# Projects
Every installation of Directus creates a single project. If you're unfamiliar with Directus Projects, please start by reading our Platform Overview.
# Creating a Project
To install Directus, choose one of the following methods.
# Configuring a Project
All project configuration is handled by the .env
file within the /api
directory. This file
accepts a number of environment variables, each is explained in the following reference:
# Upgrading a Project
- Backup your project
- Run
npm update
- Run
directus database migrate:latest
to update the DB
# Backing-up a Project
- Make a copy of the files within each storage adapter, and store them in a safe place
- Make a copy of the Env file (
/api/.env
), and store it in a safe place - Run the Backup API Endpoint (
/backup
) to create a SQL dump of your database
# Deleting a Project
- Optional: Backup any local files stored within the project's root directory
- Optional: Backup any custom code and extensions within the project's root directory
- Optional: Backup your entire database, only system tables, or only project tables
- Delete the project's root directory from the server
- Delete all Directus system tables (
directus_*
) from the database
Pure SQL
After completing this process, you will be left with a pure SQL database, with no trace that Directus was ever installed. Any external services connecting to your database's project tables directly (eg: SQL queries) should continue working normally.