What Is Directus?

Directus is an open-source headless CMS and data platform that wraps any SQL database with auto-generated REST and GraphQL APIs plus a visual admin panel called Data Studio. Unlike Strapi, Directus doesn’t impose its own schema — it mirrors your existing database tables. This makes it useful both as a CMS and as an instant API layer for any SQL database. Official site.

Prerequisites

A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04+ recommended)
Docker and Docker Compose installed (guide)
1 GB of RAM minimum (2 GB recommended with Redis)
5 GB of free disk space
A domain name (optional, for production access)

Docker Compose Configuration

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

services:
  directus:
    image: directus/directus:11.15.4
    container_name: directus
    ports:
      - "8055:8055"
    volumes:
      - directus-uploads:/directus/uploads
      - directus-extensions:/directus/extensions
    depends_on:
      directus-db:
        condition: service_healthy
      directus-cache:
        condition: service_healthy
    environment:
      SECRET: "replace-with-a-long-random-value"  # CHANGE THIS — generate with: openssl rand -base64 32

      # Database
      DB_CLIENT: "pg"
      DB_HOST: "directus-db"
      DB_PORT: "5432"
      DB_DATABASE: "directus"
      DB_USER: "directus"
      DB_PASSWORD: "change-me-strong-password"  # CHANGE THIS

      # Cache
      CACHE_ENABLED: "true"
      CACHE_STORE: "redis"
      REDIS: "redis://directus-cache:6379"

      # Admin account (created on first startup)
      ADMIN_EMAIL: "[email protected]"    # CHANGE THIS
      ADMIN_PASSWORD: "change-me-admin"   # CHANGE THIS

      # Optional
      WEBSOCKETS_ENABLED: "true"
    restart: unless-stopped

  directus-db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    container_name: directus-db
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: "directus"
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: "change-me-strong-password"  # Must match DB_PASSWORD above
      POSTGRES_DB: "directus"
    volumes:
      - directus-db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U directus"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped

  directus-cache:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    container_name: directus-cache
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  directus-uploads:
  directus-extensions:
  directus-db-data:

Generate a secure secret:

openssl rand -base64 32

Replace the placeholder values and start:

docker compose up -d

Initial Setup

Open http://your-server:8055 in your browser
Log in with the admin email and password you set in the compose file
You’ll see the Data Studio — Directus’s visual admin interface
Create your first collection (database table) by clicking the + in the sidebar
Define fields for your collection — Directus supports 30+ field types
Add content entries through the Content module

API Access

Directus automatically generates APIs for every collection:

REST API: http://your-server:8055/items/[collection-name]
GraphQL API: http://your-server:8055/graphql

Both require authentication by default. Create an API token under Settings > Access Tokens, or configure public access under Settings > Roles > Public.

Configuration

Database Options

Directus supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB, MS-SQL, and OracleDB. For MySQL:

environment:
  DB_CLIENT: "mysql"
  DB_HOST: "directus-db"
  DB_PORT: "3306"
  DB_DATABASE: "directus"
  DB_USER: "directus"
  DB_PASSWORD: "your-password"

For simple setups, SQLite works without an external database:

environment:
  DB_CLIENT: "sqlite3"
  DB_FILENAME: "/directus/database/data.db"
volumes:
  - directus-database:/directus/database

File Storage

Directus stores uploads locally by default. For production, configure S3-compatible storage:

environment:
  STORAGE_LOCATIONS: "s3"
  STORAGE_S3_DRIVER: "s3"
  STORAGE_S3_KEY: "your-access-key"
  STORAGE_S3_SECRET: "your-secret-key"
  STORAGE_S3_BUCKET: "your-bucket"
  STORAGE_S3_REGION: "us-east-1"

Also supports Google Cloud Storage, Azure Blob Storage, Cloudinary, and Supabase Storage.

