Prisma ORM

Prisma ORM is open-source and consists of:

• Prisma Client: Auto-generated, type-safe ORM interface
• Prisma Migrate: Database migration system
• Prisma Studio: GUI to view and edit your data

Prisma Client works with any Node.js or TypeScript backend, whether you're deploying to traditional servers, serverless functions, or microservices.

Why Prisma ORM

Traditional database tools force a tradeoff between productivity and control. Raw SQL gives full control but is error-prone and lacks type safety. Traditional ORMs improve productivity but abstract too much, leading to the object-relational impedance mismatch and performance pitfalls like the n+1 problem.

Prisma takes a different approach:

• Type-safe queries validated at compile time with full autocompletion
• Thinking in objects without the complexity of mapping relational data
• Plain JavaScript objects returned from queries, not complex model instances
• Single source of truth in the Prisma schema for database and application models
• Healthy constraints that prevent common pitfalls and anti-patterns

When to use Prisma

Prisma is a good fit if you:

• Build server-side applications (REST, GraphQL, gRPC, serverless)
• Value type safety and developer experience
• Work in a team and want a clear, declarative schema
• Need migrations, querying, and data modeling in one toolkit

Consider alternatives if you:

• Need full control over every SQL query (use raw SQL drivers)
• Want a no-code backend (use a BaaS like Supabase or Firebase)
• Need an auto-generated CRUD GraphQL API (use Hasura or PostGraphile)

How it works

1. Define your schema

The Prisma schema defines your data models and database connection:

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
}

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client"
  output   = "./generated"
}

model User {
  id    Int     @id @default(autoincrement())
  email String  @unique
  name  String?
  posts Post[]
}

model Post {
  id        Int     @id @default(autoincrement())
  title     String
  published Boolean @default(false)
  author    User?   @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
  authorId  Int?
}

2. Configure your connection

Create a prisma.config.ts file in your project root:

import "dotenv/config";
import { defineConfig, env } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: "prisma/schema.prisma",
  migrations: {
    path: "prisma/migrations",
  },
  datasource: {
    url: env("DATABASE_URL"),
  },
});

3. Run migrations

Use Prisma Migrate to create and apply migrations:

npx prisma migrate dev

Or introspect an existing database:

npx prisma db pull

4. Query with Prisma Client

Generate and use the type-safe client:

npm install @prisma/client
npx prisma generate

import { PrismaClient } from "./generated/client";

const prisma = new PrismaClient();

// Find all users with their posts
const users = await prisma.user.findMany({
  include: { posts: true },
});

// Create a user with a post
const user = await prisma.user.create({
  data: {
    email: "alice@prisma.io",
    posts: {
      create: { title: "Hello World" },
    },
  },
});

Next steps

• Prisma schema - Learn the schema language
• Prisma Client - Explore the query API