Collaborative Editing

Collaborative Editing transforms your Directus project into a real-time collaborative platform where multiple users can edit content simultaneously. This feature provides conflict-free collaborative editing through smart field locking, user awareness indicators, and instant synchronization across all connected clients.

This documentation covers everything you need to know about configuring, using, and developing with collaborative editing in your Directus projects.

Overview Video

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Key Features

• Real-time Collaboration - Multiple users edit simultaneously with instant synchronization
• Smart Field Locking - Automatic conflict prevention through field-level locking
• User Awareness - Visual indicators show who's editing what in real-time
• Universal Support - Works across collections, file library, user directory, and relationships
• Easy Configuration - Deploy globally across your project

How It Works

Collaborative Editing provides a sophisticated real-time collaboration experience:

Feature	Traditional Way	Collaborative Editing
User Awareness	No visibility of other users	Real-time avatars show who's editing
Conflict Prevention	Manual coordination required	Automatic field locking prevents conflicts
Real-time Updates	Manual refresh needed	Instant synchronization across all users
Relationship Editing	Limited to single users	Multiple users can edit related content

Getting Started

Follow these guides to set up collaborative editing in your Directus project:

::callout{icon="material-symbols:settings-suggest-rounded" color="primary" to="/guides/content/collaborative-editing/configuration"} Configuration Configure settings and environment variables. ::

::callout{icon="material-symbols:menu-book-outline" color="secondary" to="/guides/content/collaborative-editing/usage"} Usage Guide Learn the basics of collaborative editing. ::

::callout{icon="material-symbols:code-blocks-rounded" color="green" to="/guides/content/collaborative-editing/development"} Development & Custom Extensions Integrate with custom interfaces. ::

Requirements

• Directus 11.15.0 or higher
• WebSockets enabled in your Directus configuration

Technology Overview

The feature uses a custom WebSocket implementation for real-time synchronization and smart field locking to prevent conflicts. All collaborative actions respect Directus user permissions and access controls.

Next Steps

::callout{icon="material-symbols:arrow-forward-rounded" color="primary" to="/guides/content/collaborative-editing/configuration"} Ready to get started? Start with the Configuration guide to get up and running. ::

Transform your Directus project into a collaborative workspace where teams can work together seamlessly on content creation and management.