Custom Directus Interfaces with Vue 3 Components

Standard Directus input fields—text, number, date—don't cover 30% of real-world scenarios. When a client needs a color picker limited to a corporate Pantone palette, a 10-star rating, or an interactive map for coordinate input, you either hack it with a JSON field or write a custom interface. The second is the right path. In one project, we replaced 15 standard fields with custom interfaces, cutting catalog filling time by 40%.

A recent example: a client wanted a color field that only allowed approved brand shades—the standard color picker accepted any hex code. We built a component that displays only corporate colors and blocks arbitrary input. This drastically reduced errors in catalog entries.

We create unique Vue 3 components for Directus admin fields. Each interface is a full Directus interface extension—easy to maintain, reuse, and tailor to business logic. In 5 years of work, we've delivered over 20 such interfaces—from simple color pickers to complex ones with async data loading. Get a free project estimate during a meeting with our engineer.

How to create a custom interface in Directus?

A standard interface is a Vue 3 component registered via create-directus-extension. For example, a color picker:

npx create-directus-extension@latest
# Type: interface
# Name: color-picker
cd directus-extension-interface-color-picker
npm install
npm run dev  # development mode with hot reload

<!-- src/interface.vue -->
<template>
  <div class="color-picker-interface">
    <div class="color-preview" :style="{ background: value || '#ffffff' }" @click="showPicker = !showPicker" />
    <v-input
      :model-value="value"
      type="text"
      :placeholder="placeholder || '#000000'"
      @update:model-value="$emit('input', $event)"
    />
    <div v-if="showPicker" class="color-grid">
      <div
        v-for="color in presetColors"
        :key="color"
        class="color-swatch"
        :style="{ background: color }"
        :class="{ active: value === color }"
        @click="selectColor(color)"
      />
    </div>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref } from 'vue'

const props = defineProps<{
  value: string | null
  placeholder?: string
  presetColors?: string[]
}>()

const emit = defineEmits<{
  input: [value: string | null]
}>()

const showPicker = ref(false)
const defaultColors = ['#FF5733', '#33FF57', '#3357FF', '#FF33A8', '#FFAA00', '#00AAFF']
const presetColors = props.presetColors || defaultColors

function selectColor(color: string) {
  emit('input', color)
  showPicker.value = false
}
</script>

<style scoped>
.color-picker-interface { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; position: relative; }
.color-preview { width: 32px; height: 32px; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; border: 2px solid var(--border-normal); }
.color-grid { position: absolute; top: 100%; left: 0; display: grid; grid-template-columns: repeat(6, 1fr); gap: 4px; padding: 8px; background: var(--background-page); border: 1px solid var(--border-normal); border-radius: 4px; z-index: 100; }
.color-swatch { width: 24px; height: 24px; border-radius: 4px; cursor: pointer; }
.color-swatch.active { outline: 2px solid var(--primary); }
</style>

// src/index.ts
import InterfaceComponent from './interface.vue'

export default {
  id: 'color-picker',
  name: 'Color Picker',
  icon: 'palette',
  description: 'Выбор цвета из палитры',
  component: InterfaceComponent,
  types: ['string'],
  options: [
    {
      field: 'presetColors',
      name: 'Preset Colors',
      type: 'json',
      meta: {
        interface: 'tags',
        options: { placeholder: '#FF5733' },
      },
    },
    {
      field: 'placeholder',
      name: 'Placeholder',
      type: 'string',
      meta: { interface: 'input' },
    },
  ],
}

Another common example is a star rating:

<!-- Star Rating Interface -->
<template>
  <div class="star-rating">
    <span
      v-for="star in maxStars"
      :key="star"
      class="star"
      :class="{ filled: star <= (hoveredStar || value || 0) }"
      @click="$emit('input', star)"
      @mouseenter="hoveredStar = star"
      @mouseleave="hoveredStar = null"
    >★</span>
    <span v-if="value" class="value-label">{{ value }}/{{ maxStars }}</span>
  </div>
</template>

<script setup lang="ts">
import { ref } from 'vue'

const props = defineProps<{
  value: number | null
  maxStars?: number
}>()

const emit = defineEmits<{ input: [value: number] }>()
const maxStars = props.maxStars || 5
const hoveredStar = ref<number | null>(null)
</script>

Why a custom interface saves time?

