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* Rename API Endpoints docs to Endpoints to align with Hooks * Add a Creating Extensions page to the docs * Update individual extension docs pages * Apply latest changes to hook docs * Move available events to a dedicated section in hook docs
122 lines
8.0 KiB
Markdown
122 lines
8.0 KiB
Markdown
# Getting Started
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> These Docs will help you get up-and-running quickly, guide you through advanced features, and explain the core
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> concepts that make Directus so unique.
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## What is Directus?
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**Directus is an Open Data Platform built to democratize the database.** Its no-code app is safe and intuitive enough to
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make data accessible to everyone, while still providing the granular configuration and technical tools required by
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power-users and data scientists. For developers, a data connection toolkit provides a dynamic REST+GraphQL API,
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JavaScript SDK, and options for authorization, caching, and more.
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Written entirely in JavaScript (primarily [Node.js](https://nodejs.dev) and [Vue.js](https://vuejs.org)), Directus is
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completely open-source, modular, and extensible, allowing it to be fully tailored to the requirements of any project.
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Below are the key features of the platform:
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- **No-Code App for anyone to manage data**
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- **Data Connection Toolkit with REST & GraphQL**
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- **Supports Any SQL Database**
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- **Authorization & Caching**
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- **Completely Free & Open Source**
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::: tip What's in a name?
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"Directus" ([duh REKT iss](http://audio.pronouncekiwi.com/Salli/Directus)) is Latin for: _laid straight, arranged in
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lines_. The broadest goal of our platform is to present data in a simple, orderly, and intuitive way.
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:::
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## Use Cases
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As flexible as the database itself, Directus can power any data-driven project. Below are some examples of common ways
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the platform is used:
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- **Headless CMS** — Whether you’re building on JAMstack, server-side (SSR), static websites (SSG), etc — Open Data
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Platforms offer a modern and flexible way to manage every omnichannel digital experience.
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- **Apps, Games & IoT** — A powerful data backbone for any software or smart device, including: native or hybrid apps,
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VR/AR, customer kiosks, installations, microcontrollers, digital signage, and even smart appliances.
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- **No-Code App Builder** — Ditch the spreadsheet. Now anyone can create beautiful custom apps for managing customers,
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projects, inventory, knowledgebases, task lists, marketing, or anything else... all with zero code.
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- **Back-Office & BI Tools** — Gain insights into company KPIs and enable no-code exploration of business data. Coalesce
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previously siloed department data to give your team meaningful and actionable analytics.
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- **Digital Asset Management** — Aggregate all of your digital files in one place for improved organization,
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searchability, delivery, and integration with other datasets, all while enabling on-the-fly file transformations.
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- **Raw Data Visualization** — Establish a “single source of truth” for all of your disparate data while enabling
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non-technical users to build custom dashboards that generate meaningful insights from complex datasets.
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## Core Principles
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Directus is a simple solution for complex problems, with a data-first approach guided by the following core principles:
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- **Pure** — No predefined or proprietary schema, with all system metadata stored separately
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- **Open** — Public and transparent codebase with no obfuscated or cloud-only code
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- **Portable** — Database can be exported or migrated at any time with no vendor lock-in
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- **Limitless** — No artificial limitations or paywalls on users, roles, languages, collections, or items
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- **Extensible** — Every aspect of the platform is modular to avoid any hard feature ceilings
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- **Unopinionated** — Choose your stack, database, and architecture; self-hosted or on cloud
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## Database Mirroring
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**Directus is installed as a _layer_ on top of your new or existing SQL database, with its App and API dynamically
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“mirroring” your actual schema and content in real-time.** This approach is similar to how technical database clients
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(like _phpMyAdmin_) work, however Directus provides an experience that is safe, intuitive, and powerful enough for
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anyone... even the most non-technical users.
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To keep things simple, Directus uses friendlier names for database terms, including
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[Project](/getting-started/glossary/#projects) (database), [Collection](/getting-started/glossary/#collections) (table),
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[Field](/getting-started/glossary/#fields) (column), [Item](/getting-started/glossary/#items) (record), and
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[Type](/getting-started/glossary/#types) (datatype).
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Database mirroring has many unique advantages:
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- Control over your pure SQL database schema, tailored to your exact requirements
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- Significant performance improvements through optimizations and indexing
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- Complete transparency, portability, and security for your data
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- Direct database access and the full power of raw/complex SQL queries
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- Allows importing existing databases, unaltered and without any migrations
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Other platforms typically use a predefined or proprietary “one-size-fits-all” data model to store your content (have you
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ever peeked behind the curtain of a WordPress installation? Yikes!). That is not the case with Directus. Directus gives
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you direct access to your pure and unaltered data. That means you have the option to bypass the Directus middleware
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(API, SDK, App) and connect to your data with proper SQL queries. This effectively removes all bottlenecks, latency
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overhead, and proprietary access limitations.
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## Modular & Extensible
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What makes Directus so flexible is that it has been designed from the ground up with complete extensibility, helping
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avoid a feature ceiling. In addition to offering our software's codebase as open-source, we've included the following
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extension types in the platform's App and API.
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- **[Displays](/extensions/displays/)** — A small inline preview of a field's value
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- **[Email Templates](/extensions/email-templates/)** — Custom structure and formatting for emails
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- **[Endpoints](/extensions/endpoints/)** — Custom registered API endpoints
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- **[Hooks](/extensions/hooks/)** — Event and interval hooks for triggering custom logic
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- **[Interfaces](/extensions/interfaces/)** — How you view or interact with a field and its value
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- **[Layouts](/extensions/layouts/)** — How you browse, view or interact with a set of Items in a Collection
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- **[Migrations](/extensions/migrations/)** — Custom migrations for tracking project schema and content updates
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- **[Modules](/extensions/modules/)** — The highest and broadest level of organization within the App
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- **[Panels](/extensions/panels/)** — A way to view dashboard data within the Insights Module
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- **[Themes](/extensions/themes/)** — Whitelabeling through App Themes and Custom CSS
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## The Directus Ecosystem
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- **[GitHub](https://github.com/directus/directus)** — The open-source repository and version control
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- **[NPM Package](https://www.npmjs.com/package/directus)** — The official Directus node package
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- **[Docker Image](https://hub.docker.com/r/directus/directus)** — The official Directus docker image
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- **[Documentation](https://docs.directus.io)** — Docs for the most recent version of our platform
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- **[On-Demand Cloud](https://directus.cloud)** — Our self-service managed solution (multitenant)
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- **[Enterprise Cloud](https://directus.cloud)** — Our tailored managed solution (single tenant)
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- **[Cloud Documentation](https://directus.cloud/docs)** — Docs for the managed cloud dashboard
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- **[Private Demos](https://directus.cloud/docs#creating-a-private-demo)** — Instructions on creating a free cloud demo
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- **[System Status](https://status.directus.cloud)** — Up-to-date information on our various cloud systems
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- **[Website](https://directus.io)** — General information, resources, and team info
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- **[Twitter](https://twitter.com/directus)** — The latest product info and sneak-peeks
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- **[Videos](https://www.youtube.com/c/DirectusVideos)** — Our YouTube channel with video tutorials and feature
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overviews
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- **[Discord](https://directus.chat)** — A growing community of 4K+ developers
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- **[Crowdin](https://locales.directus.io/)** — Service for managing the App's many language translations
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- **[Marketplace](https://directus.market/)** — Coming in 2021, will offer a unified portal for platform extensions
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- **[Awesome List](https://github.com/directus-community/awesome-directus)** — A list of awesome things related to
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Directus
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