Building Static Websites with Drupal Using the Tome Module

Oliver Davies, a long-time Drupal user and developer, shared a blog post explaining how Drupal can now serve as a static site generator using the Tome module. Reflecting on his experience building websites with Drupal 6 and 7, and later moving to static generators like Jekyll and Sculpin, Oliver highlights the advantages of static websites—speed, security, and simplicity. He explains that while traditional Drupal setups require PHP and a database, Tome enables developers to maintain the full flexibility of Drupal locally and export the final site as static HTML files.

Oliver outlines that Tome preserves all standard Drupal functionality, allowing users to build content-rich sites with modules and themes, then generate static files ready for deployment. This combination offers the robust content management capabilities of Drupal without the performance or security vulnerabilities associated with dynamic systems. He also notes that Sam Mortenson, the creator of Tome, discussed the module’s capabilities and goals in an episode of the Beyond Blocks podcast, further emphasising its growing relevance in the Drupal community.

Through this post, Oliver offers a practical solution for developers who want to leverage Drupal’s CMS strengths while achieving the performance efficiencies of static site architecture. Tome stands out as a valuable tool for projects requiring high security, low server overhead, and the ability to easily serve content without relying on dynamic backend processes.