Deploy Directus with DeployHQ Guide

Prerequisites

• A Directus project ready for deployment
• A Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket) containing your Directus project
• A web hosting service or server to deploy to
• Node.js installed on your local machine and server
• Database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, etc.)

Initial Setup

1. Create your Directus project

# Install Directus CLI
npm init directus-project@latest my-project

# Navigate to project
cd my-project

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Configure environment variables
cp .env.example .env

# If you want to start it locally
npx  directus  start

Edit your .env file with appropriate values:

DB_CLIENT="pg"
DB_HOST="127.0.0.1"
DB_PORT="5432"
DB_DATABASE="directus"
DB_USER="directus"
DB_PASSWORD="directus"
ADMIN_EMAIL="admin@example.com"
ADMIN_PASSWORD="d1r3ctu5"
KEY="random-string"
SECRET="random-string"

2. Initialize Git repository

git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"
git remote add origin <your-repository-url>
git push -u origin main

DeployHQ Configuration

1. Create DeployHQ Account

• Visit DeployHQ
• Sign up for a new account

2. Create New Project

• Click "New Project" in DeployHQ dashboard
• Choose a name for your project
• Select your repository provider (GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket)
• Grant repository access when prompted

3. Configure Server

• Click "Servers & Groups" in project settings
• Select "Add Server"
• Choose your server type (SFTP/SSH recommended)
• Enter server details:
  • Server name
  • Hostname
  • Username
  • Password/SSH key
  • Remote path (where files will be deployed)

4. Configure Build Pipeline

• Go to "Build Pipeline" in project settings
• Click "Add New Pipeline Command"
• Add the following commands:

# Install Node.js dependencies
npm install

# Build Directus (if needed)
npm run build

# Add any custom build steps here

5. Configure Deployment

• Go to "Deployment Config"
• Configure included/excluded files:

# Include
dist/**/*
node_modules/**/*
extensions/**/*
migrations/**/*

# Exclude
.env
.git/**/*
.github/**/*
.vscode/**/*

6. Set Up Environment Variables

• Go to "Environment Config"
• Add all necessary environment variables from your .env file
• Make sure to set production-appropriate values

7. Set Up Automatic Deployments

• Go to "Automatic Deployments"
• Enable automatic deployments for your branch (usually main)
• Configure deployment triggers (e.g., on push)

First Deployment

1. Database Setup

• Ensure your production database is created and configured
• Run initial migrations:

npm run cli migrate:latest

You can leave this command as a SSH Command and it will run every time. If there are no migrations, the command will end without errors

2. Manual Deployment

• Go to "Deployments" in project dashboard
• Click "Deploy Now"
• Select branch to deploy
• Review changes and confirm

3. Verify Deployment

• Check deployment logs for any errors
• Visit your Directus admin panel
• Verify API endpoints are working
• Check database connections

Ongoing Usage

1. Regular Updates

# Make changes to your project
git add .
git commit -m "Update project"
git push origin main

2. Monitor Deployments

• Check DeployHQ dashboard for deployment status
• Review logs for any issues
• Configure notifications for deployment events

Troubleshooting

• Build Failures: Check Node.js and npm errors
• Database Issues: Verify database connection and migrations
• Permission Issues: Check file permissions and ownership
• API Issues: Verify environment variables and endpoints
• Memory Issues: Monitor Node.js memory usage

Best Practices

1. Use environment variables for all sensitive information
2. Implement staging environments for testing
3. Regular database backups
4. Monitor server resources
5. Keep Directus and dependencies updated
6. Use PM2 or similar for process management
7. Implement proper caching strategies
8. Set up proper logging

Production Considerations

1. Process Management

# Install PM2 globally
npm install -g pm2

# Start Directus with PM2
pm2 start npm --name "directus" -- start

2. Nginx Configuration Example

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8055;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

3. SSL Configuration

• Install SSL certificate
• Configure HTTPS in Nginx
• Update Directus environment variables for HTTPS

This guide provides a comprehensive approach to deploying Directus using DeployHQ. Adjust configurations based on your specific needs and hosting environment. Remember to follow security best practices and keep your system updated.