Announcing Custom fields and updated API Token in Strapi v4.4

Today, we're excited to announce the release of Strapi v4.4, with highly awaited features, improvements and fixes to help Strapi users build better, more secure apps. Only one month after the release of Strapi v4.3 (with TypeScript support, Media library folders) we're back with new customization and security capabilities. Read on for Strapi v4.4 highlights.

Custom Fields

We often hear that Strapi is the most customizable CMS out there, and this new custom field feature will confirm this status!

Before, there were 12 standard fields (Text, Number, Media, JSON, etc) that you could use to build the content architecture. Now, this number is unlimited. Meet custom fields - a brand new feature that allows you to add any types of fields to a Strapi project.

Let’s say, you want to display data coming from an external source, or pin a location on a map, or add a custom video player. Or perhaps, you’d like to customize the way the fields are displayed to improve the UX for your team? All that is possible now.

Customize the Admin Panel in an easier way - no need to do complex workarounds or modify the core, just install the necessary custom fields.The integration with third-party tools like Shopify, Youtube or Google Maps is now easier than ever. You are now able to create the tailored editing experience for your team - and if your needs change, Strapi can be customized at any time.

Today, we're introducing four new custom fields: 

• Color picker by Strapi - select any color in any format (HEX, RGB, CMYK) directly in Strapi

• Shopify by @WalkingPizza - view and select products from your Shopify store

• CKEditor custom field by CKEditor team - use and configure CKEditor in no time (official integration).

• UIID field by @VladyslavVolkov - add a universally unique identifier field to the app.

Follow this video guide to install and use them:

Custom fields are now natively supported and can be shared inside plugins. More and more of them will be available on the Strapi marketplace in the coming weeks, stay tuned. Here's the documentation that helps you to install the fields. Once installed, you'll see these fields in the "Custom" tab when adding a new field.

If you'd like to create your own custom field, please follow this documentation. To showcase your custom field on the marketplace, please fill out this form, and our team will review it as soon as possible. What do you think about this feature? Let us know on the forum or Discord! Also, vote for the next custom fields that you want to see in Strapi.

API Token v2

With the Strapi v4 release, token-based authentication became the main way to authenticate and access the Content API. What are the tokens for? They store user's credentials and permissions.

In v4.4, we updated the API token system, making it more granular and flexible. Let's take a look at the new API token on steroids:

• More granular permissions

Before, the API token only had two permission types: read-only and full-access. With the new update, the permissions are more detailed. Users can choose a "custom" permission type and enable Create, Read, Update and Delete (CRUD) permissions for each content type. This new feature is especially useful for projects that use one content source for multiple front-ends.

• Token duration control

It's now possible to set the time, during which the token will be valid: 7, 30, 90 days or unlimited. This way, you don't have to worry that someone has access to the API longer than needed. No security vulnerabilities shall pass! Strapi also shows you the expiration date of the token - there's no need to open the calendar.

We recommend using the API token as a de-facto way to access the API for most use cases, since it's a secure method that doesn't require user identification or password creation.

You can still use the Users & Permissions plugin that serves the same purpose as well, and is recommended if your project involves a lot of people who need to access the API using different credentials. We're planning to remove the Users & Permissions plugin from the plugins installed by default in the upcoming weeks, to improve the performance of your projects. You will be able to install it if you need to use it.

Check out the documentation for the updated API token and a video highlighting what's new:

Relations in main layout Alpha

To improve the overall Strapi performance, we’re going to make several improvements to the relations. In particular, we are reworking the display and searching through relations. We are moving relations to the main layout of the edit view to reduce the load time and improve UX. It will also allow us to add more actions on relations in the future: reordering, filtering, sorting. This new component is a fundamental piece to let our users manage their relational content at scale.

You can have a look at the revamped feature and test its alpha version using the command:

npx create-strapi-app@alpha

Don't forget to share your thoughts on the forum!

New plugins and providers on Strapi Market

The official Strapi marketplace is growing every day and it might be hard to keep up with the updates. So, here are the newest plugins and providers available on the Strapi Market:

• Cookie Manager - manage categorized cookies directly within the admin panel at one place and use the predefined plugin API to provide GDPR consent cookies.

• Custom links - create and edit URI for different ContentTypes

Add your plugin to the Strapi Market! 

Strapi Market is the official plugin & provider marketplace, where you can showcase your work to more than 20000 monthly visitors. The submission process is quick and easy, our team is doing a security check of your plugin or provider to increase its lifetime.

Here are all the resources you need to create and promote a plugin or provider and the submission form for showcasing it on the marketplace.

Chat with the Strapi team on the Community Call

Strapi is evolving every day and we are always looking for feedback from the community! During this community call, we’re going to demo the custom fields and new API token, answer your questions about our product decisions and share what’s coming next.

Join us on October 12th, 5PM CET / 8AM PDT. Register here not to miss it!

Try Strapi v4.4 out now

To create a new Strapi v4.4 project and try the Custom fields and updated API Token, simply run the following command:

1npx create-strapi-app my-project --quickstart

Follow the Quick Start Guide for detailed step-by-step instructions or have a look at a video instruction.

We would love to hear what you think about the new features! Let us know in this forum thread.

Migrate to Strapi v4:

Strapi v4 offers a better content editing experience and more powerful development capabilities. Use the v3 → v4 migration resources to bring your CMS to the next level.

We're regularly releasing new Strapi versions with lots of bug fixes and enhancements done by the community members and the Strapi team. Thank you for being a part of this journey and for helping us improve the product. We encourage everyone to regularly update Strapi to its latest version, to enjoy all the latest upgrades.

Strapi Cloud is coming soon: don’t miss out

The highly awaited Strapi Cloud is a platform to easily deploy and host Strapi.

Join the waiting list to become one of the exclusive private beta testers and be the first one to know when the hosted Strapi version is available. You will also get a free trial period and a significant discount :)

Build Strapi with us

Strapi is an open-source product that grows thanks to community support and contributions.

Here's how you can help us improve the product:

• Contribute to the project on Github

• Share what features you'd love to have in our public roadmap

• Create Strapi plugins and submit them to the Strapi market

• Showcase the projects you built in Strapi Showcase

We appreciate each contribution and piece of feedback that you share. Stay safe and tuned for more updates!