Directus 9 marks a significant transformation for the platform, with the most notable change being the transition from PHP to Node.js, resulting in a substantial increase in API response speed and a unified language for development. This update introduces new features such as database abstraction with Knex, enhanced customizable permissions, and the highly requested Many-to-Any relationship capability, along with improved performance and organizational features like nestable folders and dataset export. The system overhaul also involves significant changes like the removal of database multitenancy and alterations in system data storage, necessitating a fresh installation for migration from previous versions. Emphasizing stability and comprehensive documentation, Directus 9 aims to modernize and optimize the user experience, alongside launching a new Cloud platform and transitioning community interactions to Discord for enhanced communication.