Deploy to Northflank

content/tutorials/6.self-hosting/deploy-directus-to-northflank.md

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+---
+id: deploy-directus-to-northflank
+slug: deploy-directus-to-northflank
+title: Deploy Directus to Northflank
+technologies:
+  - northflank
+description: Deploy a production-ready Directus instance on Northflank using the official one-click stack, with PostgreSQL, Redis, and MinIO storage provisioned automatically.
+---
+
+Northflank is a cloud platform for deploying containerized applications and their dependencies. The official Directus stack provisions a complete environment in one click: a Directus service, a PostgreSQL database, a Redis cache, and a MinIO addon for S3-compatible file storage. Northflank wires the services together and manages scaling, networking, and SSL for you.
+
+## Before You Start
+
+- A [Northflank](https://northflank.com) account with a **payment method on file**. The Directus stack provisions three addons (PostgreSQL, Redis, and MinIO) using the `nf-compute-50` compute plan, which requires a payment method even on the free tier. Add one in your Northflank billing settings before you start.
+
+## Step 1: Deploy the stack
+
+1. Open the [Directus stack on Northflank](https://northflank.com/stacks/deploy-directus) and click **Deploy Directus now**.
+2. Log in to your Northflank account if prompted.
+3. Enter an `ADMIN_EMAIL` and `ADMIN_PASSWORD`. The template requires both before it will deploy, and uses them to create your first admin account.
+4. Click **Deploy stack**. Northflank creates a new project containing:
+   - A **Directus** service running the official Docker image
+   - A **PostgreSQL** addon for the primary database
+   - A **Redis** addon for caching and session management
+   - A **MinIO** addon for S3-compatible file and media storage
+   - A **secret group** to manage environment variables and credentials
+5. Wait for all addons and the Directus service to reach a running state. You can monitor progress in the project dashboard.
+
+![Northflank workflow view showing the Directus stack: a project node followed by three parallel addon nodes for DirectusDB (PostgreSQL), DirectusRD (Redis), and DirectussS3 (MinIO).](/img/northflank-template.png)
+
+## Step 2: Find your Directus URL
+
+1. In the Northflank dashboard, open your project and go to the **Services** tab.
+2. Click the **Directus** service. Once the deployment completes, your public URL appears in the top right of the service page in the format `your-service.code.run`.
+3. Copy that URL. You will use it as the value for `PUBLIC_URL` so Directus can generate correct links, handle login redirects, and serve assets.
+
+If you want a custom domain, see [Optional: Custom domain and SSL](#optional-custom-domain-and-ssl).
+
+## Step 3: Set your public URL
+
+Now that the deployment is running, set `PUBLIC_URL` so Directus knows its public address. This is required for login redirects, emails, and asset links.
+
+1. In the project dashboard, open the secret group linked to the Directus service.
+2. Set `PUBLIC_URL` to the URL from Step 2 (e.g. `https://your-service.code.run`).
+3. Save your changes. Northflank will redeploy the Directus service with the updated value.
+
+::callout{icon="material-symbols:info-outline" title="Pre-configured variables"}
+The stack automatically injects the database connection, Redis URL, MinIO/S3 storage credentials, and a generated `SECRET` key from the secret group. You do not need to set those manually unless you're replacing a Northflank addon with an external service.
+::
+
+## Step 4: Log in and verify
+
+1. Open your Directus URL in a browser.
+2. Log in with the `ADMIN_EMAIL` and `ADMIN_PASSWORD` you set during deployment.
+3. Once logged in, you can create collections, upload files, and start building.
+
+File uploads are stored in the MinIO addon and will persist across redeploys.
+
+## Optional: Custom domain and SSL
+
+1. In the Northflank dashboard, open the **Directus** service and go to the **Domains** tab.
+2. Add your domain (e.g. `directus.yourdomain.com`).
+3. Northflank will provide a CNAME record. Add it to your DNS provider.
+4. Northflank provisions SSL automatically once DNS has propagated.
+5. Update `PUBLIC_URL` in your environment variables to the new domain (e.g. `https://directus.yourdomain.com`) so Directus uses it in links and redirects.
+
+## Next Steps
+
+- [Configuration](/configuration/general) — all available Directus environment variables
+- [Deploying Directus](/self-hosting/deploying) — general self-hosting guidance and production recommendations
+- [File Storage](/configuration/file-storage) — configuring or swapping the storage adapter