Drupal Canvas, formerly known as Experience Builder, is Drupal's visual page builder. It lets users design custom layouts and content directly on the page using a drag-and-drop interface, bringing real-time, on-page editing to Drupal: you build a page by seeing exactly what your visitors will see while you work.
Rather than bolting a separate page builder onto your site, Drupal Canvas is built around Drupal's own content model. That means your layouts still use structured content, fields, and reusable components, with none of the lock-in or data sprawl that third-party builders often introduce.
What are the benefits of Drupal Canvas?
- No-code page building. Editors and designers create engaging, flexible pages without writing any code.
- True visual editing. You design directly on the page with a drag-and-drop interface and see the result in real time.
- Reusable components. Build once, reuse everywhere, which keeps pages consistent and on-brand.
- Faster content creation. Less back-and-forth with developers means pages ship sooner.
- Built on Drupal, not bolted on. Layouts use Drupal's content framework, so your content stays structured, portable, and future-proof.
- Brand consistency. A shared component library keeps every page looking professional and aligned with your design system.
How Drupal Canvas works
Drupal Canvas adds a visual editor on top of your theme's component library. You open a page, drag components onto the canvas, edit text and images in place, and publish when you are happy. What you see while editing is exactly what visitors get.
Under the hood, every building block is a standard Drupal component based on single directory components (SDC). Developers define components in code, editors assemble them visually, and both sides stay within Drupal's content model.
Drupal Canvas vs Layout Builder vs Paragraphs
Layout Builder and Paragraphs both solved parts of the page-building puzzle, but they were designed before true on-page visual editing was possible in Drupal. Canvas is the successor built for exactly that job. For a detailed breakdown of what each one does well and when to use which, read our comparison: Drupal Canvas vs Layout Builder vs Paragraphs.
Why Webhaven gets the most out of Drupal Canvas
Webhaven, the ultimate Drupal site template, integrates fully with Drupal Canvas and ships with a complete, branded page-building system. Instead of an empty canvas, you get a ready-made library of building blocks, organized into four layers that work together:
- Layouts control the arrangement of your components. They handle spacing and organization so everything stays balanced and scales perfectly across every screen size.
- Components are pre-configured elements that handle specific tasks. You drop them straight into your layouts to add functionality while keeping the design consistent.
- Sections are pre-built, ready-to-use content blocks. Think of them as Lego pieces you assemble to build polished pages fast, with no manual configuration needed.
- Atoms are the smallest building blocks, things like buttons, titles, and labels. They live inside layouts, components, and sections to keep your design system consistent everywhere.
Together, these layers are what set Webhaven apart:
- Ready out of the box. Drupal Canvas comes pre-configured in Webhaven, with the full set of layouts, sections, components, and atoms ready to use.
- Branded from day one. Every building block is professionally designed and on-brand, so your team produces polished pages immediately.
- Built for editors. Less technical complexity and a better editing experience mean more of your team can contribute, faster.
- A real competitive edge. With Webhaven and Drupal Canvas together, Drupal steps confidently onto the stage alongside, and even ahead of, other page builders.
See Drupal Canvas in action
The fastest way to understand Drupal Canvas is to click around a site built with it. Our Drupal Canvas demo is a complete Webhaven site where you can browse the full component library live. Ready to use it yourself? Follow the Drupal Canvas configuration guide, or read why we built Webhaven around Canvas for the background story.
Frequently asked questions
Is Drupal Canvas free?
Yes. Drupal Canvas is an open-source Drupal module, free to download and use on any Drupal site. In Webhaven it comes pre-installed and pre-configured.
Does Drupal Canvas replace Layout Builder?
Drupal Canvas is positioned as the future of visual page building in Drupal, while Layout Builder remains available and supported. Which one fits depends on your project; our comparison guide walks through the trade-offs.
Do I need to be a developer to use Drupal Canvas?
No. Editing is fully visual and requires no code. Developers only get involved when you want new custom components, which are standard Drupal SDC components any Drupal developer can build.