Email Configuration

Configure email for password resets and notifications:

environment:
  EMAIL_FROM: "[email protected]"
  EMAIL_TRANSPORT: "smtp"
  EMAIL_SMTP_HOST: "smtp.example.com"
  EMAIL_SMTP_PORT: "587"
  EMAIL_SMTP_USER: "your-username"
  EMAIL_SMTP_PASSWORD: "your-password"

Advanced Configuration (Optional)

Flows (Automations)

Directus includes a built-in automation engine similar to n8n or Zapier. Create event-triggered or scheduled workflows directly in the admin panel under Settings > Flows. No additional containers needed.

Extensions

Add custom extensions by placing them in the /directus/extensions directory (mounted as a volume). Directus supports custom endpoints, hooks, interfaces, displays, layouts, modules, panels, and themes.

Authentication Providers

Configure OAuth2, OpenID, LDAP, or SAML authentication:

environment:
  AUTH_PROVIDERS: "google"
  AUTH_GOOGLE_DRIVER: "openid"
  AUTH_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID: "your-client-id"
  AUTH_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET: "your-secret"
  AUTH_GOOGLE_ISSUER_URL: "https://accounts.google.com/.well-known/openid-configuration"

WebSockets

Real-time data updates are available via WebSocket when WEBSOCKETS_ENABLED is set to "true". Clients can subscribe to collection changes.

Reverse Proxy

Configure your reverse proxy to forward to port 8055. See Reverse Proxy Setup for full guides with Nginx Proxy Manager, Traefik, or Caddy.

Backup

PostgreSQL database:

docker exec directus-db pg_dump -U directus directus > directus-backup.sql

Uploaded files:

docker run --rm -v directus-uploads:/data -v $(pwd):/backup alpine \
  tar czf /backup/directus-uploads.tar.gz /data

See Backup Strategy.

Troubleshooting

Migrations Fail on Startup

Symptom: Directus crashes during startup with database migration errors. Fix: This usually happens after upgrading Directus versions. Check that your PostgreSQL version is compatible (16+ recommended). Run with verbose logs:

docker compose logs directus --tail 100

If a specific migration fails, check the Directus GitHub issues for known problems with that version.

Uploads Not Persisting

Symptom: Uploaded files disappear after container restart. Fix: Ensure the /directus/uploads volume is mounted correctly. Check volume ownership:

docker exec directus ls -la /directus/uploads

The node user (UID 1000) must own the directory.

Redis Connection Refused

Symptom: Directus logs show Redis connection errors. Fix: Ensure the Redis service is healthy and the REDIS URL uses the correct service name. If you don’t need caching, remove the cache service and set CACHE_ENABLED: "false".

Admin Password Reset

Symptom: Forgot the admin password. Fix: Connect directly to PostgreSQL and update the password hash, or delete and recreate the admin via the ADMIN_EMAIL and ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variables (requires a fresh bootstrap).

Slow API Responses

Symptom: API queries take several seconds. Fix: Enable Redis caching (CACHE_ENABLED: "true"). Add database indexes for frequently queried fields. Check that your PostgreSQL instance has enough RAM allocated.

Resource Requirements

RAM: 512 MB minimum (Directus alone), 1.5 GB with PostgreSQL and Redis
CPU: Low to Medium
Disk: 1 GB for the application, plus database and upload storage

Verdict

Directus is the best self-hosted headless CMS for teams that want a pre-built Docker image, instant APIs, and a polished admin interface. The database-agnostic approach is its killer feature — connect it to an existing PostgreSQL or MySQL database and you instantly get REST + GraphQL APIs with a visual admin panel. The built-in Flows automation engine and granular role-based permissions make it production-ready out of the box.

Choose Directus over Strapi if you want simpler deployment (pre-built Docker image vs build-from-source), database flexibility, or the ability to wrap an existing database. Choose Strapi if you prefer its content-type builder workflow or need its larger plugin ecosystem.

Licensing note: Directus uses BSL 1.1, which is free for organizations with less than $5M in total finances. Larger organizations need a commercial license.