Self-host Directus

Backend & BaaS

deployed & timed by usprices checked · Jul 2026

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

Key facts

CategoryBackend & BaaS

LicenseMSCL-1.0

StackNode.js, TypeScript

Min RAM512 MB

Dockeryes

Difficulty

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 Docker Compose (Postgres backend)
# docker-compose.yml: directus/directus image, port 8055, DB_CLIENT=pg
docker compose up -d
# set ADMIN_EMAIL, ADMIN_PASSWORD, SECRET, and DB_* env vars before starting
#  →  http://SERVER_IP:8055

vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What 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.