Frontend & app frameworks
Frontend and app frameworks build the interface layer: what the user sees and interacts with in a browser or on a phone. They consume data from an API, whether that is a Drupal backend, a Symfony or Express.js service, or a third-party system.
Metadrop staffs engineers experienced in five frontend and app frameworks, matched to the client's existing stack, team skills and hosting constraints.
React
enterprise React development, legacy modernization, headless Drupal frontends and SLA support.
Next.js
server-rendered React applications where search visibility and page speed are commercial requirements, plus SEO-conscious migrations.
Vue.js
Vue.js and Nuxt applications, including Vue 2 to Vue 3 modernization of legacy codebases.
Angular
large structured single-page applications, customer portals and dashboards, plus AngularJS migration.
Flutter
cross-platform iOS and Android apps from one Dart codebase, typically backed by a Drupal or API backend.
Backend & API frameworks
Backend and API frameworks build the server side: business logic, data models, authentication, integrations and the APIs the frontend consumes. Metadrop's PHP heritage is 15+ years of Drupal, which is built on Symfony components, so Symfony and Laravel work draws on the same engineering bench.
Symfony
enterprise Symfony development, API Platform backends, legacy PHP migration and major-version upgrades.
Laravel
Laravel applications and API backends, plus migration of legacy PHP or Symfony codebases.
Express.js
Node.js and Express.js services, including REST and GraphQL APIs, microservices and backend-for-frontend layers
How we choose the stack with you
The starting point is the stack the client already runs. Team skills, an existing codebase and hosting constraints usually narrow the field before any technical debate starts.
A handful of requirements then do most of the remaining work. Search visibility requirements point towards server-rendered output, while internal tools behind a login rarely need it. One codebase for iOS and Android points towards Flutter, and a browser-only audience does not need a mobile framework at all. An existing PHP investment in Drupal or legacy PHP usually makes Symfony or Laravel the lower-risk backend choice. API-heavy integration work with high concurrency is where a Node.js and Express.js service earns its place.
Metadrop states the trade-offs in writing, including maintenance cost and hiring implications, so the decision is documented rather than assumed. A short technical discovery can be scoped before any build commitment, which validates the stack choice against the real requirements.
Framework applications with headless Drupal
Many Metadrop framework projects are one half of a decoupled architecture: Drupal manages content and editorial workflow, and a framework application renders the experience. Editors keep Drupal's content moderation, multilingual and permissions model, while the frontend team works against a stable API contract.
Metadrop has delivered standalone frontend applications embedded into a Drupal platform, rendering data from both the CMS API and a third-party sport-federation API. Work in this pattern has included API wrappers with schema validation, Atomic Design component libraries, and progressive porting of legacy features into modern framework components. One humanitarian NGO platform combined Drupal with GraphQL endpoints and Nuxt (Vue) applications for authenticated, group-based user journeys.
Metadrop engineers have presented on decoupled Drupal and reactive JavaScript architecture at Drupal community conferences, including Decoupled Drupal Days in New York. Architecture detail for this pattern lives on the headless CMS with Drupal solution page.
Working with Metadrop on framework projects
Metadrop has spent 15+ years building and running mission-critical platforms for European organizations, and is a Drupal Silver Certified Partner. The company is ENS certified, with delivery practice aligned to GDPR and prepared for NIS2 requirements. Accessibility is an engineering requirement here: WCAG 2.1 AA is the current legal baseline in the EU, and framework components are designed to meet it. Work has been delivered across 50+ countries and 30+ languages, including multilingual and multi-brand platforms.
Framework work is staffed with experienced engineers, with a documented definition of done, peer review and CI pipelines as part of the standard delivery approach. Metadrop also takes over existing codebases rather than only starting from scratch, including framework major-version upgrades on applications it did not originally build.
Engagements continue after launch under a contractual SLA: monitoring, dependency and framework upgrades, and incident response. Source code, documentation and credentials are handed over as agreed in the engagement, so an internal team can take the platform on.
Trusted by
From industrial manufacturing and chemicals to international NGOs, sport federations and the public sector, organizations across Europe and 50+ countries have relied on Metadrop for framework and platform engineering.
Frequently asked questions
Which framework should we choose for our project?
The answer comes from the existing stack, team skills, search-visibility needs, mobile requirements and integration load, rather than from a ranking of frameworks. Metadrop documents the trade-offs, including maintenance cost and hiring implications, and a short technical discovery validates the choice before any build commitment.
Can you work with a framework we already have in production?
Yes. Metadrop takes over existing codebases as well as building from scratch, including framework major-version upgrades on applications it did not originally build. A codebase audit in the first phase establishes the state of the application before any roadmap is agreed.
Do you combine these frameworks with Drupal?
Frequently. Drupal manages content and editorial workflow while a framework application renders the experience against a stable API contract. Architecture detail lives on the headless CMS with Drupal page.
Can one project use both a frontend and a backend framework from this list?
Yes. Any of the frontend stacks can be paired with a Symfony, Laravel or Express.js backend, or with Drupal as the content source.
What happens after launch?
Engagements continue under a contractual SLA: monitoring, dependency and framework upgrades, and incident response, with source code, documentation and credentials handed over as agreed in the engagement.