Directus Headless Backend

Directus is a headless backend and content management system that connects to any SQL database and instantly generates REST and GraphQL APIs, a no-code admin interface, and digital asset management capabilities without writing application code. When a database schema is connected through PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, or other supported engines, the platform introspects the tables, columns, and relationships, producing a fully typed API with filtering, sorting, pagination, and aggregation endpoints that mirror the database structure exactly with no abstraction layer hiding the underlying data. The admin application, called the Studio, provides a visual interface where non-technical team members can create, edit, and publish records through forms generated from the schema, with rich text editing, file uploads, relational pickers, and conditional field visibility. Content workflows support draft, review, and publish states with customizable approval chains, role-based permissions at the field level, and multi-language localization with fallback chains. A native Model Context Protocol server exposes the backend to AI agents and development tools like Cursor and Claude Desktop, allowing programmatic data operations governed by the same access policies as human users. Real-time subscriptions deliver live updates through WebSocket connections for collaborative editing and live dashboards. Visual editing and live preview show content changes in the actual frontend application as editors type. The platform serves over forty-five million downloads, powers projects at Tripadvisor, Club Med, Weber, Copa Airlines, and Rescue.org, and offers both self-hosted and managed cloud deployment options.