Stardate 47634.44: We’ve encountered the Backdrop CMS, and found it to be the fastest way to make a flexible and modern website. Using the code and concepts we know from Drupal 7, it optimizes web development for 2016.

However, we are perplexed why our development workflows are still archaic and barbaric. To right this wrong, we must violate the Prime Directive and bring technology from the future.

Kalabox. Engage.

What is Kalabox?

Kalabox is the fastest way to start developing Backdrop web applications on your Mac, Windows, or Linux computer. It's the next generation of local development environments, if you will.

If you currently do local development with Backdrop, you’ve probably had issues with MAMP, Vagrant boxes and other solutions. Had to edit Apache config files due to weird memory issues? Ever wanted to add Apachesolr to your config? Just tired of generally slow page loads on your sites? Local development tribulations multiply faster than tribbles, costing untold hours of productive (and billable) work.

Kalabox eliminates these problems by delivering all the dev tools you need in a convenient package. Leveraging the power of Docker containers, we can provide better performance, flexibility, and reliability than past solutions. Did I mention it’s free and open-source?

Warpspeed: Getting Started w/Kalabox + Backdrop

You can get a Backdrop site running on Kalabox in about the same time as it takes to make a cup of earl grey (without a replicator, of course). Simply...

  1. Download the proper install package from our website
  2. Run the installer on your Mac, Windows, or Linux machine
  3. Open the Kalabox desktop application and spin-up a new Backdrop project or download an existing one from Pantheon

It works the same way on all OS’s, every time, for developers, designers, project managers, and stakeholders of every experience level.

Dev Tools Included (Now With Multiple Phaser Settings!)

So what’s under the hood of Kalabox’s warp core?

If you import a Pantheon site, we emulate Pantheon’s environment with the same PHP, MariaDB, Apachesolr, and Redis versions. We even have a “edge” address you can hit that’s served by Varnish, if you need to test page caching. This local-to-production parity eliminates the “works on my local” problem once and for all.

Default dev tools are even more exciting. With Kalabox, you get…

  • Drush

  • Git

  • NPM

  • Grunt

  • Gulp

...and many other services working out-of-the-box on Mac, Windows, and Linux environments. If you use these CLI tools, just prefix your command with “kbox” (ex: “kbox drush status”) and you’re off to the races.

Going Boldly Where No Developer Has Gone Before

As long-time supporters, we're excited to be working with everyone in the Backdrop community. Together, we can eliminate drudgery to make our work as web developers more efficient and fun. Hope to see you out exploring on the internet's final frontier!

If you'll be going to DrupalCon New Orleans in a few weeks, let's talk Backdrop and Kalabox:

Check out these resources for further information on Kalabox: