Customize Your Strapi Admin Panel

Ankita Deb

Blog / Customize Your Strapi Admin Panel

The Strapi admin panel is a powerful React-based interface that serves as the control center for your content management system.

Learning how to customize the Strapi admin panel effectively can transform your development experience and create a more tailored solution for your needs.

What is the Strapi Admin Panel?

The admin panel is Strapi's front-end interface. It provides a user-friendly environment for managing content, user permissions, and various system settings.

It's a single-page application that integrates all your installed plugins and core functionalities.

Key Customization Possibilities

When you customize the Strapi admin panel, you can:

  • Modify the visual appearance to match your brand identity
  • Adjust the interface layout and functionality
  • Implement custom translations and localizations
  • Add new features through plugins and extensions
  • Configure security settings and access controls

Prerequisites for Customization

Before starting your customization journey, ensure you have:

  • A working Strapi installation
  • Node.js (version 14 or higher)
  • Basic knowledge of JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Familiarity with React fundamentals

1. Basic Configuration Setup

Creating Configuration Files

To begin customizing your Strapi admin panel, you'll need to set up the following files:

  1. Create `app.js` in the `src/admin` directory
  2. Set up `config/admin.js` for basic configurations
  3. Establish an `extensions` folder in `src/admin`

Development Environment Setup

bash
Initialize your Strapi project
npx create-strapi-app@latest my-project

Navigate to your project directory
cd my-project

Install necessary dependencies
npm install

Implementing Hot Reloading

Enable real-time development updates with:

bash
strapi develop --watch-admin

2. Access URL and Server Configuration

Modifying Default Admin URL

The default admin panel URL (http://localhost:1337/admin) can be customized for security and branding purposes:

// config/admin.js
module.exports = ({ env }) => ({
  url: '/dashboard', // Changes admin panel URL to /dashboard
});

Host and Port Configuration

// config/server.js
module.exports = ({ env }) => ({
  host: env('HOST', '0.0.0.0'),
  port: env.int('PORT', 1337),
});

3. Visual Customization Options

A. Logo Customization

Logos are often the first consideration when you customize the Strapi admin panel's visual elements.

Here's how to modify them:

  1. Login Page Logo:
// src/admin/app.js
import customLogo from './extensions/my-logo.png';

export default {
  config: {
    auth: {
      logo: customLogo,
    },
  },
};
  1. Main Navigation Logo:
export default {
  config: {
    menu: {
      logo: customLogo,
    },
  },
};

B. Favicon Implementation

To replace the default favicon:

  1. Place your favicon in `src/admin/extensions/`
  2. Update the configuration:
import customFavicon from './extensions/favicon.png';

export default {
  config: {
    head: {
      favicon: customFavicon,
    },
  },
};

C. Theme Customization

Strapi supports both light and dark modes with customizable properties:

export default {
  config: {
    theme: {
      light: {
        colors: {
          primary100: 'f6ecfc',
          primary200: 'e0c1f4',
          primary500: '7b79ff',
        },
      },
      dark: {
        colors: {
          primary100: '212134',
          primary200: '4a4a6a',
          primary500: '7b79ff',
        },
      },
    },
  },
};

4. Localization and Translation Customization

Adding New Locales

To customize the Strapi admin panel's language options:

export default {
  config: {
    locales: ['en', 'fr', 'de', 'es'],
  },
};

Extending Translations

Create custom translations:

export default {
  config: {
    translations: {
      en: {
        'app.components.LeftMenu.navbrand.title': 'Custom Dashboard',
        'app.components.HomePage.welcome': 'Welcome to your custom panel',
      },
    },
  },
};

Plugin-specific Translations

export default {
  config: {
    translations: {
      en: {
        'content-type-builder.plugin.name': 'Custom Content Types',
      },
    },
  },
};

5. Interface Customization Options

A. Notification Settings

Customize notification behavior:

export default {
  config: {
    notifications: {
      releases: false, // Disable release notifications
    },
    tutorials: false, // Disable tutorial videos
  },
};

