Dashboard Settings

Configure your Directus project, data model, permissions, and system settings

The Settings module provides comprehensive configuration for your Directus project. Access to Settings is restricted to admin users who can manage the data model, permissions, workflows, and project configuration.

Settings is only accessible to users with admin privileges. Regular users will not see this module.

Settings Overview

The Settings module is organized into several key areas:

Data Model

Define your collections, fields, and relationships.

Roles & Permissions

Control who can access and modify your data.

Flows

Automate tasks with event-driven workflows.

Project Settings

Configure project name, branding, and general settings.

Data Model

The data model section lets you design your database structure through the UI.

Collections

Collections are tables in your database. Manage collections to organize your data:

Create a collection:

1. Open Data Model

   Navigate to Settings → Data Model.

2. Click Create Collection

   Click the + button to add a new collection.

3. Choose collection type

   Select:

   • From Scratch - Start with an empty collection
   • From Template - Use a pre-built collection structure
4. Configure collection

   Set:

   • Name - Collection identifier (lowercase, no spaces)
   • Primary Key - Auto-increment ID or UUID
   • Note - Description of the collection

Collection options:

• Icon - Icon to display in the navigation
• Color - Accent color for the collection
• Singleton - Single item collection (like settings)
• Archive - Enable archiving items instead of deleting
• Sort Field - Field to use for manual sorting
• Display Template - How to display items in relationships

Fields

Fields are columns in your collections. Each field has a type and interface:

Add a field:

1. Open a collection in Data Model
2. Click Create Field
3. Choose a field type:
   • Standard - Text, number, date, boolean, etc.
   • Relational - Connect to other collections
   • Presentation - Dividers and notes (no data storage)
4. Configure field options
5. Save the field

Field types:

• String - Text, email, URL, JSON
• Number - Integer, decimal, float
• Date/Time - Date, time, datetime, timestamp
• Boolean - True/false toggle
• JSON - Structured data
• UUID - Unique identifiers

Relational fields:

• Many-to-One (M2O) - Link to a single related item
• One-to-Many (O2M) - Collection of related items
• Many-to-Many (M2M) - Multiple items relate to multiple items
• Many-to-Any (M2A) - Relate to items in different collections
• Translations - Special O2M for multi-language content

Interfaces

Interfaces control how fields appear in forms:

• Input - Basic text input
• Dropdown - Select from predefined options
• WYSIWYG - Rich text editor
• Slider - Numeric slider
• Color Picker - Color selection
• File - Upload and select files
• Map - Geographic location picker
• Repeater - Add multiple values
• Translations - Multi-language input

And 40+ more specialized interfaces.

Field Configuration

Each field can be configured with:

Schema:

• Data type and constraints
• Required/optional
• Default value
• Unique constraint

Field:

• Display name
• Note/description
• Hidden in app
• Read-only

Interface:

• Interface type
• Interface options
• Placeholder text
• Help text

Display:

• How the field appears in tables
• Display template
• Conditional display

Validation:

• Required/optional
• Regular expression validation
• Min/max values
• Custom validation rules

Roles & Permissions

Control access to your data with roles and permissions.

Roles

Roles group users with similar access needs:

Create a role:

1. Go to Settings → Roles
2. Click + to add a role
3. Enter:
   • Name - Role identifier
   • Description - What this role is for
   • Icon - Role icon
4. Configure role settings:
   • Admin Access - Grant full admin privileges
   • App Access - Allow login to the admin app
   • Enforce 2FA - Require two-factor authentication
   • IP Access - Restrict by IP address

Built-in roles:

• Administrator - Full access (cannot be edited)
• Public - Unauthenticated users

Permissions

Permissions define what actions a role can perform on each collection:

Configure permissions:

1. Open a role in Settings → Roles
2. Click a collection to set permissions
3. Set CRUD permissions:
   • Create - Add new items
   • Read - View items
   • Update - Edit items
   • Delete - Remove items
   • Share - Share items (if enabled)

Permission levels:

• All Access - No restrictions
• No Access - Completely blocked
• Use Custom - Conditional access with filters

Custom permissions:

• Item Permissions - Filter which items are accessible
• Field Permissions - Control field-level access (read-only, hidden)
• Field Validation - Required fields, presets

Use the $CURRENT_USER variable in permission filters to restrict access to items owned by the logged-in user.

