The document is a comprehensive checklist for Drupal site builders and web administrators, outlining best practices for deployment, performance, administration, troubleshooting, and security in Drupal sites. It provides practical steps to maintain a Drupal site, including configuring user registration settings, verifying email settings, optimizing database logging, and ensuring proper module management. Additionally, it offers recommendations for improving site performance and security, such as setting caching modes, using backup tools, and protecting critical user accounts.

1. Checklist for Drupal site builder and web adminAdolfo G. Nasolhttp:// danreb.com

2. The TopicI’ve got the idea after attending on the last Drupal PH meet-up ( Jan 14, 2011)These are my list of best practice ( I hope it is )Drupal site building strategyDedicated for web admin, site builder, Drupal themer and junior developer and Drupal newbie.Purpose : to be able to hear feedback from fellow developer about their own strategy and practice.

3. About MeI am a Freelancer working as Drupal Site builder, Drupal Themer / Designer and Website adminA total of 1 year and 39 weeks since I started using Drupal and registered as a member in PhDrug -> http://groups.drupal.org/philippinesInformation and Communication Technology StudentShort Course trainers teaching Dreamweaver and Fireworks

4. Category checklistDeployment Performance Administration TroubleshootingSecurity

5. Always check “Status report”Deployment : Check “Status report”PATH : /admin/reports/statusResolve any errors shown in status report

6. Always check “Status report”Deployment : Check “Status report”PATH : /admin/reports/status/sqlPATH : /admin/reports/status/phpStatus report page gives you a lot of useful informationfor troubleshooting your Drupal sites and it will allow you to resolve almost 90% of the problem of your Drupal sites just by resolving errors and issues found in this page.

7. Check the “Site Information”Check if all information define here is correct such as “E-mail address and Site name”. - use email address ending in sites domain Set the default front page, slogan if needed, footer and mission statementIf you installed Poormans cron module, you can set the time interval in this page for running cron.Deployment : Check the “ Site Information”

8. Check “User registration” settingsPath : /admin/user/settingsThe default value of Visitors can create accounts and no administrator approval is required is easily overlooked, and often undesired.Deployment : Check the “ User registration” settings

9. Check “User registration” settingsIf you disable the public registration and choose Only site administrators can create new user accounts you may also interested removing the link “Request new password” in the login block or page, the module “No request new password” will allow you to do this.Module Download URL : http://drupal.org/project/noreqnewpassDeployment : Check the “ User registration” settings

10. Disallow odd usernamesIf you enabled the public registration for your Drupal sites, It is recommended that you prevent users from registering on your website with some odd usernames like: root, admin, webmaster, administrator etc.To prevent this from happening: - Go to Administer > User management > Access rules > Add rule - Set Access type to Deny - Set Rule type to Username - In Mask type root - Click the Add rule buttonRepeat this for every username you don't want to be created on your site.Deployment : Disallow odd usernames

11. Disallow odd usernamesDeployment : Disallow odd usernamesYou can also add rule to disallow users who registered using disposable emails, or certaindomain name.

12. Confirm “Email” settingsOften, placeholder email addresses will be filled in during development, and should be updated before deployment. Try to start with the correct addresses from the beginning when possible. In addition to Drupal's global site mail, email addresses is stored in a variety of places: The admin user's account, contact forms, webforms, ubercart etc.Deployment : Confirm “ Email” settings

13. Confirm “Email” settingsIn every site I’ve maintain, I always set the notification for new security release to send updates to my email account , PATH -> /admin/reports/updates/settingsDeployment : Confirm “ Email” settings

14. Adjust “Database logging” row limitThe default row limit of 1000 can wrap quickly, database logging gives you information for vital debugging when you need it. The average row length is generally around 1kB, so you can boost this up to 100,000 rows and still leave you with a manageable watchdog table.Note : If your website is running on a shared hosting account, turning off database logging and automatic updates will speed uploading of your Drupal sites. PATH : /admin/settings/logging/dblogPATH : /admin/reports/dblogDeployment : Adjust “Database logging” row limit

15. Use “PhpMyadmin” to remove database overhead, optimize and check your Drupal’s database regularlyIf you don’t regularlycheck your Drupalsites database, overhead will growbigger and bigger insize and your sitewill slow down loading pages.Deployment and Performance : Use PhpMyadmin to repair and optimize Drupal database tables

16. Set-up “Cron” Easiest way is to install “Poormanscron” modules, download URL is - > http://drupal.org/project/poormanscronThen in “Site Information” page you canadjust the time intervals of your Drupal sites to run cron.You can also setup cron in your websitecPanel, information on setting up croncan be found here :http://drupal.org/cronPoormanscron is now part of Drupal 7Deployment : Set up cron : Install Poormanscron module

17. Check “Error reporting ” pageDeployment : Check “Error reporting “PATH : /admin/settings/error-reporting

18. Error 403 and Error 404 pagesIf you don’t want visitors trying to go to restricted directory redirected into user login page, then alternatively you can create a node with some extra information so that your visitors don't ever fall on the default blank 403 access denied page.Create the node and remember its node IDGo back to Administer > Site configuration > Error reportingSet Default 403 (Access denied) page to the node ID you just createdSave your settings and repeat the same step for setting up Error 404 page.If you want you can also use the Search 404 module , download URL : http://drupal.org/project/search404 Deployment : Error 403 and Error 404 pages

