Run Directus from a pre-configured image in your own cloud account. It wraps a SQL database with instant REST and GraphQL APIs and a no-code admin app, so your content and data never sit in a third-party SaaS.
Directus is an open-source data platform that puts a REST and GraphQL API, plus an admin app, around a SQL database. Teams use it as a headless CMS and as the backend for websites, mobile apps and internal tools, without writing API endpoints by hand.
Both APIs are generated automatically from your collections.
Editors manage content and files without touching the database.
Role-based access down to which fields each role can see or edit.
Design collections and relations in the app, stored as plain SQL tables.
Add hooks, endpoints and custom modules with the Directus extensions SDK.
Content lives in a standard relational database inside your cloud account.
Self-hosting Directus usually means wiring up a database, a reverse proxy and SSL before you can model your first collection. The marketplace image arrives with those in place.
Subscribe on AWS Marketplace or Google Cloud Marketplace, enter your domain and admin email, and deploy. The stack is ready in about 5-10 minutes.
Create a DNS A record for your Directus domain with the server's public IP, so the certificate can be issued.
On AWS, open the DashboardUrl and create the administrator account. On Google Cloud, sign in with the admin email and password you set at deployment.
Create collections and roles in the admin app, then call the generated REST or GraphQL API from your front end.
An AMI on AWS Marketplace, launched into your own AWS account with a CloudFormation stack.
Launch on AWS 
The same headless CMS as a Google Cloud Marketplace image, deployed into your own GCP project.
Launch on Google Cloud | Directus by Meetrix | Strapi | Contentful | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Your AWS account or GCP project | Self-hosted or Strapi Cloud | Contentful's cloud, no self-host option |
| Data model | Wraps a standard SQL database | Strapi generates and owns the schema | Stored on Contentful's infrastructure |
| SSL | Issued and renewed automatically | Manual when self-hosted | Handled by the vendor |
| Pricing model | Cloud compute only, no per-request fee | Free self-hosted, or per-seat on Strapi Cloud | Per-record and per-API-call tiers |
Directus's self-hosted licence is free for organisations under $5M in annual revenue and under 50 employees. Read the full Strapi vs Directus comparison →
Directus turns a SQL database into a REST and GraphQL API with a no-code admin app. Teams use it as a headless CMS and as the backend for websites, mobile apps and internal tools.
Directus is licensed under MSCL-1.0-GPL, which makes self-hosting free for organisations under $5 million in annual revenue and under 50 employees; larger organisations need a paid licence. On AWS or Google Cloud you also pay for the server and any Meetrix software fee shown on the marketplace listing.
There are none. On AWS you create the first administrator account from the DashboardUrl after launch. On Google Cloud you set the admin email and password in the deployment form.
The image ships with a database already configured and connected, so you can start modelling collections straight away. Wrapping an existing PostgreSQL or MySQL database needs a custom deployment.
Yes. Enter it at deployment and point a DNS A record at the server. The image requests a Let's Encrypt certificate for it; on AWS this is automatic when the domain is hosted on Route 53.
t3.small on AWS and e2-small (2 GB memory) on Google Cloud work well for development and small teams. Choose a larger machine type for heavier API traffic.
Strapi is code-first: it generates its own schema from content types you define. Directus is database-first: it builds the API and admin app around the tables in your database.
When a new version is published on the marketplace, back up your data, remove the old deployment and launch the new version.
Code-first vs database-first, and the licensing detail most reviews skip.
A production-ready, self-hosted headless CMS with automatic HTTPS and expert support.
Turn your database into a REST and GraphQL API inside your own GCP project.
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