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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/directus/directus/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

Collections are the database tables in your project. The Collections API allows you to manage collections and their metadata.

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List Collections

Retrieve all collections. 
GET /collections
Example: 
curl "https://your-directus-instance.com/collections" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"
Response: 
{
  "data": [
    {
      "collection": "articles",
      "meta": {
        "collection": "articles",
        "icon": "article",
        "note": "Blog articles",
        "display_template": "{{title}}",
        "hidden": false,
        "singleton": false,
        "translations": null,
        "archive_field": "status",
        "archive_value": "archived",
        "unarchive_value": "draft",
        "sort_field": "sort"
      },
      "schema": {
        "name": "articles",
        "comment": null
      }
    }
  ]
}

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Get Collection

Retrieve a single collection. 
GET /collections/:collection
Example: 
curl "https://your-directus-instance.com/collections/articles" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

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Create Collection

Create a new collection. 
POST /collections
This creates a new database table. Use with caution in production.
Request Body: 
{
  "collection": "posts",
  "meta": {
    "icon": "article",
    "note": "Blog posts collection"
  },
  "schema": {
    "name": "posts"
  },
  "fields": [
    {
      "field": "id",
      "type": "integer",
      "meta": {
        "hidden": true,
        "interface": "input",
        "readonly": true
      },
      "schema": {
        "is_primary_key": true,
        "has_auto_increment": true
      }
    },
    {
      "field": "title",
      "type": "string",
      "meta": {
        "interface": "input",
        "required": true
      },
      "schema": {
        "max_length": 255
      }
    }
  ]
}

​
Update Collection

Update collection metadata. 
PATCH /collections/:collection
Request Body: 
{
  "meta": {
    "icon": "article",
    "color": "#6644FF",
    "note": "Updated description"
  }
}

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Delete Collection

Delete a collection and all its items. 
DELETE /collections/:collection
This permanently deletes the database table and all data. This action cannot be undone.
Example: 
curl -X DELETE "https://your-directus-instance.com/collections/posts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN"

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Collection Metadata

​
collection
string
The collection name (table name)
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meta.icon
string
Material icon name for the collection
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meta.color
string
Hex color code for the collection
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meta.note
string
Description of the collection
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meta.display_template
string
Template for displaying items (e.g., {{title}})
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meta.hidden
boolean
Hide collection from the app navigation
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meta.singleton
boolean
Collection contains only one item
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meta.archive_field
string
Field name used for archiving (e.g., status)
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meta.archive_value
string
Value for archived items (e.g., archived)
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meta.unarchive_value
string
Value for active items (e.g., draft)
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meta.sort_field
string
Field used for manual sorting

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System Collections

Directus includes built-in system collections:
  • directus_activity - Activity logs
  • directus_collections - Collection metadata
  • directus_fields - Field metadata
  • directus_files - File uploads
  • directus_folders - File folders
  • directus_permissions - Permissions rules
  • directus_roles - User roles
  • directus_users - Users
  • directus_settings - Project settings
  • directus_flows - Automation flows
  • directus_operations - Flow operations
  • directus_dashboards - Insights dashboards
  • directus_panels - Dashboard panels
System collections cannot be deleted or have their structure modified.

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Next Steps

Fields

Manage collection fields

Items

Work with collection items