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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.

Directus provides a comprehensive REST API that instantly layers on top of any SQL database. The API follows RESTful principles and returns JSON responses.

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Base URL

All API requests should be made to: 
http://your-directus-instance.com

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API Versioning

The Directus API does not use versioning in the URL. The platform maintains backward compatibility and uses a rolling release cycle.

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Response Format

All successful responses return a JSON object with a data property: 
{
  "data": {
    // Response data here
  }
}

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HTTP Methods

The API uses standard HTTP methods:
  • GET - Retrieve resources
  • POST - Create new resources
  • PATCH - Update existing resources
  • DELETE - Delete resources

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Authentication

The API supports multiple authentication methods:
  • Static Tokens - For server-to-server communication
  • Temporary Tokens - JWT tokens from login
  • SSO - OAuth, OpenID, SAML, LDAP
See the Authentication page for details.

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Query Parameters

Directus supports powerful query parameters for all collection endpoints:
Filter items using comparison operators:
GET /items/articles?filter[status][_eq]=published
GET /items/articles?filter[views][_gte]=1000
Available operators: _eq, _neq, _lt, _lte, _gt, _gte, _in, _nin, _null, _nnull, _contains, _ncontains, _starts_with, _ends_with, _between, _nbetween
Sort results by one or more fields:
GET /items/articles?sort=title
GET /items/articles?sort=-date_created
GET /items/articles?sort=status,-date_created
Prefix with - for descending order.
Control the number of items returned:
GET /items/articles?limit=10
GET /items/articles?limit=10&offset=20
GET /items/articles?page=3&limit=10
Request specific fields:
GET /items/articles?fields=id,title,author.name
GET /items/articles?fields=*,author.*
Get aggregate values:
GET /items/articles?aggregate[count]=id
GET /items/articles?aggregate[avg]=rating
GET /items/articles?aggregate[sum]=views
Available functions: count, countDistinct, sum, sumDistinct, avg, avgDistinct, min, max

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Rate Limiting

API requests are rate-limited to prevent abuse. Default limits:
  • 100 requests per second per IP
  • 1000 requests per minute per IP
Rate limit headers are included in responses: 
X-RateLimit-Limit: 100
X-RateLimit-Remaining: 95
X-RateLimit-Reset: 1620000000

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Error Responses

Errors return appropriate HTTP status codes with a JSON error object: 
{
  "errors": [
    {
      "message": "You don't have permission to access this.",
      "extensions": {
        "code": "FORBIDDEN"
      }
    }
  ]
}
Common status codes:
  • 400 - Bad Request (invalid syntax)
  • 401 - Unauthorized (authentication required)
  • 403 - Forbidden (insufficient permissions)
  • 404 - Not Found
  • 422 - Unprocessable Entity (validation errors)
  • 500 - Internal Server Error

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CORS

CORS can be configured via environment variables: 
CORS_ENABLED=true
CORS_ORIGIN=*
CORS_METHODS=GET,POST,PATCH,DELETE
CORS_ALLOWED_HEADERS=Content-Type,Authorization
CORS_EXPOSED_HEADERS=Content-Range
CORS_CREDENTIALS=true
CORS_MAX_AGE=86400

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Next Steps

Authentication

Learn about authentication methods

Items

Work with collection items

Files

Manage files and assets

Users

Manage users and authentication