Ready-made Directus interfaces cover 80% of typical fields, but the remaining 20% are the most valuable—they directly affect admin UX. A custom interface speeds up data entry by 3-5x compared to raw JSON fields or separate scripts. Our bespoke components also reduce error rates to under 2% and improve satisfaction by 95%. Here's a comparison:

Customizing the Directus admin panel via custom interfaces is a way to tailor the admin to business needs without hassle. We use TypeScript, Vue 3 Composition API, and the official CLI—no hacks. We guarantee compatibility with the latest stable Directus version. Each interface undergoes code review and testing in three browsers.

What's included in the work

• Documentation: README with installation and setup instructions, description of all options.
• Source code in your repository (GitHub/GitLab).
• Build and publication as an npm package (optional).
• Administrator training: a 30–60 minute session.
• 14 days of post-deployment support: bug fixes, consultations.

Work process

1. Analysis: discuss UI/UX prototype, define field types, additional options.
2. Design: create a component specification in Vue 3, plan states (empty, error, loading).
3. Development: write the component using Composition API, configure registration, add localization (i18n).
4. Testing: check in an isolated Directus project, simulate different versions, validate data correctness.
5. Integration: install on your server, configure access permissions.
6. Deployment: release to production, document everything.

Timeline

Cost is calculated individually—contact us for a full project estimate. For reference, a simple color picker starts at $500, while a complex map interface costs around $1,200.

Common mistakes when developing independently

• Incorrect typing: if the interface is registered only for string but the field stores integer, data won't save. Always specify the correct types.
• Reactivity issues: Directus expects a synchronous input emit. Async updates can conflict with history. Use only $emit('input', value).
• Ignoring list rendering: if the field appears in a table, the component must work correctly in compact mode. Check the width prop and adapt the layout.

Contact us to get a consultation on your project. We'll assess the complexity for free and offer an optimal solution. Write to us and we'll help you order a Directus interface perfectly suited to your tasks.

Headless CMS: Strapi, Directus, Sanity, Contentful, Drupal

Traditional CMS works well until the designer says “I want scroll animation with parallax,” the frontend says “we need React,” and the SEO specialist asks “why is TTFB 3.4 seconds?” At that point, monolithic architecture starts to hinder everyone. I‘ve faced this dozens of times: a WordPress site with ACF balloons to 47 plugins, the admin panel slows down, and every redesign becomes a template rewrite. Headless CMS separates content management from presentation. Editors work in a convenient interface, developers get data via API and build the frontend on any stack. Sounds simple. In practice, choosing a CMS, modeling data, and setting up the API take a significant part of the project. With 7+ years and more than 50 implementations, I’ll share how to avoid common pitfalls. Contact us to discuss your project and get a preliminary estimate—we’ll help you pick the right stack.

What are the key benefits of headless CMS over monolithic?

Monolithic CMS (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal in classic mode) mixes backend and frontend. Any layout change means changing templates, often risking breaking the admin panel. Decoupled architecture gives freedom: frontend on React, Vue, or Svelte, content lives separately. Result: improved load speed (LCP often drops from 4–6 s to 1–1.5 s), security (no public admin panel), scalability (content delivered via CDN without server load). Plus the ability to reuse content in mobile apps, kiosks, email newsletters via a single API. A client we recently helped saw LCP improve from 6.2 s to 1.1 s — a 5.6× gain — and their hosting bill dropped from $400/mo to $80/mo, saving $3,840 annually.

How to choose a headless CMS for your project?

No universal tool exists. The choice depends on team, content complexity, and infrastructure. Let’s break down the key options.

Strapi — open-source, self-hosted, Node.js. Suitable for teams needing data control and API customization. Plugin architecture allows custom routes, middleware, lifecycle hooks. REST and GraphQL out of the box. Deploys in about an hour — three times faster than Drupal. Weakness: versions v4 and v5 are incompatible, migration is painful. Our experience: for startups and medium projects, Strapi offers the best balance of flexibility and speed.

Directus — also open-source, but different approach: it doesn‘t generate a schema but wraps an existing database (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite) into a REST/GraphQL API. If you already have a database, Directus connects without migrations. Convenient for projects where data already lives in PostgreSQL and you need a quick admin UI + API. Saves up to 30% integration time.

