Properties

Overview

Properties define the columns in your database table and how they are rendered in the admin UI. Each property has a type that determines:

• The database column type (via Drizzle schema generation)
• The form field component
• The table cell renderer
• The validation rules

Property Types

Type	Description	PostgreSQL Column
string	Text, select, markdown, file upload, URL, email	varchar, text, jsonb
number	Integer, decimal, currency	integer, numeric, bigint, serial
boolean	True/false toggle	boolean
date	Date, datetime, timestamp	timestamp, date
array	Ordered list of values	jsonb
map	Key-value object	jsonb
geopoint	Latitude/longitude pair	jsonb
reference	Embedded reference to another entity	varchar (stores ID)
relation	SQL foreign key relation	Uses the relations array
vector	Embedding, for nearest-neighbour search	VECTOR(n) (pgvector)
binary	Raw bytes, read and written as base64	bytea

Common Properties

All property types share these options:

Property	Type	Description
type	string	Required. Data type (see above)
name	string	Required. Display label
description	string	Help text shown below the field
defaultValue	any	Default value for new entities
validation	object	Validation rules
propertyConfig	string	Registered property config key
columnName	string	Explicit database column name (bypasses snake_case conversion)
callbacks	PropertyCallbacks	Hooks for afterRead and beforeSave transforms
dynamicProps	function	Dynamic property builder (see Conditional Fields)
conditions	PropertyConditions	Declarative JSON Logic conditions

UI Configuration (admin)

UI-related options are nested under the admin sub-object:

price: {
    type: "number",
    name: "Price",
    admin: {
        readOnly: true,
        columnWidth: 120,
        hideFromCollection: false
    }
}

Property	Type	Description
admin.readOnly	boolean	Prevent editing
admin.disabled	boolean | PropertyDisabledConfig	Disable with optional tooltip
admin.hideFromCollection	boolean	Hide from table view
admin.columnWidth	number	Column width in pixels (table view)
admin.span	1 | 2 | 3 | 4	Field width over the four-column form grid
admin.Field	React.ComponentType	Custom field component
admin.Preview	React.ComponentType	Custom table cell component

String Properties

The string type is the most versatile — depending on the options you set, it renders as different widgets.

Text field

A basic single-line text input.

name: {
    type: "string",
    name: "Name",
    validation: { required: true, min: 2, max: 200 }
}

Multiline text

Set multiline: true to render as a textarea.

description: {
    type: "string",
    name: "Description",
    multiline: true
}

Markdown editor

Set markdown: true to render a full markdown editor with toolbar.

body: {
    type: "string",
    name: "Blog text",
    markdown: true
}

Email field

Set email: true to add email format validation and render with an email icon.

email: {
    type: "string",
    name: "User email",
    email: true,
    validation: { required: true }
}

URL field

Set url: true to add URL format validation and render with a link icon.

website: {
    type: "string",
    name: "Amazon link",
    url: true
}

File upload

Set storage to render a file upload dropzone.

avatar: {
    type: "string",
    name: "Main image",
    storage: {
        storagePath: "avatars",
        acceptedFiles: ["image/*"],
        maxSize: 2 * 1024 * 1024
    }
}

Select (enum)

Set enum to render a select dropdown. See the Enum Values section for details.

category: {
    type: "string",
    name: "Category",
    enum: [
        { id: "electronics", label: "Electronics", color: "blueDark" },
        { id: "clothing", label: "Clothing", color: "pink" },
    ]
}

Multi-select

Set enum + multiSelect: true to allow picking multiple values.

locales: {
    type: "string",
    name: "Available locales",
    multiSelect: true,
    enum: [
        { id: "es", label: "Spanish", color: "pink" },
        { id: "en", label: "English", color: "blueLight" },
        { id: "fr", label: "French", color: "purpleLight" },
    ]
}

String Options

Property	Type	Description
admin.multiline	boolean	Render as textarea
admin.markdown	boolean	Render as markdown editor
email	boolean	Email format validation
url	boolean	URL format validation
storage	StorageConfig	Enable file upload
enum	EnumValues	Render as select dropdown
multiSelect	boolean	Allow multiple enum selections
columnType	string	Database column: "varchar", "text"
isId	string	ID generation: "uuid", "cuid", "increment", "manual"
userSelect	boolean	Render as a user picker
admin.previewAsTag	boolean	Render this string as a tag in previews
admin.clearable	boolean	Add an icon to clear the value (set to null)

Number Properties

price: {
    type: "number",
    name: "Price",
    validation: { required: true, min: 0 }
}

quantity: {
    type: "number",
    name: "Quantity",
    columnType: "integer"  // Store as integer
}

Number fields render as a standard text input with numeric validation.

