How to Install Directus as a Self-Hosted Headless CMS

Directus provides a headless CMS/data platform that wraps around your own SQL database, giving you a genuine content management API without dictating your database schema. This guide covers self-hosted setup.

What Makes Directus Distinct

Unlike most CMS platforms that impose their own database schema, Directus wraps around your existing (or newly created) SQL database, auto-generating a REST/GraphQL API and admin interface from your actual schema — genuinely useful if you want CMS convenience without giving up direct database control.

Step 1 — Set Up a Database

See How to Install PostgreSQL and Configure It for Production Use — Directus supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, and several other databases; PostgreSQL is a commonly recommended choice.

Step 2 — Run Directus via Docker (Recommended)

docker run -d --name directus \
  -p 8055:8055 \
  -e KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 16) \
  -e SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 16) \
  -e DB_CLIENT=pg \
  -e DB_HOST=your-db-host \
  -e DB_PORT=5432 \
  -e DB_DATABASE=directus \
  -e DB_USER=directus_user \
  -e DB_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME \
  -e [email protected] \
  -e ADMIN_PASSWORD=CHANGE_ME \
  directus/directus

Docker is the officially recommended deployment method, simplifying dependency management considerably.

Step 3 — Access the Admin Panel

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8055

Step 4 — Set Up Nginx Reverse Proxy with HTTPS

See How to Set Up Nginx as a Reverse Proxy for Node.js Apps for the general pattern — never expose Directus's admin panel without HTTPS given the sensitivity of database management access.

Connecting to an Existing Database Schema

If pointed at a database with existing tables, Directus automatically discovers and exposes them through its interface — a genuinely useful capability if you have existing application data you want to add CMS-style management to, without migration.

Configuring API Access Permissions

Directus provides granular role-based access control for both the admin interface and API access — configure appropriately restrictive permissions for public API access, similar consideration to How to Install Strapi Headless CMS on a VPS's permission configuration.

Using the Generated API

GET https://cms.yourdomain.com/items/articles

Directus auto-generates REST and GraphQL endpoints based on your database schema — consume these from your actual frontend application, similar architectural pattern to other headless CMS setups.

Setting Up File/Asset Storage

STORAGE_LOCATIONS=local
STORAGE_LOCAL_ROOT=/directus/uploads

Configure local file storage, or integrate with S3-compatible object storage (see How to Set Up Self-Hosted S3-Compatible Object Storage with MinIO) for media/asset management scalability.

Backing Up Directus

Back up both the underlying database (containing your actual content/schema) and any file storage — Directus itself is largely stateless configuration wrapped around your database, making the database backup the most critical component.

Common Errors

Existing database tables not appearing in Directus interface — verify Directus has appropriate database permissions to introspect the schema, and check whether tables need explicit "collection" configuration within Directus before appearing in the managed interface.

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