Canvas or Display Builder? Which one is the right tool for your job? And what may explode i if you install both?

Prerequisite

The session is suitable for all experience levels:
- No prior knowledge of Canvas or Display Builder required: I start from zero and pull no punches
- I also don't assume you know the difference between slots and props, but the explanation will be very short

What helps maximize your takeaways:
- Basic familiarity with Drupal's content model
- Knowledge of Drupal's theming or layout system (SDCs, layout builder, paragraphs, or block layout)
- Experiences with other page builders

Target Audience

Drupal developers, site builders, and technical architects evaluating modern page-building approaches for real projects. Ideal for teams working with Layout Builder, Paragraphs, or SDCs who need to decide between Canvas and Display Builder. Especially valuable for those responsible for architecture decisions, editor experience, and long-term maintainability in complex Drupal implementations.

Outline

Two contenders. One Drupal site. And the wrong choice for your task can cost you days or weeks.

Canvas and Display Builder are both approaching production maturity. And both promise to revolutionize how editors, site builders, and designers work with Drupal. But they are built on fundamentally different assumptions, and choosing between them is a critical architectural decision.

In this session we put them through their paces across three rounds:

Round 1: Page Layout
Can they replace Drupals fragmented theming approach consisting of block layout, theme regions and templates? What does setup actually involve, and what trade-offs emerge?

Round 2: Managing Displays
How do they handle Drupal’s data model (entities, fields, formatters, widgets) and map to component "slots and props"?

Round 3: Frontpage Gauntlet
Flexible landing pages like a Frontpage require editorial autonomy, multilingual content, media handling, and AI-assisted workflows. Which approach works out with that?

Each round is fought in real projects' requirements. Gotchas, workarounds, and limitations are pointed out. The session closes with a practical decision framework so you leave the arena knowing which tool is suitable for the given requirements of your next project and how upcoming roadmap developments may influence that choice.

Let's get ready to rumble.

Learning Objectives

After this session, you have:
- A clear understanding of the underlying assumptions of Canvas or Display Builder
- A checklist to guide your next project decision
- Awareness of real-world pitfalls before you hit them

Experience level
Anyone