Brad Jones on Modernizing Drupal's Data Management with JSON Integration

In the scenic town of Lake City, Colorado, Brad Jones, a digital nomad and Drupal enthusiast, merges his experiences as a seasoned Drupal developer and a part-time paramedic. This unique combination has given him a distinctive perspective within the Drupal community, blending technical proficiency with a practical, hands-on approach to problem-solving.

Brad's journey in Drupal has been marked by significant milestones, one of which was the advent of fieldable entities in Drupal's core—a feature that transformed site-building. However, as Drupal evolves towards its 10^th version, the limitations of the existing Field API have become apparent. By recognizing these challenges, Brad saw an opportunity to innovate and improve how data is managed within the Drupal ecosystem.

To address these limitations, Brad proposed the initiative "JSON data and schemas FTW!" This initiative aims to integrate JSON data types, widely supported by major database systems, into Drupal's entity system. The goal is to offer more flexible and efficient data management capabilities that align with modern web standards. 

This proposal gained recognition at the DrupalCon Pittsburgh Pitch-burgh Innovation Contest, highlighting its potential to shape the future of Drupal development. Kazima Abbas, sub-editor at The DropTimes, recently interviewed Brad to explore the details and implications of this initiative, capturing the community's growing interest and excitement.

Brad shares insights into his journey with Drupal, which began somewhat unexpectedly. He recalls,

"I began my Drupal journey as an end-user of a Drupal 5 site a friend built for a business I was running. After taking on some maintenance responsibility, I became acquainted with the Drupal community globally and in Denver.

Drupal has been my gateway drug into open-source software and has anchored a rewarding career in software development."

When asked about the insight into the genesis of the "JSON data and schemas FTW!" initiative and what inspired its creation, Brad explained that necessity was the driving force behind it. He mentioned that he runs a dating application with Drupal as a core system, extensively utilizing the JSON and decoupled feature set. This setup highlighted the importance of communicating reliable schemas for data models to consumers, especially in decoupled systems.

He also pointed out that Drupal’s database backends support JSON document storage, allowing developers to leverage relational and NoSQL data management approaches. This combination of needs and capabilities inspired Brad to propose an initiative that enhances the flexibility and performance of data management in Drupal, aligning it with modern web development practices.

When discussing the specific challenges faced with the current state of the Field API within Drupal, Brad emphasized that it, while not problematic in itself, reflects the older relational database-focused architecture that Drupal has historically been built on.

"Drupal predates most of all competing and complementary PHP frameworks, including Symfony, which Drupal is now built atop. Despite a lot of housekeeping in the Drupal 8 'break' from legacy Drupal, systems such as Field API are built for the relational database world.

With the advent of technology like MongoDB, developers expect their backend systems to work with both structured and unstructured data. With this initiative, we are bridging the gap between these paradigms and saying, you can have your cake and eat it too, depending on the problem being solved."

Brad then explained the potential benefits of extending the entity system to provide standards-compliant JSON schemas out of the box. He highlighted that schemas are a legal requirement in some regions, particularly within the European Union, especially when it comes to public-access data. According to Brad, a well-defined schema is crucial as it distinguishes between mere technical access to data and its practical usability.

Moreover, Brad pointed out that having standardized JSON schemas would enhance Drupal's interoperability with other systems. This means that external systems can interact with Drupal without prior knowledge of its data model, facilitating easier integration and data exchange. This capability is precious in environments where data needs to be shared or integrated across different platforms, ensuring that Drupal can serve as a robust and flexible backbone for various web applications and services.

Reflecting on his participation in the Pitch-Burgh Innovation Contest, Brad explained his motivation and goals. He saw Pitch-burgh as an innovative platform to fund initiatives that might not emerge from Drupal's more conventional product development pathways. Brad's primary goal was to win the contest, and he successfully achieved that objective.

Looking back on the journey from winning the Pitch-burgh Innovation Contest to receiving funding for the "JSON data and schemas FTW!" initiative, Brad discussed the impact of this recognition and financial support. While the investment from Pitchburgh was crucial in advancing the project, the underlying work has yet to be integrated into Drupal's core. 

Brad expressed some disappointment but acknowledged the challenges posed by resource and budget constraints. He continues to work on the initiative in his own time, with the spotlight from DrupalCon and Drupal.org helping to raise awareness but not necessarily translating into additional support beyond the initial grant.

When asked about the potential impact of the "JSON data and schemas FTW!" initiative on Drupal's future and its influence on the broader web development community, Brad offered an optimistic outlook. He emphasized Drupal's current standing as a versatile content management system and its potential growth through enhanced data management capabilities.

"Drupal is one of, if not the most, well-rounded content management systems on the market today. It truly is for building ambitious digital experiences—many of which are decoupled and API-first. These enhancements provide the foundation for Drupal to be a leader in compliant, performant API-driven experiences. I’m excited to see what people build atop these features."

Brad Jones exemplifies the innovative spirit within the Drupal community. His "JSON data and schemas FTW!" initiative addresses key limitations in Drupal's data management, aiming to align the platform with modern web standards. This project highlights Brad's forward-thinking approach and his commitment to enhancing Drupal's flexibility and interoperability, ensuring it remains a competitive and versatile content management system.

See Brad Jone's contest-winning pitch here in this video posted by the Drupal Association on YouTube: