Directus: the future-proof open data platform
In October we took Directus to Milan and Rome for two meetups with clients, partners and developers. We wanted to explain why we see it as an open data platform rather than yet another headless CMS.
The event was called “Directus: the future-proof open data platform”. The people in the room came from very different projects: publishing platforms, mobile apps, public-sector portals, corporate environments, products with lots of integrations. They all needed the same thing, though: platforms that don’t depend on a monolithic CMS or a single vendor, and that can grow without starting over.
Why Directus
At Silencio we pick the technology after we understand the project. Every client has its own constraints, systems and level of digital maturity. When a tool becomes a regular part of how we work, it has passed three tests: it adapts to different contexts, it meets the requirements of large organizations, and it doesn’t turn into a cage for the client a few months later.
Directus passed all three.
Opening the event, Federico Giacinti, CEO of Silencio, started from something we see often: many platforms become expensive to maintain because of a fragile data model, or one tied too closely to the logic of the chosen CMS, rather than because of the interface. Directus starts from the other end. It keeps the database at the center and builds what you need to work with it on top: an admin interface, APIs, permissions, automations and extensions. In practice it turns an SQL database into a ready-to-use backend, without taking away control over the architecture.
What an open data platform is
You can use Directus as a CMS. It handles pages, articles, media, taxonomies, multilingual content and publishing workflows. But using it only that way means using part of it.
It also gives you APIs, granular permissions, versions and revisions, import and export, logs, single sign-on and an extensions marketplace, with an interface that non-technical people can use too. That’s why we call it an open data platform: the focus moves from content to data. In a digital project today, editorial content is only one part. There’s product data, user profiles, configuration, data coming from ERP and CRM systems, and data that has to reach apps, websites, dashboards, search engines and AI agents. A modern platform has to hold all of that together without starting from scratch on every project.
The four layers of Directus
Channels
- Websites
- Mobile apps
- Dashboards
- External services
- AI agents
- InfrastructureManaged cloud or self-hosted
- DatabaseSQL, readable and non-proprietary
- StudioData, content, roles and permissions
- APIREST and GraphQL, generated from the data model
- Infrastructure. Directus runs in the managed cloud or inside a custom architecture, depending on security, compliance and governance requirements. It works for a project that needs to launch fast and for one that has to integrate with identity providers, legacy systems and corporate clouds.
- Database. This is what sets it apart most. Directus works on top of SQL databases and leaves the data in readable tables, with no proprietary formats. That means less lock-in, simpler integrations and the freedom to change the architecture later.
- Studio. This is the interface where developers and content teams work on data, relationships, views, roles and permissions. It can be configured around the client’s processes, so the people who use it every day find what they need.
- API. Directus generates REST and GraphQL APIs from the data model. Websites, apps, external services and integrated systems read and write the same data, under the same access rules. In a headless or composable architecture, the backend stops being a bottleneck.
Real projects and the round table
Federico Flamminii, CEO of Interactiive, brought the discussion down to real projects. You judge a technology by how it copes with deadlines, business expectations and day-to-day operations, more than by its documentation.
Over the past few years Directus has gone into several projects by Silencio and our partners: mobile apps such as TIM’s Women Plus, corporate platforms, publishing environments, complex back offices, products fed by several data sources. All of them needed a backend that was solid but ready to change, because requirements always change: business priorities, integrations, internal processes, channels. A platform that’s too rigid soon becomes a limit; a fully custom one costs too much to maintain. Directus sits in between: a ready-made core, with room to design everything else around the project.
At the Rome round table the speakers included Guido Talarico of InsideArt, Ilenia Deriu of TIM and Carlotta Piandoro of Trice. In Milan the conversation also involved Interactiive, Dils and Utopia/Urania Media. Each brought a different angle:
- in publishing, what matters is archives, newsroom work, media and publishing workflows;
- in companies, it’s integration with internal systems, identity providers, CRM and marketing tools;
- in mobile apps, you need a backend that handles configuration, dynamic content and user data without slowing down releases.
Different problems, one shared root: giving data a shape that can be governed. Another point came up too: a platform really works when it reduces friction between teams, not just when it’s technically well built.
No lock-in is an industrial choice
We pushed this point hard. When a company invests in a digital platform, it isn’t just buying a website or an app. It’s deciding where its data will live, who can change it, how it will connect to other systems, how easy it will be to export, and how much it will cost to evolve the product in three or five years. Architectural freedom protects that investment.
Directus keeps the data in a non-proprietary database and builds an open, extensible layer on top. It isn’t always the right choice: sometimes a traditional CMS, a vertical SaaS or a monolithic solution gets there faster and better. But when you need control over the data model, deep integrations and tailored admin interfaces, it’s hard to find an alternative that competes.
Directus and artificial intelligence
Many companies are experimenting with internal assistants, AI agents and automation, and most of them trip over the same obstacle: data that’s scattered, inconsistent, locked in different platforms or hard to query safely.
An open data platform helps here too. With a clear data model, granular permissions and available APIs, building intelligent services on top of existing infrastructure gets much simpler. AI doesn’t reduce the need for good architecture; it increases it. Without a solid data foundation, AI stays an interesting demo. With a well-designed one, it genuinely speeds up processes, content and customer experience.
When Directus is worth it (and when it isn’t)
We spent part of the presentation on where Directus isn’t needed. That seemed only fair: our job is to recommend the right technology for the project, not our favorite one.
It may be overkill if…
- all you need is a very simple CMS
- the architecture is entirely monolithic
- there’s no team able to use its flexibility
- the requirements are standard and a vertical tool covers them faster
It makes a difference if…
- there are several databases or systems to integrate
- it has to talk to ERP, CRM or identity providers
- the same data feeds several front ends
- mobile apps, web apps or dashboards are on the roadmap
Data first, screens second
We closed with the idea we care about most: Directus is also a way of setting up projects. You start from the data model before the screens. You design the admin area with the same care as the public interface, because the people who use it every day are users too. The backend stops being an obscure technical zone and becomes a shared workspace.
Milan and Rome confirmed that the market is ready for this conversation. Fewer companies are looking for “a new CMS”; more are asking for open architectures, more efficient processes and control over their own data. We’ll keep recommending Directus where it makes a difference, in our software engineering projects.