Drupal 11.4.0 is now available

Drupal 11.4.0 delivers massive backend performance and modernization updates. Optimizations to entity field loading drastically cut database and cache lookups, executing just over a third of the queries compared to versions 11.0 or 10.6 on cold caches, which significantly reduces slow table joins for JSON:API. Additionally, recipe-based installations run twice as fast, and translation file imports see up to an 87% speed increase alongside an object-oriented refactoring of the Locale module API. On the asset side, the release introduces native Brotli compression support for aggregated CSS and JavaScript via the PHP ext-brotli extension, offering a 15–25% file size reduction over standard gzip.

For developers and site architects, this release transitions key systems toward modern PHP patterns and improved toolchains. It introduces a new experimental native command-line interface (./vendor/bin/dr) developed alongside Drush maintainers, intending to gradually replace Drush over time. Code architectural updates include the migration of all core .theme files and most .module files into PHP classes, the ability to declare routes using Symfony PHP attributes directly on controllers, and a new Bundle attribute for defining bundle classes without hooks. Under the hood, integrating the symfony/runtime component separates environment bootstrapping from request handling—paving the way for FrankenPHP integration—while the new HttpKernelUiHelperTrait allows kernel tests to make HTTP requests, accelerating test suites by bypassing full browser installations.

The user experience, default configuration, and security models have also been revised. The drupal/core-recommended package no longer locks minor versions for dependencies like Guzzle, Twig, and Symfony Polyfills, allowing administrators to apply immediate security updates. Password security is improved with a configurable hashing system that adds support for Argon2id. The standard installation profile is now leaner, disabling comments by default and removing the placeholder Article and Page content types, while the Navigation module is now active by default. Finally, content editors gain a distraction-free full-screen mode in CKEditor, display builders get a unified overview page to manage entity view modes, and the Gin theme has entered core as the experimental "Default Admin" theme featuring native dark mode.