Collections

#Collections

Collections are the core data model in EmuView. Each collection is a database table backed by Cloudflare D1 (SQLite) with a full CRUD API generated automatically.

You define a collection's fields and types, and EmuView handles table creation, validation, indexing, and API routing. Every collection gets endpoints for listing, creating, reading, updating, and deleting records — with filtering, sorting, pagination, and full-text search built in.

#What you can do

Action	How
Define a schema	Create a collection with typed fields via the dashboard or POST /api/v1/collections
Insert and query data	Use the records API or SDK to perform CRUD operations
Filter and sort	Apply field-level filters and sort by any indexed column
Link collections	Use relation fields to create foreign key references between collections
Search records	Full-text search across text, email, URL, slug, richtext, markdown, and enum fields
Control access	Give each role a per-collection row scope (all / own / crew) with row- and column-level security

#Key concepts

Concept	What it means
Field type	One of 23 data types (text, number, relation, file, and others) that defines how a column stores and validates data
System fields	id, created_at, updated_at, created_by, updated_by, deleted_at — added to every collection automatically
Schema version	Incremented each time you add fields. Existing fields cannot be removed or renamed (SQLite limitation)
Access	Per role, a row scope (none / all / own / crew) plus write — enforced via RBAC and optional crews
Soft delete	Records are marked with deleted_at by default. Use ?permanent=true to remove them from the database

#How it fits together

A collection starts with a schema. The schema creates a D1 table and a CRUD API, records flow through that API, relation fields link records across collections, and access control filters every request:

flowchart LR
    Schema["Schema<br>23 field types"] -->|creates| Table[("D1 table")]
    Schema -->|generates| API["Records API<br>/api/v1/collections/:name/records"]
    API --> Records["Records"]
    Records <-->|relation fields| Other["Other collections"]
    AC["Access control<br>roles, row and column rules"] -.->|filters every request| API

Collections connect to other EmuView capabilities:

• Auth — Access policies reference roles assigned to users
• Files — file fields store references to R2-hosted uploads
• Automation — Flows trigger on record.create, record.update, and record.delete events
• Real-time — SSE and WebSocket streams broadcast changes to connected clients

#Guides in this section

• Field types — All 23 field types with storage details and configuration options
• Filtering records — Query syntax, operators, and filter patterns
• Relations — Link collections with belongsTo and hasMany relations
• Search — Full-text search configuration and query syntax
• Access control — Roles, row-level security, and column-level permissions