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.

• Command Line Interface (CLI)
• Docker
• Manually

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:

• Environment Variables

Upgrading a Project

1. Backup your project
2. Run npm update
3. Run directus database migrate:latest to update the DB

Backing-up a Project

1. Make a copy of the files within each storage adapter, and store them in a safe place
2. Make a copy of the Env file (/api/.env), and store it in a safe place
3. Run the Backup API Endpoint (/backup) to create a SQL dump of your database

Deleting a Project

1. Optional: Backup any local files stored within the project's root directory
2. Optional: Backup any custom code and extensions within the project's root directory
3. Optional: Backup your entire database, only system tables, or only project tables
4. Delete the project's root directory from the server
5. 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.