#1818th of 102 in Backends, databases and hosting
directus
Wraps any SQL database with REST and GraphQL APIs, an admin Studio and MCP
- Stars
- 38.7k
- License
- custom license
- Last commit
- Nov 2026
- Last release
- Nov 2026
- Language
- TypeScript
34,480 on 20 Apr 202638,693 on 9 Nov 2026
From GitHub's daily star counts.
Checked on GitHub.
Overview
Directus connects to an existing SQL database (Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, MS SQL, SQLite, OracleDB, CockroachDB) and generates REST and GraphQL APIs from the schema. It adds a visual Studio for non-technical users, field-level policy-based access control, and a native MCP server so AI agents work on live data under the same permissions. It is source-available under MSCL 1.0, not an OSI open-source license.
Who it is for: Teams needing an API and admin UI over a SQL database, including for AI agents
Strengths
- Generates REST and GraphQL APIs from an existing schema with no configuration
- Supports Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, MS SQL, SQLite, OracleDB and CockroachDB
- Field-level permissions apply equally to human users and MCP-connected agents
- Extensible with custom endpoints, hooks, interfaces and modules
Weaknesses
- MSCL 1.0 is source-available, not OSI open source
- Free use limited to under $5M revenue and 50 employees
- Advanced or enterprise features need a commercial license above those limits
- Embedded AI Assistant details and model support are only linked, not described
What it needs
- no GPU
- Docker + Compose
- Needs SQL database, Redis (optional, in Railway template), S3-compatible storage (optional, in Railway template)
What changed
- v12.6.0 ↗ (opens in a new tab)Breaking
“⚠️ Potential Breaking Changes”
From the release notes. No flag means the note does not say so, not that the upgrade is safe.
Quick answers
Is directus open source?
Its code is public on GitHub under its own license terms; read them before you use it at work.
Can you run directus with Docker?
Yes. Its repository has a Docker setup: a Dockerfile, a Compose file or a published image.
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