What is a Datalayer?

    The Datalayer is a critical component of TinaCMS that acts as the bridge between your content files and the TinaCMS editing interface. It provides:

    1. Content Indexing: Indexes your content files to enable fast queries and searching
    2. GraphQL API: Generates a GraphQL API based on your content model
    3. Authentication: Manages user authentication for the editing interface
    4. Storage: Handles content storage and retrieval from your repository

    TinaCloud vs Self-Hosting

    TinaCMS offers two approaches for implementing the datalayer:

    TinaCloud (recommended)

    TinaCloud is a managed service that handles the Datalayer for you, providing:

    • Automatic content indexing
    • User authentication and management
    • Seamless GitHub integration
    • No need to maintain your own infrastructure

    This is ideal for most projects and is the quickest way to get started.

    A free option also exists for small-scale projects.

    Self-Hosted

    The self-hosted option allows you to run the datalayer on your own infrastructure, giving you:

    • Complete control over your data
    • Custom authentication providers
    • Support for custom Git providers
    • Integration with your own database

    When to choose Self-Hosted

    Consider self-hosting the Datalayer when:

    • You need to use a Git provider other than GitHub
    • You want to use a custom database for content indexing
    • You need a custom authentication system
    • You have specific compliance or security requirements
    • You have the resources to manage and work with custom hosting infrastructure.

    Components of a Self-Hosted Datalayer

    To self-host the Datalayer, you'll need to configure:

    1. Backend Host: A server to run the Datalayer (e.g., Next.js, Vercel Functions)
    2. Database Adapter: A database to store and index content (e.g., MongoDB, Vercel KV)
    3. Git Provider: A service to store and manage content files (e.g., GitHub, custom Git provider)
    4. Auth Provider: A system to authenticate users (e.g., Auth.js, Clerk)

    For detailed instructions on setting up a self-hosted Datalayer, see our Self-Hosting Guide.

    Last Edited: July 15, 2025