This is a major release that includes a re-architecture of Payload from Express and a single-page React app to Next.js. In addition to this architectural change, we've also shipped a ton of large features, miscellaneous fixes, and DX improvements.

Architectural changes

• Payload now installs fully in any Next.js app router
• You can now deploy your entire project (frontend and backend) in one app
• Payload can now be deployed serverless on platforms like Vercel
• Everything Payload does now works seamlessly within any Next.js project
• You can now use the Payload Local API in Server Components and Server Functions
• Postgres, Live Preview, and Lexical have been marked as stable
• All Payload exports have been significantly cleaned up and organized
• Payload is now an ESM project
• Payload is now modular, and we now publish new packages ui, next, translations, and graphql
• The Payload config is now server-side only, and works in any Node environment
• Server-side HMR works out of the box - removing the need for nodemon

Large features

• Join field - bi-directional relationships, more control over the database schema, and more
• Select API - select specific fields when querying using Local API
• Jobs Queue - background jobs fully supported in Payload with no third-party dependencies
• Populate / DefaultPopulate API - determine which fields should be retrieved when Payload populates relationships
• Lexical blocks and inline blocks - easily make Payload Blocks available in Lexical as custom rich text features
• SQLite database adapter now available
• Vercel Postgres database adapter released, specifically for serverless deploys on Vercel
• Live Preview server components support
• Admin UI has been refreshed
• hasMany upload fields are now supported
• Bulk upload has been added
• Document Locking pattern has been implemented, which shows if someone is currently editing a document
• Ability to publish individual locales one at a time has been added
• Lexical now has Table support

Small but still important features

• New Payload logo (thanks Candycode!)
• New Resend email adapter is now available
• Postgres now saves single, monomorphic relationships directly in a column rather than in _rels table
• GraphQL has been abstracted into a specific Next.js route handler, and no longer affects Payload initialization at all
• React Compiler has been introduced into Payload build pipeline
• You can now run migrations on init, rather than only in CI (helpful for long-running servers)
• New Local API operations - count, countVersions, countGlobalVersions, upsert
• Adds baseListFilter function to allow enforced list view filters based on user
• Lexical fixed toolbar option has been added
• Optimized the way that relational DBs store relations
• Postgres point field is now supported
• Postgres deep JSON querying is now supported
• Cuztomize Drizzle schema by passing in your own, which is handled outside of Payload
• Fully typed i18n t function
• Focal point data is now stored on uploads
• Adds ability to login with username rather than email
• New pattern for passing custom server / client props to custom components
• Email adapter pattern, including optimized Resend HTTP client
• Reduced / optimized the shape of /access permissions results
• Allows sorting by multiple fields
• MongoDB now saves ObjectID for relationships
• Adds more control over log level customization
• Downgrades common errors like NotFound or Forbidden to info
• Swaps out react-toastify for sonner
• True "virtual" fields via virtual: true
• Adds ability to customize filenames before upload
• Adds locale indicators to localized field labels
• Scope all payload css to payload-default layer
• Document duplicate / delete from drawers

⚠️ BREAKING CHANGES

This release includes breaking changes. In order to update from version 2 to 3, please review the migration docs.

🤝 Contributors

• James Mikrut (@jmikrut)
• Elliot DeNolf (@denolfe)
• Dan Ribbens (@DanRibbens)
• Said Akhrarov (@akhrarovsaid)
• Germán Jabloñski (@GermanJablo)
• Sophia Michelle Andren (@sandren)
• Jarrod Flesch (@JarrodMFlesch)
• Patrik (@PatrikKozak)
• Nate (@ncaminata)
• mattddean (@mattddean)
• Sasha (@r1tsuu)
• Jacob Fletcher (@jacobsfletch)
• Mikkel Wied Frederiksen (@mikkelwf)
• Alessio Gravili (@AlessioGr)
• Paul (@paulpopus)
• Tobias Odendahl (@tak-amboss)
• Jessica Chowdhury (@JessChowdhury)
• Ruy Monteiro (@ruymon)
• Nathan Clevenger (@nathanclevenger)
• Kendell Joseph (@kendelljoseph)
• Steve (@steventsvetkov)
• Mikkel Madsen (@miguel2650)
• Tylan Davis (@tylandavis)
• Javier (@javierlinked)
• Timothy Choi (@tyteen4a03)
• Andreas Bernhard (@abernh)
• Friggo (@MrFriggo)
• Jesper We (@JesperWe)
• vahacreative (@vahacreative)
• Manuel Leitold (@agrippa1994)
• Gregor Gabrič (@GregorGabric)
• Konsequanzheng (@Konsequanzheng)
• Brandon Kocur (@Brandoko)
• Anders Semb Hermansen (@andershermansen)
• Hristiyan Dodov (@hdodov)
• MotorcycleEnjoyer (@MotorcycleEnjoyer)
• Because789 (@Because789)
• Ante (@azivkovi)
• Mike Bailey (@mykz)
• Riley Pearce (@rilrom)
• Louis Ba (@muyunz)
• gervickas.js (@wellitongervickas)
• Frank Omondi (@Dofften)
• Thành Trang (@trangcongthanh)
• Victor Winberg (@VictorWinberg)
• Florian Quiblier (@fofoy)
• Christoffer Hasselberg (@stofolus)
• Hampus Wallentin Olsen (@hampusolsen)
• Bruno Crosier (@brunocrosier)
• Alexander (@Arctomachine)
• Francisco Lourenço (@franciscolourenco)
• Giuseppe Chiruzzi (@xfloor)
• Ritsu (@r1tsuu)
• Willy Brauner (@willybrauner)
• Michel v. Varendorff (@mvarendorff)
• Lynn Dylan Hurley (@lynndylanhurley)
• Hulpoi George-Valentin (@GeorgeHulpoi)
• Jasper Beaurain (@JasperBeaurain)
• Wilson (@WilsonLe)
• Harley Salas (@HarleySalas)
• Frederic Perron (@FredPerr)
• Viet-Tien (@nvti)
• Patryk Kowalczyk (@Patryk-Kowalczyk)
• Leo Hilsheimer (@linobino1)
• zvizvi (@zvizvi)
• Francis Turmel (@fturmel)