Both wrap an existing database in an instant API and admin app. backlex adds edge deployment, a fully Apache-2.0 core, built-in vector search, and a runtime MCP server.
Directus is a mature data platform that wraps any SQL database with a REST/GraphQL API and a polished admin app, running as a Node.js server. backlex shares that "instant API over your database" idea but is built to run at the edge — the same codebase deploys to Cloudflare Workers, Vercel, Netlify, or your own server — is fully Apache-2.0, ships built-in semantic/vector search, and exposes a first-class runtime MCP server so AI agents can use your backend as a tool.
| backlex | Directus | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Apache-2.0 | BSL 1.1 (free under a revenue threshold) |
| Runtimes | Cloudflare Workers, Vercel & Netlify (Node 22), self-host on Bun | Node.js (self-host or Directus Cloud) |
| Edge-native | Runs inside the edge runtime | No — Node server |
| Database | PostgreSQL and SQLite / Cloudflare D1 | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MS SQL, and more |
| Collections / schema | Managed tables (dynamic, additive-only DDL) or adopt existing tables via a metadata row | Introspects existing databases; schema builder |
| REST + GraphQL | Both, auto-generated; nested-relation filters, expand, aggregation | Both, auto-generated |
| Realtime | Live row changes streamed to clients over Server-Sent Events (SSE), permission-filtered | WebSockets + GraphQL subscriptions |
| Permissions | Role-based DSL: conditions + field-level allow-lists, one model across APIs + realtime | Roles + granular access policies |
| Vector search | Built in — pgvector or Cloudflare Vectorize; auto-embed on write | Not built in (external vector DB / community) |
| Embedding models | OpenAI, Workers AI (bge-m3), or self-hosted TEI/Ollama/vLLM | — |
| AI agents / MCP | Built-in runtime MCP server — collections, vector & admin to agents, per-key tool allow-lists + read-only guards | Official MCP server (API access) |
| Storage + images | Files with ACLs, signed URLs; image transforms on Bun in-process or the Cloudflare edge | File storage with image transformations |
| Edge functions | Sandboxed functions — http / event / cron triggers | Extensions / hooks (Node) |
| Flows (automation) | Visual, no-code op-chains on item events | Flows (no-code automation) |
| Webhooks | Signed webhooks on item events | Webhooks / flow operations |
| Auth providers | Email/password, OAuth, magic link, email-OTP, passkeys | Local, OAuth / OpenID |
| SSO | SAML 2.0 + LDAP/AD (per workspace) | SAML, LDAP (SSO) |
| Audit logs | Built-in activity trail + opt-in sensitive-read auditing + revisions | Activity log + revisions |
| Admin UI + SDK | Admin SPA, typed client SDK, and `backlex` CLI | Directus app, SDK, CLI |
Like Directus, backlex can adopt an existing database — point it at a table and it writes a metadata row, auto-detecting foreign keys as relations, with no data migration. It can also create managed tables with a dynamic, additive-only DDL applier that never drops or rewrites columns (field removal is an explicit, audited action). Either way you get permission-aware REST + GraphQL, realtime, and an admin UI immediately.
This is where backlex pulls ahead for AI work: semantic search is
part of the backend,
not a bolt-on. Flag a collection's text fields and it auto-embeds on
write and runs ANN search via pgvector
or Cloudflare Vectorize,
with embeddings from OpenAI, Workers AI, or a self-hosted model — and
the same vectors are exposed to agents through the vector.search
MCP tool and the Ask-AI / RAG page. Directus has an official MCP server
for API access, but semantic/vector search is not built in — you bring
an external vector database.
See the backlex documentation or the source on GitHub to get started. backlex's core is free and open under Apache-2.0; the managed Cloud is optional.