Number Options

Property	Type	Description
enum	EnumValues	Render as select with numeric values
columnType	string	"integer", "bigint", "numeric", "serial", "smallint"
isId	string	ID generation strategy
admin.clearable	boolean	Add an icon to clear the value (set to null)

Boolean Properties

active: {
    type: "boolean",
    name: "Selectable",
    defaultValue: true
}

Booleans render as a toggle switch.

Date Properties

Date only

Set mode: "date" to show a date picker without time.

event_date: {
    type: "date",
    name: "Expiry date",
    mode: "date"
}

Date and time

The default mode "date_time" includes both date and time.

arrival_time: {
    type: "date",
    name: "Arrival time",
    mode: "date_time"
}

Auto timestamps

Use autoValue to automatically set timestamps on create or update.

createdAt: {
    type: "date",
    name: "Created At",
    autoValue: "on_create",
    admin: { readOnly: true }
}

updatedAt: {
    type: "date",
    name: "Updated At",
    autoValue: "on_update"
}

Date Options

Property	Type	Description
mode	"date" | "date_time"	Date only or date + time (default: "date_time")
autoValue	"on_create" | "on_update"	Auto-set timestamps
columnType	string	"timestamp", "date"
timezone	string	Timezone string to evaluate the date in
admin.clearable	boolean	Add an icon to clear the value (set to null)

Array Properties

Simple repeat

Use of to define a repeatable list of items.

tags: {
    type: "array",
    name: "Tags",
    of: { type: "string" }
}

Multi file upload

Combine of with storage for a multi-file upload.

images: {
    type: "array",
    name: "Images",
    of: {
        type: "string",
        storage: { storagePath: "images", acceptedFiles: ["image/*"] }
    }
}

Block editor

Use oneOf to create a block editor with multiple content types. Each key creates a card type that users can pick from.

content: {
    type: "array",
    name: "Content",
    oneOf: {
        properties: {
            text: {
                type: "map",
                properties: {
                    body: { type: "string", name: "Text", markdown: true }
                }
            },
            image: {
                type: "map",
                properties: {
                    src: { type: "string", name: "Image", storage: { storagePath: "content" } },
                    caption: { type: "string", name: "Caption" }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Array Options

Property	Type	Description
of	Property | Property[]	Property schema for array items
oneOf	object	Array of typed objects with multiple discriminator types
admin.expanded	boolean	Should the field be initially expanded (default: true)
admin.minimalistView	boolean	Display child properties directly without extendable panel
admin.sortable	boolean	Can elements be reordered (default: true)
admin.canAddElements	boolean	Can new elements be added (default: true)

Map Properties

Group (structured)

Use properties to define a structured object with named fields.

address: {
    type: "map",
    name: "Address",
    properties: {
        street: { type: "string", name: "Street" },
        zip: { type: "string", name: "Postal code" }
    }
}

Key-value (free-form)

Set keyValue: true to render an arbitrary key-value pairs editor.

metadata: {
    type: "map",
    name: "Key value",
    keyValue: true
}

Map Options

Property	Type	Description
properties	Properties	Record of properties included in the map
propertiesOrder	string[]	Ordered keys for rendering
admin.previewProperties	string[]	Which properties to show in the table preview
admin.spreadChildren	boolean	Render child properties as separate columns in table view
admin.minimalistView	boolean	Display properties without a wrapping panel
admin.expanded	boolean	Should the field be initially expanded (default: true)
keyValue	boolean	Render as arbitrary key-value pairs editor

Reference Properties

References link to entities in another collection. They render as a preview card showing the referenced entity’s details.

client: {
    type: "reference",
    name: "Related client",
    path: "clients",
    admin: {
        previewProperties: ["first_name", "last_name", "email"]
    }
}

Reference & Relation Options

These apply to both reference and relation properties.

