Import and export collection data in CSV format — compatible with Excel, Google Sheets, and data migration workflows.

CSV Import / Export

FastCMS allows you to easily import and export data from collections in CSV format. This is useful for data migration, backups, bulk editing, and integration with spreadsheet applications like Excel or Google Sheets.

Via Admin Dashboard

Exporting Records to CSV

Navigate to any collection's records page (e.g., /admin/collections/products/records)
Click the Export CSV button at the top of the page
Your browser will download a CSV file named {collection_name}_export.csv

The exported CSV includes:

System fields: id, created, updated
All custom fields defined in the collection schema

Importing Records from CSV

Navigate to the collection's records page
Click the Import CSV button
Select your CSV file in the modal dialog
Optionally check Skip validation to import all data as text without type checking
Click Import

Important Notes:

The first row must contain field names matching your collection schema
System fields (id, created, updated) will be ignored if present
Empty values are skipped
Invalid data types will cause errors (unless "Skip validation" is checked)

Via API

Export Records to CSV

curl -X GET "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/collections/products/records/export/csv" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -o products_export.csv

With Filters and Sorting:

curl -X GET "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/collections/products/records/export/csv?filter=active=true&sort=-price" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -o active_products.csv

Query Parameters:

Parameter	Description
`filter`	Filter expression (e.g., `price>=100&&active=true`)
`sort`	Sort field (prefix with `-` for descending)

Export Limit: Maximum 10,000 records per export.

Import Records from CSV

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/collections/products/records/import/csv" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -F "file=@products.csv"

Response:

{
  "imported": 95,
  "total": 100,
  "errors": [
    {
      "row": 23,
      "error": "Row 23, field 'price': Cannot convert 'invalid' to number"
    }
  ]
}

With Skip Validation:

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/collections/products/records/import/csv?skip_validation=true" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -F "file=@products.csv"

CSV Format

Simple Example

name,price,active
Laptop,999.99,true
Mouse,29.99,true
Keyboard,79.99,false

Field Type Formatting

Field Type	Format
Dates	ISO 8601: `2025-01-15T10:00:00`
Booleans	`true/false`, `1/0`, `yes/no`
Multi-select arrays	JSON: `["electronics", "sale"]`
Text with commas	Wrap in double quotes

Example with multiple field types:

title,quantity,published,publish_date,tags
"First Product",100,true,2025-01-15T10:00:00,"[""electronics"", ""sale""]"
"Second Product",50,false,2025-02-01T14:30:00,"[""clothing""]"

Data Migration Workflow

Export from one collection, import into another:

# Step 1: Export source collection
curl -X GET "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/collections/old_products/records/export/csv" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -o products_backup.csv

# Step 2: Import to target collection
curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/collections/new_products/records/import/csv" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -F "file=@products_backup.csv"

Handling Large Datasets

For collections with more than 10,000 records, export in batches using filters:

# Export with sort to enable cursor-based pagination
curl "http://localhost:8000/api/v1/collections/products/records/export/csv?filter=id>0&sort=id"

For import, split your CSV into files of 5,000 records each and import sequentially.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"Invalid CSV format"	Ensure first row contains field names
Partial success	Check `errors` array for specific row errors
Boolean not working	Use accepted formats: `true/false`, `1/0`, `yes/no`
Dates import as text	Use ISO 8601 format: `2025-01-15T10:00:00`
Special characters	Ensure UTF-8 encoding, wrap in double quotes

Access Control

Operation	Required Permission
Export	`list_rule` on the collection
Import	`create_rule` on the collection

CSV Import / Export

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