Self-host Directus
updated Jul 2026deployed & timed by usprices checked · Aug 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Jul 2026 · how we test
Instant REST and GraphQL APIs plus a customizable admin app layered over any SQL database — a data platform for turning an existing or new database into a headless CMS/backend.
Firebase / yr$300
Self-hosted / yr~$55
You keep$245/yr
Pocket the difference — spin it up on a cheap VPS in minutes.Start free on Kamatera → (opens in new tab)
Key facts
Our recommendation
Pick Directus when you already have (or want) a plain SQL database and need instant REST/GraphQL APIs plus an admin app layered over it, rather than a new opinionated data store. It's the lightest-touch option here (512 MB, difficulty 2) if your data model is relational and you don't need Supabase's or Nhost's bundled auth-and-realtime stack.
What you need
- Any VPS with at least 512 MB of RAM
- A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
- Under an hour if you've used Docker before
Install with Docker Compose
Save this as compose.yml and run docker compose up -d:
# Directus — official image with a Postgres backend
services:
database:
image: postgis/postgis:16-master
environment:
POSTGRES_USER: directus
POSTGRES_PASSWORD: changeme
POSTGRES_DB: directus
volumes: ["./data/database:/var/lib/postgresql/data"]
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-U", "directus"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 5s
retries: 5
directus:
image: directus/directus:latest
ports: ["8055:8055"]
volumes: ["./uploads:/directus/uploads"]
depends_on:
database:
condition: service_healthy
environment:
SECRET: replace-with-a-long-random-value
ADMIN_EMAIL: admin@example.com
ADMIN_PASSWORD: changeme
DB_CLIENT: pg
DB_HOST: database
DB_PORT: 5432
DB_DATABASE: directus
DB_USER: directus
DB_PASSWORD: changeme
# docker compose up -d → http://SERVER_IP:8055What you take on
Directus is easy to run, but its licence is the first thing to get right before you build on it:
non-negotiableIt's MSCL-1.0, not OSI-approved open source. Directus relicensed from BSL to the Multi-Source-Copyleft License — free to self-host under $5M annual revenue, converts to GPL-3.0 four years after each release. Larger orgs should read the licence text, not assume MIT/Apache terms.
non-negotiableIt layers on your database, it doesn't replace it. Directus's own tables plus your schema live in the same Postgres/MySQL instance — back that database up like any production database, because Directus has no separate data store of its own.
non-negotiableAdmin-app access is powerful by design. The same app that builds your API also edits data and permissions directly — lock down roles deliberately before you invite collaborators in.
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