19. Disable “Error reporting”On a production site, it's best to suppress on-screen error reporting by choosing Write errors to the log.- Go to Site configuration > Error reporting Set Error reporting list box to Write errors to log- Save configurationDeployment : Disable :Error reporting”

20. Install Backup and MigrateDeployment : Install Backup and MigrateI Use Backup and Migrate module to backup client Drupal database automatically

21. Install Backup and MigrateDeployment : Install Backup and Migrate - I Use Backup and Migrate module to easily extract database and migrate Drupal site. - Then copy the sites folder To the new server, excluding the file “settings.php”Then restore or import the database into the new serverDownload URL : http://drupal.org/project/backup_migrate

22. Use “FireFTP” to synchronized and upload filesDeployment : Use “FireFTP” to synchronized and upload files

23. Use “FireFTP” to synchronized and upload filesDownload URL : http://fireftp.mozdev.org/ - FireFTP is an FTP clients extension for Mozilla FirefoxDeployment : Use “FireFTP” to upload and synchronized files

24. Install WYSIWYG for your site users or clientsDeployment : Install WYSIWYG editor

25. Install WYSIWYG for your site users or clientsDeployment : Install WYSIWYG editorI used the combination of the following modules : CKEditor - http://drupal.org/project/ckeditor

26. CKEditor link - http://drupal.org/project/ckeditor_link

27. CKEditor SWF - http://drupal.org/project/ckeditor_swf

28. Image resize filter - http://drupal.org/project/image_resize_filter

29. IMCE - http://drupal.org/project/imce

30. IMCE Mkdir - http://drupal.org/project/imce_mkdir

31. IMCE Rename - http://drupal.org/project/imce_rename

32. IMCE Crop - http://drupal.org/project/imce_crop

33. Better Formats - http://drupal.org/project/better_formatsWHEW! That’s a lot of modules!

34. Don’t forget to set your “favicon”Deployment : Set your “favicon”A – If your themes comeswith a favicon icon.B – Or else you can uploadimage to be use as faviconI prefer to use the themesdefault favicon, I createfavicon using the onlinegenerator at the URL :http://favicon-generator.orgAB

35. Check modules and themes directoryCommon mistakes for newbie is to put contributed modules and themes in the wrong directory.Don’t drop contributed modulesand your custom theme in theseDirectory, this is for core modulesAnd core theme only.Deployment : Check “modules and themes” directory

36. Check modules and themes directoryPut it inside “sites/all/modules” for modules and “sites/all/themes” for your custom theme.You can drop your downloaded contributed modules and themes or custom modules and themes into these directory.You can create folder named “modules” or “themes” inside this 2 folder and drop your module or theme there.Deployment : Check “modules and themes” directory

37. Check and set Caching modePATH : /admin/settings/performanceDeployment and Performance : Check and set Caching mode

38. Set Page compression and Block CachePATH : /admin/settings/performanceDeployment and Performance : Set Page compression and Block cache

39. Optimize and Gzip CSS and Javascript filePATH : /admin/settings/performance - I use Javascript aggregator module to gzip and minify javascript.URL to download: http://drupal.org/project/javascript_aggregator - I use cssgzip module to gzip css fileURL to download :http://drupal.org/project/css_gzip For maximum performance , you can try to install also boost moduleURL to download :http://drupal.org/project/boostDeployment and Performance : Optimize and Gzip CSS and Javascript file

40. Confirmation : before CSS and Javascript optimization That’s a lot of http request!Deployment and Performance : Before optimizing CSS and Javascript

41. Confirmation : after optimization, only 2 http request, WOW what a great improvement!Deployment and Performance : Before optimizing CSS and Javascript

42. Use “Web developer toolbar” to confirm css and javascript file compressionUncompressed sizeCompressed sizeTake note of the big difference in thefile sizes, really cool!You can download Web Developer toolbar hereURL : http://chrispederick.com/work/web-developer/Deployment and Performance : Use “Web developer toolbar”

43. Use “Yslow” to grade and check performance of your Drupal site You can download Yslow here in this URL : http://developer.yahoo.com/yslow/Deployment and Performance : Use “Yslow”

44. Test Performance and page speed using the free services of http://www.webpagetest.orgAccording to survey, visitors go leave your site if it doesn’t load within 7 secondsDeployment and Performance : Use webpagetes.org website to measure page speed

45. Check Module PagePATH : /admin/build/modulesBefore deploying a site, disable all developer modules. Example : - views_ui - imagecache_ui - masquerade - devel- theme editorDisable and uninstall module that your site don’t need.If you delete previously installed modules, you may want to clean your Drupal site system table, use “System table cleaner” module.URL : http://drupal.org/project/system_table_cleanerNote : Drupal 7 already included system table cleaner functionalityDeployment and Performance : Check Module Page

46. Check “.htaccess”Decide whether to redirectyour visitors to domain withwww prefix or without wwwprefix, good for SEOAdd configuration for ETagDeployment and SEO : Check “.htaccess”

47. Enable Clean URL / check URL aliasesEnable path module and install pathauto.You may want to set updateaction in pathauto settingsnot to change the url aliasif nodes are updated, this willavoid broken link and SEO Problem.PATH : /admin/build/path/settingsYou may also install “transliteration” module to handle sanitation of file names.Deployment and SEO : Enable clean URL / check URL aliases