Deploy Directus on Render

One-click deploy of Directus on Render — includes PostgreSQL, Redis cache, and all environment wiring. Everything runs on Render's free tier by default.

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Just trying it out

Click the button to start the blueprint deploy. You need a Render account, and Render will guide you through the rest of the setup.

1. Sign up or log in at render.com when prompted.
2. Confirm the Blueprint and create the stack.
3. Wait for the build and deploy to finish, then open the service URL from the Render dashboard (a *.onrender.com address).
4. Complete Directus first-time setup in the browser and you're in.

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Customizing it

Fork this repo to GitHub, make your changes to render.yaml or Dockerfile, then deploy from your fork:

1. Fork this repo on GitHub.
2. Update the repo= URL in the Deploy to Render button in your fork's README to point to your repo.
3. Click the button to deploy from your fork.

Common things to change in render.yaml: instance plan, adding a disk (requires a paid web tier), or adjusting env vars. See Render's Blueprint docs for the full spec.

To update the Directus version, change the image tag in Dockerfile (e.g. directus/directus:11.17.4) and redeploy.

Free tier limits

All services default to Render's free plans — fine for trying Directus or small hobby projects.

Goal	Notes
Hobby / evaluation	Use the Blueprint as-is — all Free instance types.
Uploads that survive restarts	Free web services can't attach a disk; local uploads are ephemeral. Use a paid web instance + persistent disk, or configure S3-compatible storage.
No idle spin-down / more power	Upgrade the Directus web service to a paid instance.
Long-lived Postgres	Free Postgres has trial-style limits; long-term use means upgrading the database plan.
Durable cache	Free Key Value is in-memory only; upgrade if you need persistence.

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After deploy

• Custom domain — Add PUBLIC_URL (e.g. https://www.example.com) in the web service Environment tab on Render to override the default *.onrender.com URL.
• Admin account — Created in the Directus UI on first launch.
• Docs — Directus · Render Blueprints · Render pricing