Prisma is an Object Relational Mapping (ORM) for working with databases.
Why ORM?
- ORM minimizes the amount of Query Language knowledge required to connect a database to an application.
- ORMs also automatically generate the SQL code.
- Increase the productivity of developers, allowing them to focus on generating business logic.
- Code Reuse.
- Reduced Testing.
Prisma is an open-source next-generation ORM. It consists of the following parts:
- Prisma Client: Auto-generated and type-safe query builder for Node.js & TypeScript
- Prisma Migrate: Migration system
- Prisma Studio: GUI to view and edit data in your database
Working with relational databases is a major bottleneck in application development. Debugging SQL queries or complex ORM objects often consume hours of development time.
Prisma provides a clean and type-safe API for submitting database queries that return plain-old JavaScript objects.
Features of Prisma
- Thinking in objects instead of mapping relational data
- Queries not classes to avoid complex model objects
- Single source of truth for database and application models
- Type-safe database queries that can be validated at compile time
- Less boilerplate so developers can focus on the important parts of their app
- Auto-completion in code editors instead of needing to look up documentation
Prisma Setup (basic)
Detailed Setup: here
- Initialize the Nodejs project and install the required packages
npm init -y npm install prisma typescript ts-node @types/node --save-dev - Initialize the Prisma with
npx prisma init - Now Connect your database. Configure your datasource with the required providers (PostgreSQL, SQL, MongoDB) and DB_URL
- Create a database schema and then migrate it.
npx prisma migrate dev --name initIt creates a new SQL migration file and runs SQL against the database. - Install Prisma Client
npm install @prisma/clientnow just by importing the Prisma-client we can communicate with DB and can perform operations.
Why Prisma?
| Category | Prisma | Type-ORM | Query Language / DB tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| Productivity | High | Medium | Low |
| Control | Medium | Medium | High |
| Model Definition | uses a custom Schema Definition Language (SDL) | uses classes and decorators. | Structured Query Language |
| Type Safety | Highly typed safe. Provides Prisma client through which we can communicate with DB and auto-completion. | provide type safety but falls short in some situations. In case of selecting a subset of a query result. | Does not provide any type-safety |
| DB Compatibility | It is compatible with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, CockroachDB, Microsoft SQL Server | ||
| It Supports MySQL, MariaDB, Postgres, CockroachDB, SQLite, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle, and SAP Hana. | It is not compatible with single DB only |
Pros :
- Type-safe database access
- Open Source
- Auto-generated query builder
- Supports multiple database systems
- Increases confidence during development
- Built specifically for Postgres and TypeScript
- Productive application development
- Supports multiple RDBMSs
- Robust migrations system
Cons :
- It lacks a DBAL (Database Abstraction Layer)
- Can be intimidating to beginners