Policies (RBAC)

Directus supports advanced Role-Based Access Control with Policies:

• Policies - Reusable permission sets
• Users - Can have multiple roles and policies
• Fine-grained control - Precise access management

Policies allow more flexible permission models than traditional roles alone.

Flows

Flows are automated workflows triggered by events in your project.

Creating Flows

Set up a flow:

1. Navigate to Flows

   Go to Settings → Flows.

2. Create a flow

   Click + and configure:

   • Name - Flow identifier
   • Status - Active or inactive
   • Trigger - What starts the flow
3. Add operations

   Click + in the flow canvas to add operations.

4. Connect operations

   Drag from one operation to another to create the flow logic.

Triggers

Flows can start from:

• Event Hook - When items are created, updated, or deleted
• Webhook - From external HTTP requests
• Manual - Triggered manually
• Schedule - Run on a cron schedule
• Operation - Called from another flow

Operations

Operations are the actions in your flow:

• Condition - If/then logic branching
• Send Email - Email notifications
• Send Notification - In-app notifications
• Create/Update/Delete Items - Modify data
• Run Script - Execute custom JavaScript
• Request URL - Make HTTP requests
• Log to Console - Debug logging
• Sleep - Add delays
• Transform - Modify data

And more operations available via extensions.

Project Settings

Configure general project settings:

General

• Project Name - Display name for your project
• Project URL - Public URL of your project
• Project Color - Brand color
• Project Logo - Custom logo
• Default Language - Interface language
• Default Theme - Light, dark, or auto

Security

• Auth Providers - Enable SSO and OAuth
• Auth Password Policy - Password requirements
• Auth Token TTL - Token expiration time
• Rate Limiting - API rate limits

Files & Storage

• Storage Adapters - Configure S3, Azure, GCS, etc.
• File Naming - UUID or original filenames
• Image Transformations - Enable dynamic image processing
• Storage Locations - Multiple storage providers

Email

• Email Transport - SMTP or other email services
• From Email - Default sender address
• Email Templates - Customize notification emails

Extensions

View and manage installed extensions:

• Interfaces - Custom field interfaces
• Displays - Custom field displays
• Layouts - Custom collection layouts
• Modules - Custom modules
• Panels - Custom dashboard panels
• Operations - Custom flow operations
• Bundles - Extension packages

Extensions extend Directus functionality beyond the built-in features.

Marketplace

Browse and install extensions from the Directus Marketplace:

1. Go to Settings → Marketplace
2. Browse available extensions
3. Click an extension to view details
4. Install directly from the marketplace

Marketplace requires a connection to the Directus extension registry and appropriate server permissions.

Presets

Manage saved view presets:

• Collection Presets - Saved layouts, filters, and bookmarks
• User Presets - Personal view preferences
• Role Presets - Default views for roles

Presets control the default view when users open a collection.

Translations

Manage custom interface translations:

• Add translations for custom fields and collections
• Override default translations
• Support additional languages

System Logs

View system activity and errors:

• Activity Logs - User actions and changes
• System Events - Background tasks and processes
• Errors - System errors and warnings

Logs are useful for debugging and auditing.

Best Practices

Plan your data model

Design your collections and relationships before building:

• Sketch out your data structure
• Identify relationships between collections
• Consider future growth and scalability

Use descriptive names

Make your data model self-documenting:

• Use clear collection names
• Add notes to fields and collections
• Choose intuitive field names

Apply least privilege

Give users only the permissions they need:

• Start with minimal permissions
• Add permissions as needed
• Regularly audit role permissions

Test before production

Verify changes in a safe environment:

• Test permission changes with test users
• Verify flows work as expected
• Check data model changes don’t break existing data

Next Steps

Content Module

Start working with your configured data model.

Dashboard Overview

Return to the dashboard overview.