directus/docs/guides/api-hooks.md

# Custom API Hooks <small></small>

> Custom API Hooks allow running custom logic when a specified event occurs within your project. They can be registered
> as either "blocking" or immediate.

## 1. Create a Hook File

Custom hooks are dynamically loaded from within your extensions folder. By default this directory is located at
`/extensions`, but it can be configured within your project's env file to be located anywhere.

### Default Standalone Hook Location

```
/extensions/hooks/<hook-id>/index.js
```

## 2. Define the Event

Next, you will want to define your event. You can trigger your custom hook with any of the platform's many API events.
System events are referenced with the format:

```
<scope>.<action>(.<before>)
// eg: items.create
// eg: files.upload
// eg: collections.*
// eg: users.update.before
```

### Scope

The scope determines the API endpoint that is triggered. The `*` wildcard can also be used to include all scopes.

::: tip System Scope

Currently all system tables are available as event scopes except for `directus_migrations` and `directus_sessions`,
which don't have relevant endpoints or services.

:::

### Action

Defines the triggering operation within the specified context (see chart below). The `*` wildcard can also be used to
include all actions available to the scope.

### Before

Many scopes (see chart below) support an optional `.before` suffix for running a _blocking_ hook prior to the event
being fired. This allows you to check and/or modify the event's payload before it is processed.

- `items.create.before` (Blocking)
- `items.create` (Non Blocking, also called 'after' implicitly)

This also allows you to cancel an event based on the logic within the hook. Below is an example of how you can cancel a
create event by throwing a standard Directus exception.

```js
module.exports = function registerHook({ exceptions }) {
	const { InvalidPayloadException } = exceptions;

	return {
		'items.create.before': async function (input) {
			if (LOGIC_TO_CANCEL_EVENT) {
				throw new InvalidPayloadException(WHAT_IS_WRONG);
			}

			return input;
		},
	};
};
```

### Event Format Options

| Scope                | Actions                                                            | Before           |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------- |
| `cron()`             | [See below for configuration](#interval-cron)                      | No               |
| `cli.init`           | `before` and `after`                                               | No               |
| `server`             | `start` and `stop`                                                 | Optional         |
| `init`               |                                                                    | Optional         |
| `routes.init`        | `before` and `after`                                               | No               |
| `routes.custom.init` | `before` and `after`                                               | No               |
| `middlewares.init`   | `before` and `after`                                               | No               |
| `request`            | `not_found`                                                        | No               |
| `response`           |                                                                    | No<sup>[1]</sup> |
| `database.error`     | When a database error is thrown                                    | No               |
| `error`              |                                                                    | No               |
| `auth`               | `login`, `logout`<sup>[1]</sup>, `jwt` and `refresh`<sup>[1]</sup> | Optional         |
| `items`              | `read`<sup>[2]</sup>, `create`, `update` and `delete`              | Optional         |
| `activity`           | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `collections`        | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `fields`             | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `files`              | `upload`<sup>[2]</sup>                                             | No               |
| `folders`            | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `permissions`        | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `presets`            | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `relations`          | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `revisions`          | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `roles`              | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `settings`           | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `users`              | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |
| `webhooks`           | `create`, `update` and `delete`                                    | Optional         |

<sup>1</sup> Feature Coming Soon\
<sup>2</sup> Doesn't support `.before` modifier

#### Interval (cron)

Hooks support running on an interval through [`node-cron`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/node-cron). To set this up,
provide a cron statement in the event scope as follows: `cron(<statement>)`, for example `cron(15 14 1 * *)` (at 14:15
on day-of-month 1) or `cron(5 4 * * sun)` (at 04:05 on Sunday). See example below:

```js
const axios = require('axios');

module.exports = function registerHook() {
	return {
		'cron(*/15 * * * *)': async function () {
			await axios.post('http://example.com/webhook', { message: 'Another 15 minutes passed...' });
		},
	};
};
```

## 3. Register your Hook

Each custom hook is registered to its event scope using a function with the following format:

```js
const axios = require('axios');

module.exports = function registerHook() {
	return {
		'items.create': function () {
			axios.post('http://example.com/webhook');
		},
	};
};
```

## 4. Develop your Custom Hook

> Hooks can impact performance when not carefully implemented. This is especially true for `before` hooks (as these are
> blocking) and hooks on `read` actions, as a single request can result in a large amount of database reads.

### Register Function

The register function (eg: `module.exports = function registerHook()`) must return an object where the key is the event,
and the value is the handler function itself.

The `registerHook` function receives a context parameter with the following properties:

- `services` — All API internal services
- `exceptions` — API exception objects that can be used for throwing "proper" errors
- `database` — Knex instance that is connected to the current database
- `getSchema` — Async function that reads the full available schema for use in services
- `env` — Parsed environment variables
- `logger` — [Pino](https://github.com/pinojs/pino) instance.

### Event Handler Function

The event handler function (eg: `'items.create': function()`) receives a context parameter with the following
properties:

- `event` — Full event string
- `accountability` — Information about the current user
- `collection` — Collection that is being modified
- `item` — Primary key(s) of the item(s) being modified
- `action` — Action that is performed
- `payload` — Payload of the request
- `schema` - The current API schema in use
- `database` - Current database transaction

::: tip Input

The `items.*.before` hooks get the raw input payload as the first parameter, with the context parameter as the second
parameter.

:::

#### Items read

In contrast to the other `items` events (`items.create`, `items.update`, `items.delete`) the `items.read` doesn't
receive the primary key(s) of the items but the query used:

- `event` — Full event string
- `accountability` — Information about the current user
- `collection` — Collection that is being modified
- `query` — The query used to get the data
- `action` — Action that is performed
- `payload` — Payload of the request
- `schema` - The current API schema in use
- `database` - Current database transaction

#### Auth

The `auth` hooks have the following context properties:

- `event` — Full event string
- `accountability` — Information about the current user
- `action` — Action that is performed
- `payload` — Payload of the request
- `schema` - The current API schema in use
- `status` - One of `pending`, `success`, `fail`
- `user` - ID of the user that tried logging in/has logged in

## 5. Restart the API

To deploy your hook, simply restart the API by running:

```bash
npx directus start
```

## Full Example

`extensions/hooks/sync-with-external/index.js`:

```js
const axios = require('axios');

module.exports = function registerHook({ services, exceptions }) {
	const { MailService } = services;
	const { ServiceUnavailableException, ForbiddenException } = exceptions;

	return {
		// Force everything to be admin-only at all times
		'items.*': async function ({ item, accountability }) {
			if (accountability.admin !== true) throw new ForbiddenException();
		},
		// Sync with external recipes service, cancel creation on failure
		'items.create.before': async function (input, { collection, schema }) {
			if (collection !== 'recipes') return input;

			const mailService = new MailService({ schema });

			try {
				await axios.post('https://example.com/recipes', input);
				await mailService.send({
					to: 'person@example.com',
					template: {
						name: 'item-created',
						data: {
							collection: collection,
						},
					},
				});
			} catch (error) {
				throw new ServiceUnavailableException(error);
			}

			input[0].syncedWithExample = true;

			return input;
		},
	};
};
```