Drupal Features Module

Drupal’s content construction kit (CCK) is great- it allows you to quickly and flexibly create new node types without writing any code.  The problem with this approach (as opposed to defining your content type in a custom module) is that your field definitions are stored in the database and are thus part of the site’s configuration- not great if this type is to be reused elsewhere.

Enter Features.

Drupal Features plays off of modules with exportables by providing a way to bundle functionality that was previously locked into the configuration and export it to code.  Features can include CCK types, fields, views, roles, permissions, and more, all packaged into a single module (allowing you to also include any custom code of your own) that can be checked into version control, updated, installed elsewhere, etc., just like any other Drupal module.