sojorn/sojorn_docs/directus/directus.md

Directus CMS Implementation

Overview

Directus CMS is installed and configured for the Sojorn project, providing a headless CMS for content management.

Access Information

• URL: https://cms.sojorn.net
• Admin Interface: https://cms.sojorn.net/admin
• API Endpoint: https://cms.sojorn.net

Server Configuration

Nginx Configuration

The CMS is served via nginx with SSL encryption:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name cms.sojorn.net;
    return 301 https://cms.sojorn.net;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name cms.sojorn.net;
    
    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/cms.sojorn.net/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/cms.sojorn.net/privkey.pem;
    include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-nginx.conf;
    ssl_dhparam /etc/letsencrypt/ssl-dhparams.pem;
    
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8055;
    }
}

SSL Certificate

• Type: Let's Encrypt (auto-renewing)
• Domains: cms.sojorn.net
• Expiry: 2026-05-06 (89 days from install)
• Renewal: Automatic via certbot

Directus Configuration

Environment Variables

KEY='sj_auth_key_replace_me_securely'
DB_CLIENT='pg'
DB_HOST='127.0.0.1'
DB_PORT='5432'
DB_DATABASE='postgres'
DB_USER='postgres'
DB_PASSWORD='A24Zr7AEoch4eO0N'
ADMIN_EMAIL='admin@sojorn.com'
PUBLIC_URL='https://cms.sojorn.net'

Database Connection

• Type: PostgreSQL
• Host: localhost (127.0.0.1)
• Port: 5432
• Database: postgres
• User: postgres
• Password: A24Zr7AEoch4eO0N

Service Management

Directus runs as a background process using npx:

cd ~/directus
KEY='sj_auth_key_replace_me_securely' \
DB_CLIENT='pg' \
DB_HOST='127.0.0.1' \
DB_PORT='5432' \
DB_DATABASE='postgres' \
DB_USER='postgres' \
DB_PASSWORD='A24Zr7AEoch4eO0N' \
ADMIN_EMAIL='admin@sojorn.com' \
PUBLIC_URL='https://cms.sojorn.net' \
npx directus start &

Port Information

• Internal Port: 8055
• External Access: Via nginx proxy on 443 (HTTPS)
• Process: Runs as user patrick

Administration

Initial Setup

1. Visit https://cms.sojorn.net/admin
2. Use email: admin@sojorn.com
3. Set initial password during first login

Process Management Commands

Check if Directus is running

ps aux | grep directus | grep -v grep

Check port status

sudo netstat -tlnp | grep 8055

Start Directus

cd ~/directus
KEY='sj_auth_key_replace_me_securely' DB_CLIENT='pg' DB_HOST='127.0.0.1' DB_PORT='5432' DB_DATABASE='postgres' DB_USER='postgres' DB_PASSWORD='A24Zr7AEoch4eO0N' ADMIN_EMAIL='admin@sojorn.com' PUBLIC_URL='https://cms.sojorn.net' npx directus start &

Stop Directus

pkill -f directus

Restart Directus

pkill -f directus
cd ~/directus
KEY='sj_auth_key_replace_me_securely' DB_CLIENT='pg' DB_HOST='127.0.0.1' DB_PORT='5432' DB_DATABASE='postgres' DB_USER='postgres' DB_PASSWORD='A24Zr7AEoch4eO0N' ADMIN_EMAIL='admin@sojorn.com' PUBLIC_URL='https://cms.sojorn.net' npx directus start &

File Locations

Directus Installation

• Directory: /home/patrick/directus/
• Configuration: Environment variables (no .env file)
• Logs: Console output (no dedicated log file)

Nginx Configuration

• Config File: /etc/nginx/sites-available/cms.conf
• Enabled: /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/cms.conf
• SSL Certs: /etc/letsencrypt/live/cms.sojorn.net/

SSL Certificates

• Full Chain: /etc/letsencrypt/live/cms.sojorn.net/fullchain.pem
• Private Key: /etc/letsencrypt/live/cms.sojorn.net/privkey.pem

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

502 Bad Gateway

• Cause: Directus not running
• Fix: Start Directus service using the start command above

Connection Refused

• Cause: Port 8055 not accessible
• Fix: Check if Directus is running and restart if needed

SSL Certificate Issues

• Cause: Certificate expired or misconfigured
• Fix: Check certbot status and renew if needed

Log Locations

• Nginx Error Log: /var/log/nginx/error.log
• Nginx Access Log: /var/log/nginx/access.log
• Directus Logs: Console output only

Maintenance

SSL Certificate Renewal

Certificates auto-renew via certbot. To check status:

sudo certbot certificates

Database Backups

Ensure regular PostgreSQL backups are configured for the postgres database.

Updates

Directus shows update notifications in the console. To update:

cd ~/directus
npm update directus

Security Notes

Important

• The KEY should be replaced with a secure, randomly generated string for production
• The SECRET environment variable should be set for production to persist tokens
• Database credentials are stored in environment variables - consider using a .env file for better security

Recommended Improvements

1. Set a secure SECRET environment variable
2. Replace the default KEY with a cryptographically secure string
3. Configure proper logging rotation
4. Set up monitoring for the Directus process
5. Implement database backup strategy

API Usage

Once configured, the Directus API is available at:

• REST API: https://cms.sojorn.net
• GraphQL: https://cms.sojorn.net/graphql
• Admin: https://cms.sojorn.net/admin

Integration Notes

The Directus instance is configured to work with the existing Sojorn PostgreSQL database, allowing direct access to application data for content management purposes.