Strapi 5 Universal Import/Export Plugin

A lightweight, high-performance, and completely schema-driven plugin for exporting and importing Content Types, Single Types, components, Dynamic Zones, relations, and media in Strapi 5.

Features

• Schema-Driven Architecture: No hardcoded content type names, relationship fields, or dynamic structure layouts.
• Dynamic Entry & Relation Matching Engine:
  1. Step 1: Automatically checks for schema-defined unique fields (unique: true or type: "uid").
  2. Step 2: Performs exact documentId matching (crucial for same-database restorations or Local → Local syncs).
  3. Step 3: Performs a dynamic composite scalar-field fingerprint lookup if the document ID is not found (safely handles UAT/Prod cross-environment imports without data corruption).
• Clean Two-Column Admin Dashboard: Minimalist visual separation between Import and Export cards, built using @strapi/design-system.
• Zero Third-Party Node Server Dependencies: Relies entirely on built-in Node modules for zero bundle size impact.
• Dynamic Entries Display Selector: Content editors can dynamically pick which schema field to display in selection lists.

Installation

You can install this plugin into any Strapi 5 project either as a local plugin or via a tarball.

Option A: Local Plugin Setup (Recommended for Customizations)

1. Copy the import-export directory into your target Strapi project's src/plugins/import-export folder.
2. Register the plugin in your target project's config/plugins.js file:

module.exports = {
  'import-export': {
    enabled: true,
    resolve: './src/plugins/import-export'
  },
};

3. Enable the plugin in your backend server and build the admin panel:

npm run build
npm run develop

Option B: Local File Dependency Setup

If you prefer installing it without committing the source code inside your main repository:

1. Package the plugin directory:

cd path/to/import-export
npm pack

This generates a file like strapi-navnath-plugin-import-export-v5-1.0.0.tgz.

2. Install the package in your target Strapi 5 project:

npm install /path/to/strapi-navnath-plugin-import-export-v5-1.0.0.tgz

3. Register it in config/plugins.js:

module.exports = {
  'import-export': {
    enabled: true,
  },
};

4. Build and run:

npm run build
npm run develop

How It Works

The plugin dynamically interfaces with Strapi 5 schema structures at runtime:

1. Model Discovery: Reads strapi.contentTypes and filters for user-created models (api::).
2. Dynamic Populating: During exports, it builds recursive populate schemas depending entirely on the content model relations and component configuration.
3. Data Import/Update: Processes payload items. If matching entries exist, it updates them using Strapi 5 Document Service upsert strategies. Otherwise, it creates fresh records.

License

MIT License. Feel free to customize and redistribute!