What is a Datalayer?

Loading last updated info...

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: October 27, 2025