Drupal Content Audit: A Lightweight Content Inventory Tool
I built drupal-content-audit as a lightweight way to inspect and report on content in a Drupal site. It focuses on surfacing what content exists and how it is distributed, giving a quick snapshot that is easy to share with stakeholders.
The Problem
Before a migration, redesign, or content pruning effort, you need answers: How many nodes of each type exist? What is published vs. unpublished? When was the last update? Without a tool, this turns into ad-hoc database queries or manual spreadsheet work that nobody wants to repeat.
The Solution
The module generates a deterministic content inventory. Point it at a Drupal site and get a structured report of content distribution by type, status, and freshness.
Tech Stack
| Component | Technology | Why |
|---|---|---|
| CMS | Drupal 10/11 | Target platform |
| Output | Structured JSON / table | Easy to diff over time and wire into CI |
| Scope | Read-only queries | Safe to run on production without side effects |
| License | MIT | Open for adoption |
When the report structure is stable, it is much easier to diff changes over time and wire it into CI checks or content QA workflows. Resist the urge to add every possible metric -- a focused report gets used; an exhaustive one gets ignored.
Content audits are most valuable before a migration starts. Once content is mid-flight, the numbers shift and the audit becomes a moving target. Run it, export it, lock it in as the baseline.
- Usage
- Sample Output
# Run the content audit
drush content-audit:run --format=json > audit.json
# Quick summary
drush content-audit:summary
{
"content_types": {
"article": { "published": 142, "unpublished": 23 },
"page": { "published": 38, "unpublished": 5 },
"landing_page": { "published": 12, "unpublished": 2 }
},
"total_nodes": 222,
"last_updated": "2026-02-06T18:07:00Z"
}
Why this matters for Drupal and WordPress
Content audits are the first step in any Drupal migration, redesign, or content governance initiative -- agencies running dozens of Drupal sites need a repeatable way to snapshot content distribution before making structural changes. For WordPress-to-Drupal or Drupal-to-WordPress migrations, running this audit on the source site gives you a baseline count by content type and status that directly informs the migration mapping. The JSON output format also integrates cleanly into CI pipelines that both Drupal and WordPress hosting platforms support.
Technical Takeaway
Keep the audit output narrowly scoped and deterministic. When the report structure is stable, it is much easier to diff changes over time and wire it into CI checks or content QA workflows.
References
Looking for an Architect who doesn't just write code, but builds the AI systems that multiply your team's output? View my enterprise CMS case studies at victorjimenezdev.github.io or connect with me on LinkedIn.