Managed Directus Hosting — production-ready from $15 a month
Open-source headless CMS and data platform with REST and GraphQL APIs. Deployed on your own dedicated instance in AWS, Azure, or GCP, kept patched, backed up, and monitored by ManageStacks — standard Directus, no lock-in.
Directus on ManageStacks is the open-source headless CMS and data platform deployed to your own AWS, Azure, or GCP region — flat per-app pricing from $15 a month ($29 on the Standard production plan). Wrap any SQL database with instant REST and GraphQL APIs, a visual data studio, and granular role-based access. A self-hosted Contentful alternative with full data ownership.
What does Directus do, and why do teams deploy it?
Directus is an open-source data platform that wraps any SQL database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MS SQL, MariaDB, CockroachDB, OracleDB) with a real-time REST and GraphQL API layer, a visual data studio for non-technical users, and granular role-based access control. It does not impose a schema — it mirrors your existing database structure and lets you manage content, assets, users, and permissions through a modern admin interface.
Unlike Contentful or Strapi Cloud, Directus works on top of your existing database rather than creating its own proprietary storage layer. This means your data is always in a standard SQL database you can query directly, back up with standard tools, and migrate without export gymnastics. The API layer auto-generates endpoints for every collection, with filtering, sorting, pagination, field selection, and deep relational queries out of the box.
Self-hosting Directus requires a Node.js runtime, a supported SQL database, Redis or Memcached for caching, and object storage for file assets. ManageStacks provisions the full stack — database, cache layer, asset storage, SSL, backups, and Node.js workers — so your team builds content-driven applications instead of maintaining CMS infrastructure.
- Instant REST and GraphQL APIs generated from any SQL database schema
- Visual data studio for non-technical content editors and managers
- Granular role-based access control with field-level permissions
- Support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MS SQL, MariaDB, and more
- Real-time WebSocket subscriptions for live data updates
- Built-in file and asset management with image transformations
Open-source headless CMS and data platform with REST and GraphQL APIs
Directus as a self-hosted alternative to Contentful and Strapi Cloud
Instead of paying per-seat fees to a SaaS vendor, teams self-host Directus to keep full control of their data and infrastructure. ManageStacks removes the operational overhead — you get the cost and privacy benefits of open source with the reliability of a managed platform.
What does managed Directus hosting cost?
Flat per-app pricing, in your chosen AWS, Azure, or GCP region. No per-user pricing — a busy deployment costs the same as a quiet one.
Starter
Staging and internal tools. Dedicated instance, TLS, daily backups, managed upgrades.
Standard
Production workloads. Adds monitoring, staging environment, region choice, priority support.
Business
High-traffic and compliance workloads. Adds a high-availability replica and same-day support.
24×7 SRE retainer
Round-the-clock on-call across every hosted application, for teams that need a pager answered at 3am.
When is self-hosting Directus the right answer instead?
“Managed hosting is not always the correct call.”
Self-host when a platform team already runs the infrastructure and on-call rotation to operate Directus at genuinely low marginal cost. Self-host when compliance requires an air-gapped or on-premises deployment that no hosted option can satisfy. And self-host when the deployment depends on heavy customisation with a fast internal build-deploy loop, because an internal release process will beat any managed change process.
For everyone else — teams whose engineers have better things to do than shepherd upgrades — managed hosting is cheaper than the hours it replaces.
Which cloud should Directus run on — AWS, Azure or GCP?
For most workloads, the choice of cloud matters less than proximity: run Directus in the same cloud and region as the applications and data it talks to, because every request between them adds a round trip. The underlying compute performs equivalently across AWS, Azure, and GCP.
In practice, an existing cloud footprint decides it. All plans support all three clouds, and moving regions later is a scheduled migration, not a rebuild.
Deepest managed-service catalog, default when there's no existing footprint
Best fit for teams already on Microsoft 365 or Entra ID
Strongest for data/analytics-adjacent workloads
Every plan supports AWS, Azure, and GCP — region choice included.
Common questions about Directus on ManageStacks
What is Directus on ManageStacks used for?
Directus is a headless CMS and data platform. It wraps your SQL database with REST and GraphQL APIs plus a visual editor. ManageStacks hosts it in your own cloud so your content data stays under your control.
How does Directus compare to Contentful?
Contentful is a proprietary SaaS with per-seat pricing and a closed data model. Directus is open-source, wraps your own SQL database (no proprietary storage), and self-hosts at a flat rate. You keep full database access and standard backup tooling.
Does Directus work with my existing database?
Yes. Directus introspects your existing SQL schema and generates APIs automatically. It supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, MS SQL, CockroachDB, and OracleDB. No data migration required — point it at your database and go.
Does Directus support real-time data?
Yes. Directus provides WebSocket subscriptions for real-time data updates. Client applications can subscribe to collection changes and receive live updates without polling.
Can non-technical users manage content in Directus?
Yes. Directus includes a visual data studio with a drag-and-drop interface, WYSIWYG editors, relational field pickers, and asset management. Content editors work in the UI; developers consume data via API.
Other databases tools on ManageStacks
Run Directus without carrying the pager
Subscribe through your AWS, Azure, or GCP marketplace. We handle provisioning, SSL, monitoring, backups, updates, and security. From $15/mo.