# Strapi

In this document, you’ll learn how to integrate Strapi with Medusa to add rich Content Management System (CMS) functionalities.

:::info

This plugin is a [community plugin](https://github.com/Deathwish98/medusa-plugin-strapi) and is not managed by the official Medusa team. At the moment, it supports v4 of Strapi.

:::

## Overview

[Strapi](https://strapi.io/) is an open source headless CMS service that allows developers to have complete control over their content models. It can be integrated into many other frameworks, including Medusa.

By integrating Strapi to Medusa, you can benefit from powerful features in your ecommerce store including detailed product CMS details, [two-way sync](#test-two-way-sync), an easy-to-use interface to use for static content and pages, and much more.

## Prerequisites

### Medusa CLI

[Medusa’s CLI tool](../cli/reference.md#how-to-install-cli-tool) is required to set up a new Medusa server.

### Redis

Redis is required for the Strapi plugin to work as expected on your Medusa server. If you don’t have it installed, you can learn [how to install it in this documentation](../tutorial/0-set-up-your-development-environment.mdx#redis).

## Create Strapi Project

The first step is to create a Strapi project using the Medusa template:

```bash
npx create-strapi-app strapi-medusa --template shahednasser/strapi-medusa-template
```

This creates the Strapi project in the directory `strapi-medusa`.

Once the installation is finished, the Strapi development server will run on `localhost:1337`. A new page will also open in your default browser to create a new admin user and log in.

![Create User Form in Strapi](https://i.imgur.com/9pFE1Ij.png)

Once you log in, you can access the Strapi dashboard.

### Create a Strapi User

The Strapi plugin in Medusa requires the credentials of a Strapi user. To create a new user, go to Content Manager, then choose User under Collection Types.

![Showing the users under Content Manager](https://i.imgur.com/YyGJPUf.png)

Click on the Create new entry button at the top right. This opens a new form to enter the user’s details.

![Create User Form on Strapi](https://i.imgur.com/mdMhSlV.png)

Enter the user’s username, email, and password. Once you’re done, click on the Save button at the top right.

## Modify Permissions

By default, created users have the “Authenticated” role. Before you start using the Strapi plugin on your Medusa server, you must modify this role’s permissions to allow making changes to Medusa’s models in Strapi.

On your Strapi dashboard, go to Settings → Roles → Authenticated. Then, under the Permissions section, expand the accordion of each content model type and check the Select All checkbox.

![An example of modifying permissions on the Product content type](https://i.imgur.com/QgckXqS.png)

Once you’re done, click the Save button at the top right.

## Create Medusa Server

:::note

You can use the Strapi plugin on an existing Medusa server, however, existing data (such as existing products) will not be imported. Only newer data will be imported.

:::

To create your Medusa server, run the following command:

```bash
medusa new medusa-server --seed
```

The `--seed` flag creates an SQLite database and seeds it with some demo data.

### Configure your Server

Once the command is done executing, change to the newly created `medusa-server` directory. Then, in `medusa-config.js`, change the exported object at the end of the file to enable Redis:

```jsx
module.exports = {
  projectConfig: {
    redis_url: REDIS_URL,
    //...
  }
  //...
};
```

This uses the default Redis configurations. If you want to learn more about configuring Redis, [check out this documentation](../usage/configurations.md#redis).

:::tip

It is also recommended to use PostgreSQL for an optimal experience, however, it is not required. Learn how to [install](../tutorial/0-set-up-your-development-environment.mdx#postgres) and [configure](../usage/configurations.md#postgresql-configurations) it on your Medusa server.

:::

## Install the Strapi Plugin

In the directory of your Medusa server, run the following command to install the Strapi plugin:

```bash npm2yarn
npm install medusa-plugin-strapi
```

Then, add the following environment variables:

```bash
STRAPI_USER=<STRAPI_IDENTIFIER>
STRAPI_PASSWORD=<STRAPI_PASSWORD>
STRAPI_PROTOCOL=http # Optional
STRAPI_URL=<STRAPI_URL> # Optional
STRAPI_PORT=<STRAPI_PORT> # Optional
```

Where:

- `<STRAPI_IDENTIFIER>` is either the email address or username of the user you created in the previous step.
- `<STRAPI_PASSWORD>` is the password of the user you created in the previous step.
- `<STRAPI_PROTOCOL>` is the protocol of your Strapi server. If you’re using a local Strapi server, set this to `http`. The default value is `https`.
- `<STRAPI_URL>` is the URL of your Strapi server. By default, the URL is `localhost`.
- `<STRAPI_PORT>` is the port the Strapi server runs on. By default, the port is `1337`.

Finally, open `medusa-config.js` and add the following new item to the `plugins` array:

```jsx
const plugins = [
  //...
  {
    resolve: `medusa-plugin-strapi`,
    options: {
      strapi_medusa_user: process.env.STRAPI_USER,
      strapi_medusa_password: process.env.STRAPI_PASSWORD,
      strapi_url: process.env.STRAPI_URL, //optional
      strapi_port: process.env.STRAPI_PORT, //optional
      strapi_protocol: process.env.STRAPI_PROTOCOL //optional
    }
  }
];
```

## Run Medusa Server

Make sure the Strapi server is still running. If not, you can run the following command to run the Strapi server in the directory of the Strapi project:

```bash npm2yarn
npm run develop
```

Then, in the directory of your Medusa server, run the following command to start the Medusa server:

```bash npm2yarn
npm run start
```

Once you start your Medusa server, if you ran the `--seed` command when you created your Medusa server, you’ll see that `product.created` events have been triggered along with similar events. This will update Strapi with the products you seeded.

## Test Two-Way Sync

This plugin ensures a two-way sync between the Medusa server and the Strapi server. So, if you update data on Strapi, it will be reflected on your Medusa server, and vice-versa.

### Update Products on Strapi

Try updating any products on Strapi by going to Content Manager → Products and choosing a product from the list. Then, make changes to the product and click Save. If you view the products on your server now, either using the [REST APIs](https://docs.medusajs.com/api/admin/#tag/Product/operation/GetProducts) or using [the Medusa Admin](../user-guide/products/index.mdx), you’ll see that the product has been updated.

### Update Products on Medusa

If you try to update products on Medusa either using the [REST APIs](https://docs.medusajs.com/api/admin/#tag/Product/operation/PostProductsProduct) or using [the Medusa Admin](../user-guide/products/manage.mdx), you’ll see that the product is also updated on Strapi.

## What’s Next

- Learn [how to deploy the Medusa server](../deployments/server/index.mdx).
- Learn [how to create your own plugin](../advanced/backend/plugins/create.md).