Property	Type	Description
admin.fixedFilter	FilterValues	Filter the entities offered in the selection widget
admin.widget	"select" | "dialog"	Which widget selects the related entity (relations only)
admin.includeId	boolean	Show the related entity’s id in previews (default: true)
admin.includeEntityLink	boolean	Show a link that opens the related entity (default: true)
admin.previewProperties	string[]	Which of the target’s properties appear in the preview (max 3)

Vector Properties

An embedding column, for nearest-neighbour search. Postgres only.

embedding: {
    type: "vector",
    name: "Embedding",
    dimensions: 1536
}

Property	Type	Description
dimensions	number	Required. Length of the vector. Compiles to VECTOR(n).
index	VectorIndexConfig | false	How the ANN index is built. Omitted, one HNSW index for cosine distance. false creates none.

An ANN index is created with the column, so vectorSearch is approximate and fast rather than an exact scan. It is built for cosine distance, which is what vectorSearch measures with unless you pass distance — an index serves exactly one operator, so an l2 query against a cosine index quietly goes back to scanning. method (hnsw or ivfflat), distance (one or several), m, efConstruction and lists are all on index. Above 2000 dimensions pgvector can build neither index type, so the column is left unindexed and the boot says so.

Query it with .vectorSearch(), which also covers what pgvector needs to be installed and how to tune the index. For ordinary btree, GIN and BRIN indexes on any collection, see Indexes.

Binary Properties

Raw bytes, stored as bytea. Values cross the API as base64 strings — including defaultValue.

signature: {
    type: "binary",
    name: "Signature"
}

Large files belong in storage, not in a column: a bytea is read and written whole, with the row.

Enum Values

Used with string or number properties to render selects:

// Simple array
enum: ["draft", "published", "archived"]

// With labels
enum: [
    { id: "draft", label: "Draft" },
    { id: "published", label: "Published" },
    { id: "archived", label: "Archived" }
]

// With colors (for Kanban columns and chips)
enum: [
    { id: "draft", label: "Draft", color: "grayDark" },
    { id: "published", label: "Published", color: "greenDark" },
    { id: "archived", label: "Archived", color: "orangeDark" }
]

Validation

validation: {
    required: true,             // Field is required
    unique: true,               // Must be unique in the table
    requiredMessage: "Custom error message",

    // String-specific
    min: 2,                     // Minimum length
    max: 200,                   // Maximum length
    matches: /^[a-z]+$/,       // Regex pattern
    email: true,                // Email format
    url: true,                  // URL format

    // Number-specific
    min: 0,                     // Minimum value
    max: 1000,                  // Maximum value
    integer: true,              // Must be integer

    // Array-specific
    min: 1,                     // Minimum items
    max: 10,                    // Maximum items
}

Conditional Fields

You can make fields dynamic so they react to the entity’s values. There are two ways to do this:

1. JSON Logic Conditions (Declarative)

You can use the conditions property to define declarative JSON Logic rules that can be serialized and modified visually in the collection editor.

price: {
    type: "number",
    name: "Price",
    conditions: {
        disabled: { "==": [{ "var": "values.is_free" }, true] },
        required: { "!=": [{ "var": "values.is_free" }, true] },
        min: 0,
        clearOnDisabled: true // Set to null if field gets disabled
    }
}

The conditions object gives you access to:

• disabled, hidden, readOnly
• required, min, max
• defaultValue
• enumConditions, allowedEnumValues, excludedEnumValues
• referencePath, referenceFilter
• canAddElements, sortable (for arrays)

2. Property Builders (Programmatic)

For complex behavior that can’t be expressed via JSON Logic, you can use dynamicProps which evaluates a Javascript function.

price: {
    type: "number",
    name: "Price",
    dynamicProps: ({ values, user }) => ({
        disabled: values.is_free === true || !user.roles.includes("admin"),
        validation: values.is_free ? {} : { required: true, min: 0 }
    })
}

Next Steps

• Relations — Foreign keys and joins
• Security Rules — Row Level Security
• Custom Fields — Build custom field components