B. WYSIWYG Editor Customization

Replace the default editor:

import CustomEditor from './extensions/CustomEditor';

export default {
  bootstrap(app) {
    app.addFields({ type: 'wysiwyg', Component: CustomEditor });
  },
};

6. Advanced Customization Options

A. Bundler Configuration

  1. Webpack Configuration:
// src/admin/webpack.config.js
module.exports = (config, webpack) => {
  config.plugins.push(new webpack.IgnorePlugin(/\/__tests__\//));
  return config;
};
  1. Vite Configuration (Experimental):
// src/admin/vite.config.js
const { mergeConfig } = require('vite');
module.exports = (config) => {
  return mergeConfig(config, {
    resolve: {
      alias: {
        '@': '/src',
      },
    },
  });
};

7. Deployment Strategies

A. Single Server Deployment

When you customize the Strapi admin panel for single-server deployment, follow these steps:

  1. Build Process:
bash
Build the admin panel
npm run build

Start the production server
npm run start
  1. Configuration Settings:
// config/server.js
module.exports = ({ env }) => ({
  host: env('HOST', '0.0.0.0'),
  port: env.int('PORT', 1337),
  app: {
    keys: env.array('APP_KEYS'),
  },
});

B. Multi-Server Deployment

For separate frontend and backend setups:

// config/admin.js
module.exports = ({ env }) => ({
  url: '/', // Frontend URL
  serveAdminPanel: false,
  auth: {
    secret: env('ADMIN_JWT_SECRET'),
  },
});

8. Best Practices and Troubleshooting

Common Customization Issues

  1. Cache-Related Problems:
  • Clear browser cache after making changes
  • Reset the build folder:
bash
rm -rf build
npm run build
  1. Performance Optimization Tips:
  • Minimize custom component size
  • Implement lazy loading:
const MyCustomComponent = React.lazy(() => import('./MyCustomComponent'));

Security Considerations

When you customize the Strapi admin panel, always:

  1. Implement proper authentication:
// config/admin.js
module.exports = ({ env }) => ({
  auth: {
    secret: env('ADMIN_JWT_SECRET'),
    options: {
      expiresIn: '30d',
    },
  },
});
  1. Set up CORS properly:
// config/middleware.js
module.exports = {
  settings: {
    cors: {
      enabled: true,
      origin: ['http://localhost:1337', 'https://yourdomain.com'],
    },
  },
};

9. Advanced Integration Examples

Real-World Customization Scenarios

  1. Custom Dashboard Implementation:
// src/admin/extensions/components/CustomDashboard.js
import React from 'react';

const CustomDashboard = () => {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Custom Analytics Dashboard</h1>
      {/* Add your custom dashboard components */}
    </div>
  );
};

export default CustomDashboard;
  1. Integration with External Services:
// src/admin/app.js
export default {
  bootstrap(app) {
    // Initialize external service
    app.injectContentManagerComponent('editView', 'right-links', {
      name: 'ExternalServiceWidget',
      Component: ExternalServiceComponent,
    });
  },
};

Testing and Validation

  1. Component Testing:
// src/admin/tests/CustomComponent.test.js
import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
import CustomComponent from '../components/CustomComponent';

describe('CustomComponent', () => {
  it('renders correctly', () => {
    render(<CustomComponent />);
    expect(screen.getByRole('main')).toBeInTheDocument();
  });
});
  1. End-to-End Testing:
// cypress/integration/admin/customization.spec.js
describe('Admin Panel Customization', () => {
  it('should display custom branding', () => {
    cy.visit('/admin');
    cy.get('.custom-logo').should('be.visible');
  });
});

Conclusion

Successfully customizing your Strapi admin panel requires careful planning and attention to detail.

Remember to:

  • Keep your customizations modular and maintainable
  • Regularly test changes in a development environment
  • Document all customizations for future reference
  • Follow Strapi's best practices and security guidelines

By following this comprehensive guide, you can create a highly customized and efficient admin panel in Strapi CMS that perfectly suits your project's needs.

Remember to check Strapi's official documentation for updates and new customization options as the platform evolves.

Ankita Deb
by Ankita Deb
Full Stack Developer

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