Prisma Database Setup

Comprehensive guides for configuring Prisma ORM with various database providers.

When to Apply

Reference this skill when:

• Initializing a new Prisma project
• Switching database providers
• Configuring connection strings and environment variables
• Troubleshooting database connection issues
• Setting up database-specific features
• Generating and instantiating Prisma Client

Rule Categories by Priority

System Prerequisites (Prisma ORM 7)

• Node.js 20.19.0+
• TypeScript 5.4.0+

Bun Runtime

If you’re using Bun, run Prisma CLI commands with bunx --bun prisma ... so Prisma uses the Bun runtime instead of falling back to Node.js.

Supported Databases

Configuration Files

Prisma v7 uses two main files for configuration:

1. prisma/schema.prisma: Defines the datasource block.
2. prisma.config.ts: Configures the connection URL (replaces env loading in schema).

Driver Adapters (Prisma ORM 7)

Prisma ORM 7 uses the query compiler by default, which requires a driver adapter. Choose the adapter and driver for your database and pass the adapter to PrismaClient.

Example (PostgreSQL):

import 'dotenv/config'
import { PrismaClient } from '../generated/client'
import { PrismaPg } from '@prisma/adapter-pg'

const adapter = new PrismaPg({ connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL })
const prisma = new PrismaClient({ adapter })

Prisma Client Setup (Required)

Prisma Client must be installed and generated for any database.

1. Install Prisma CLI and Prisma Client:

   npm install prisma --save-dev
   npm install @prisma/client
   

2. Add a generator block (output is required in Prisma v7):

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

3. Generate Prisma Client:

   npx prisma generate
   

4. Instantiate Prisma Client with the database-specific driver adapter:

   import { PrismaClient } from '../generated/client'
   import { PrismaPg } from '@prisma/adapter-pg'
   
   const adapter = new PrismaPg({ connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL })
   const prisma = new PrismaClient({ adapter })
   

5. Re-run prisma generate after every schema change.

Quick Reference

PostgreSQL

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
}

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

MySQL

datasource db {
  provider = "mysql"
}

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

SQLite

datasource db {
  provider = "sqlite"
}

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

MongoDB (Prisma v6 only)

datasource db {
  provider = "mongodb"
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
}

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client-js"
}

Rule Files

See individual rule files for detailed setup instructions:

references/postgresql.md
references/mysql.md
references/sqlite.md
references/mongodb.md
references/sqlserver.md
references/cockroachdb.md
references/prisma-postgres.md
references/prisma-client-setup.md

How to Use

Choose the provider reference file for your database, then apply references/prisma-client-setup.md to complete client generation and adapter setup.