Directus Has a Free Instant REST and GraphQL API for Any SQL Database

Directus wraps any SQL database with a real-time REST and GraphQL API. It adds an admin panel, auth, and file storage — without changing your schema.

What You Get for Free

• Instant API — REST + GraphQL from any SQL DB
• Admin app — manage content visually
• Auth — local, LDAP, OAuth2, OpenID
• Roles and permissions — granular access control
• File storage — local, S3, GCS, Azure
• Flows — visual automation builder
• Webhooks — trigger external services

Quick Start

npx directus init
npx directus start

API Usage

// REST
const res = await fetch('http://localhost:8055/items/articles', {
  headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_TOKEN' },
});
const { data } = await res.json();

// GraphQL
const query = `{ articles { id title body } }`;

Directus vs Strapi

Feature	Directus	Strapi
Database	Any SQL (wraps existing)	Own schema
API	REST + GraphQL	REST + GraphQL
Schema	Non-intrusive	Creates tables

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Need headless CMS? Check my work on GitHub or email [e-mail] for consulting.