration Recipes

Varbase 11 introduces a suite of AI integration recipes that bring artificial intelligence capabilities into the CMS:

• varbase_ai_base: Foundation recipe for AI integration

• varbase_ai_default: Default AI configuration and setup

• varbase_ai_agents: AI-powered agents for content and workflow automation

• Additional AI recipes for specialized use cases

Easy Email Recipes

The old email configuration approach has been replaced with Easy Email recipes, providing a streamlined way to configure email delivery, templates, and transactional email handling.

ECA (Event-Condition-Action) Integration

ECA is now deeply integrated into Varbase 11, providing a powerful no-code automation framework. ECA allows site builders to define automated workflows based on events, conditions, and actions without writing custom PHP code.

Gin Admin Theme

Varbase 11 adopts the Gin admin theme as the default administration theme, delivering:

• A modern, clean administrative interface

• Improved toolbar for better navigation

• Enhanced login screens with a polished user experience

• Gin Everywhere support for a consistent admin look across all backend pages

Trash Module for Soft Delete

The Trash module is now included, enabling soft-delete functionality for content. Instead of permanently removing content, items are moved to a trash bin where they can be restored or permanently deleted at a later time.

Summary of Changes

Area	Varbase 10.x and Earlier	Varbase 11.0.x
Architecture	Modules and installation profile	Recipes-based
Drupal version	Drupal 9 / 10	Drupal 11
Entry point	Varbase installation profile	varbase_starter recipe
Admin theme	Claro / Seven	Gin
Email	Custom email modules	Easy Email recipes
AI	Not included	AI recipes suite
Automation	Limited	ECA deeply integrated
Content deletion	Permanent	Soft-delete via Trash