Configuration

Nextly is configured through a single nextly.config.ts file at the root of your project. That file is the source of truth for your content model, database output paths, storage backends, security settings, email, and admin panel branding.

The config file

Every Nextly project has a nextly.config.ts that exports a config built with defineConfig():

import { defineConfig } from "nextly";
import Posts from "./src/collections/posts";
import Media from "./src/collections/media";
import SiteSettings from "./src/singles/site-settings";

export default defineConfig({
  collections: [Posts, Media],
  singles: [SiteSettings],
  db: {
    schemasDir: "./src/db/schemas/collections",
    migrationsDir: "./src/db/migrations",
  },
  typescript: {
    outputFile: "./src/types/generated/payload-types.ts",
  },
});

What you can configure

Visual Schema Builder vs code-first

Collections, singles, and field groups can also be created visually in the Visual Schema Builder (the "Schema Builder" link inside the admin panel). The Schema Builder writes the same CollectionConfig, SingleConfig, and FieldGroupConfig shapes documented in this section, so anything you build visually maps 1:1 to a defineCollection, defineSingle, or defineFieldGroup call.

Next steps

• Nextly config reference — every top-level option in defineConfig()
• Collections — content types with multiple entries
• Singles — single-document content like site settings
• Field Groups — reusable field groups for collections and singles
• Fields — every available field type
• Environment variables — what to set in .env