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TachyonCMS and Directus
Directus puts an API and a web app on top of a SQL database, and it's ready for editors now. TachyonCMS is Postgres-only, MIT, and still an API without an admin.
Checked on against TachyonCMS v0.1.0 and Directus's own docs. Each Directus row links to the page it came from.
| Topic | TachyonCMS v0.1.0 | Directus |
|---|---|---|
| Database | PostgreSQL, and only PostgreSQL. TachyonCMS creates and migrates its own tables. | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, SQLite or CockroachDB. Source: Directus, database |
| APIs | REST, generated from your content types. No GraphQL yet. | REST and GraphQL from your database, plus an SDK and realtime. Source: Directus, apis |
| Editing | No admin screen yet. You work over HTTP or with the tachyon command. | The Data Studio, a web app for your team's content, files, users and dashboards. Source: Directus, editing |
| Drafts and versions | Not yet. They're next on the roadmap, after rich text. | Content versioning. Draft changes in a version, publish it when it's ready, and revert through revisions. Source: Directus, drafts and versions |
| Translations | Not yet. Translations are planned, with no date. | A translations field for content, and a Data Studio that can be translated too. Source: Directus, translations |
| Access control | Roles, plus rules per collection, global and field. A rule can be a filter on the document and the person asking, and it goes into the SQL query. | Roles hold policies. Permissions are set per collection and action, and filter rules decide which items a user can reach. Source: Directus, access control |
| Extending | No plugins yet. WebAssembly plugins are planned, with no date. | App extensions for the Data Studio and API extensions for the server, published through the Directus Marketplace. Source: Directus, extending |
| Running it | Release binaries or a Docker image, beside your own Postgres. | A Docker image you can deploy on many platforms. Source: Directus, running it |
| Licence | MIT. | The Monospace Sustainable Core License 1.0, which turns each release into GPL-3.0 four years after it's made available. Source: Directus, licence |
| Price | Free, for anyone. There's no paid tier. | Free for organisations under $5M in annual revenue with fewer than 50 employees. Paid plans start at $89 a month billed yearly, and Directus Cloud adds $89 a month billed yearly on top. Source: Directus, price |
Where TachyonCMS isn't there yet
- There's no admin screen, so nobody who doesn't write code can edit content yet.
- No file storage or media library.
- No content versions, translations or GraphQL.
- It won't sit on a database you already have. TachyonCMS wants its own Postgres.
- No extensions, and no hosted service.
- It's pre-alpha, so keep it off the public internet for now.
Who should pick which
Pick Directus if you already have a SQL database and want an API and an editing app on top of it this afternoon. It takes six databases, the Data Studio is ready for editors, and versions, translations and extensions are all there. If your organisation fits under its free threshold, it costs nothing to self-host.
Pick TachyonCMS if you want a plain MIT licence that’s the same for every organisation, and you’re starting fresh on Postgres. You’ll be calling an API, because the admin isn’t built yet.
Moving an existing database? Directus is built for that. TachyonCMS isn’t.
Where this comes from
The TachyonCMS side comes from the v0.1.0 README and its code. If a row's out of date, tell me in an issue and I'll fix it.