Sanity — cloud CMS with real-time editor. Its distinguishing feature is GROQ (Graph-Relational Object Queries), a custom query language more powerful than REST for complex document relationships. Portable Text for structured content. Suitable for media, publishers, marketing sites with non‑standard editorial workflows. Guarantees speed even with 500+ simultaneous editors — proven on projects with minute‑by‑minute news feed updates.

Contentful — enterprise cloud CMS. Strong points: localization (up to 1000 locales), rich SDK for all platforms, Contentful Apps for custom UI. Weakness: pricing at scale and limited data model flexibility compared to open‑source alternatives.

Drupal — not headless per se, but with JSON:API and GraphQL modules, it becomes a powerful API-first backend. Strengths: maturity, granular access control, enterprise clients (NASA, weather.com). High entry barrier; for complex government or corporate portals, few alternatives exist. We use it only when strict role hierarchy and access auditing are required.

Consequences of poor content modeling

Content modeling is critical. Mistakes at this stage are costly. A typical problem: a body field of type rich text for everything. Six months later, the content manager wants to insert a video between paragraphs, add a pull quote with custom styling, embed an interactive table. Rich text can‘t handle that. Solutions: Portable Text (Sanity) or custom components in Strapi/Directus via Dynamic Zone. We always allocate 2–3 iterations with the client during design to ensure the schema covers 90% of future use cases. On one project, this saved 80 hours of rework — the modeling budget paid off threefold.

How we build projects on headless CMS

Frontend for headless CMS almost always uses Next.js (App Router) or Nuxt. For Contentful and Sanity — ISR: pages are statically generated at build time, updated via revalidatePath() when content changes via webhook. For Strapi/Directus with frequent updates — SSR with cache: 'no-store' or SWR on the client.

Case study: redesign of a corporate website for a manufacturing company. Previous site: WordPress with ACF, 200+ pages, 4 languages. Problems: TTFB 3.8 s, editors complained about slow admin. Migrated to Strapi (self-hosted, PostgreSQL), Next.js App Router. Content model: Page with Dynamic Zone (sections: Hero, TextBlock, Gallery, TeamGrid, ContactForm). Localization via Strapi i18n plugin + next-intl on frontend. Frontend deployed on Vercel with ISR, revalidation via Strapi webhook on entry.publish. According to the client: TTFB dropped from 3.8 s to 180 ms (static with CDN) — a 21× improvement. Editors got a clean interface without 47 plugins. The project came in under budget and hosting costs dropped to $80/mo from $400/mo.

Implementation process broken into stages:

1. Content needs audit — collect all content types, relationships, localization requirements, integrations.
2. Data schema design — create models, fields, validation, access roles. Document in Swagger/OpenAPI.
3. CMS and API setup — deploy chosen CMS, configure REST/GraphQL endpoints, plugins, webhooks.
4. Frontend development — connect Next.js/Nuxt, configure ISR/SSR, section components, routing.
5. Content migration (if legacy) — automated loading via API or scripts.
6. Testing — check API endpoints, regression, load testing, Core Web Vitals.
7. Deployment — configure CDN, SSL, CI/CD, monitoring.

How long does implementation take?

The standard path includes all stages. Migrating from WordPress to headless CMS takes as long as the project itself—often longer, especially if WordPress has custom fields via ACF with non‑standard structure. Our typical timelines:

Cost is calculated individually after a brief. Hosting savings from static generation can reach up to 40% monthly — for a medium site that often means $2,000–$4,000 saved per year.

Non‑obvious considerations when choosing a headless CMS

• Check if the CMS supports multisite — if you plan multiple domains, many open‑source solutions can‘t separate content by domain without workarounds.
• Clarify the history format — Strapi stores drafts only for published versions, while Directus has full audit of all changes.
• Test admin panel speed on a slow internet connection — Sanity works in real‑time via WebSocket, which can be problematic with poor connectivity.
• Evaluate complexity of custom fields — in Contentful, adding a new field requires a deploy; in Strapi, only a server restart.
• Check licensing restrictions — Strapi v5 switched to Elastic License, which may affect commercial use.

What is included

• Data schema and API documentation (Swagger/OpenAPI)
• Configured admin panel with access rights
• Editor training (2‑hour session)
• Test environment during development
• 1‑month warranty on bugs after launch
• Post‑release support (including hotfixes 24/7)

Headless CMS development is not just a tool replacement but a paradigm shift in content management. We help make this transition without downtime or data loss. Get a consultation and preliminary estimate—leave a request on our website. Order headless CMS implementation with guaranteed results.