Installing Extensions
There are two possible ways to install extensions to your Directus instance:
- Installing through NPM
- Installing through the Extensions Folder
Installing Through NPM
Extensions can be published to the NPM registry and installed to your Directus instance from there. This way you can install an existing public extension as well as your own published extension. Before you begin, ensure you have a self-hosted instance of Directus via Docker installed on your system.
1. Modify docker-compose.yml
Open the docker-compose.yml
file of your project and replace the image
option with a build
section:
image: directus/directus:10.x.y
build:
context: ./
image: directus/directus:10.x.y
build:
context: ./
This allows you to build a customized Docker Image with the added extensions.
2. Create a Dockerfile
At the root of your project, create a Dockerfile
if one doesn't already exist and add the following:
FROM directus/directus:10.x.y
USER root
RUN corepack enable
USER node
RUN pnpm install directus-extension-package-name
FROM directus/directus:10.x.y
USER root
RUN corepack enable
USER node
RUN pnpm install directus-extension-package-name
Extension Name
Remember to replace directus-extension-package-name
with the name of the extension you want to install. For example, directus-extension-myextension
.
3. Build the Docker Image
Build your Docker image:
docker compose build
docker compose build
4. Start the Docker Container
Start your Docker container:
docker compose up
docker compose up
On startup, you'd see that Directus will automatically load any extension installed in the previous steps.
Installing Through the Extensions Folder
To locally install extensions, copy the files generated by the directus-extension build
command into the extensions
folder located at the root of your Directus project.
Configurable Folders
The path to the built extension as well as the extensions directory are configurable and may be located elsewhere.
Before you begin, ensure you have a self-hosted instance of Directus via Docker installed on your system.
1. Create an Extensions Folder
At the root of your project, create an extensions
folder if one doesn't already exist to house your extensions.
2. Add your new extension into the extensions folder
Move the package.json
file along with the output from the dist/
folder into a new folder in the extensions folder you created earlier.
Your folder structure should look like this:
extensions/
<extension-name>/
dist/
index.js
package.json
...
extensions/
<extension-name>/
dist/
index.js
package.json
...
3. Update Docker Compose File
Open your docker-compose.yml
file and add a volume to mount your extensions folder into the Docker container:
volumes:
- ./extensions:/directus/extensions/
volumes:
- ./extensions:/directus/extensions/
4. Start the Docker Container
Start your Docker container:
docker compose up
docker compose up
You should see that your extension has been successfully loaded into the Docker container. Now, go ahead to customize your extension by making changes to the src
folder within your extension directory.
Automatically Reload Extensions
To automatically reload extensions every time you make a change, without having to restart Directus, in your docker-compose.yml
file, set EXTENSIONS_AUTO_RELOAD=true
.