SOLVED Directus - Headless CMS and data driven framework, open source alternative to Contentful

[GustavoMarcante]

Directus has a new app version, rebuilt in Vue.js, and a "versionless" API. Is makes possible to create your data model, administrate your data and database and expose your data to sites and apps.

It seems very easy to make it available, just few adjusts in the LAMP stack.

https://directus.io/

[marcusquinn]

+1 for this!

[marcusquinn]

Once upon a time there was an awesome app called "Rollbase" - which was unlimited and a pleasure to use for rapid development of relation database apps. Then Progress.com bought them and the whole thing became too commercial and unlikeable.

Directus reminds me of what Rollbase was and could have been and I have been hunting high and low since for something like it.

Then when finding Directus I saw developers that just got this need. It's similar to Strapi.io in some ways - but the way that it can work with any existing DB and any DB created with it can be used in any other way is what truly appeals for openness and non-proprietary data-structure locking that is seemingly quite rare in a sector that usually pursues SaaS and vendor-locking through proprietary data structuring that would otherwise be expensive to move.

I see Directus as fast for modelling a relational database, as Cloudron is for modelling app infrastructure so certainly a kinship for the kind of things this community appreciates I'm sure. It was a random find for me from a Reddit comment so I don't think so well known but Cloudron has also introduced me to many other apps I might never have found otherwise, so the curation Cloudron and the community is gathering into the suite is certainly a valuable part of Cloudron's offering as a brand for these standards and open self-hosted and managed objectives.

[marcusquinn]

@marcuswquinn Note to self; shorter sentences

[murgero]

I am currently working on packaging this while waiting for @girish to validate and OK the gnu/social package I created.

I'll update this post with github links, code, etc once done.

[murgero]

I currently have a prototype package setup for this. @marcuswquinn will be testing it as he is sponsoring the build of the app.

[marcusquinn]

@murgero so-far so-good - hope everyone likes and can see the potential in it. DBaaS!

[marcusquinn]

Another use case:

Let's say you want to build an app but the data-structure is a PITA to start from scratch, you can find any open source project with a crappy interface like these:

https://www.uzerp.com
https://www.gnucash.org
https://www.weberp.org

But generally they were built by geeks in their given subject focused on the data-structure.

People sniff at DOS interface ERP systems - but I assure you most of them are better designed data-structure than modern apps that are focused on the interface and marketing, when Computer Science was an academic profession and every query was optimised by design for the hardware of the day 30 years ago.

So, just import the SQL - and like magic you have a modern responsive material design Directus Admin for it with role-based permissions management and a rapid GraphQL API already done.

So it can be used as as a front-end or backend to fast-track building Apps based on existing FOSS projects that already have a mature SQL data structure but the custodians of it are still living in 1998 for ideas on friendly user interfaces on various devices.

Or, just build SQL data structures from scratch with a framework that should encourage best-practice in structural design and role-based permissions for collaboration a required.

I've pulled the entire data-structure of Xero via their API to GSheets and there really isn't much to it.

Or, all of this can be using it as a collaborative add-design briefing tool for the data side of things since interface design alone can't easily demonstrate the data relationships or hidden data requirements and anyone that can use a spreadsheet can use Directus faster than learning SQL.

[murgero]

@marcusquinn @girish - can we mark this WIP? I believe it may be ready for packaging.

[girish]

@murgero Done, thanks. Let me know when the repo is public. Have you managed to write some tests for the packages, this will greatly speed up getting it published.

[murgero]

@girish I don't really know what you mean by tests - since i've never had an app published yet. I'll setup a repo on cloudron's gitlab tonight to prep it for packaging.

[murgero]

@girish I have the public repo up now: https://git.cloudron.io/murgero/directus

[girish]

@murgero Thanks! About the tests, I just made a post about it - https://forum.cloudron.io/topic/2850/writing-automated-tests-for-packages . We can discuss there but essentially that is what stops us from pushing out all these packages.

[girish]

I am looking into cleaning up @murgero 's package and writing tests - https://git.cloudron.io/cloudron/directus-app . Looks like it also needs automated setup of mysql credentials etc but I was able to build and install the itself.

[marcusquinn]

Looking forward to this one for all the reasons mentioned above.

I've got a fair few apps in mind I can create data structures for to share the SQL dumps on GitLab as a quick way to develop apps for any stack based on standard accounting & ERP principles .

It's ideal for project managers for drafting app designs with data-schema best practice without getting hands dirty with SQL and the common user/roles/permissions/data-types stuff.

[murgero]

@girish Thank you @girish - I know I have been slacking on finishing the testing and stuff, I had a death in the family and work is really busy these days.

[marcusquinn]

@murgero Sorry to hear that bud, can very much sympathise, it's been a tough year.

[girish]

@murgero my condolences. Your work is already a good starting point though to get the package going, thanks for that!

[plusone-nick]

@murgero

[murgero]

Thank you all for the good wishes. It means a lot coming from everyone here. This is an amazing community and I hope we can all strive to keep moving forward and doing better!