Drizzle ORM

Q: Does Drizzle support NestJS 11?

Yes via custom provider wrapping db instance or community Drizzle modules.

Q: How do I log SQL?

Enable logger in drizzle(pool, { logger: true }) in development only.

Q: Serverless Postgres?

Small max on pool or serverless driver; see Connection Pool Tuning.

Q: Can I use Drizzle with SQLite for tests?

Yes - swap drizzle-orm/better-sqlite3 driver in test bootstrap.

Q: Enums?

pgEnum in schema maps to Postgres ENUM type - migrate carefully in prod.

Q: How do I avoid N+1?

Use joins or with relational queries in one round trip - same discipline as Prisma include.

Q: ESM on Node 24?

Drizzle is ESM-friendly. Use "type": "module" and import syntax throughout.

Drizzle is a SQL-first ORM for TypeScript: table definitions live in code, queries feel like SQL, and the runtime stays thin over node-postgres.

Recipe

Quick-reference recipe card - copy-paste ready.

// src/db/schema.ts
import { pgTable, text, timestamp, integer } from "drizzle-orm/pg-core";
 
export const users = pgTable("users", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  email: text("email").notNull().unique(),
  createdAt: timestamp("created_at").defaultNow().notNull(),
});
 
export const orders = pgTable("orders", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  userId: text("user_id").notNull().references(() => users.id),
  totalCents: integer("total_cents").notNull(),
});

import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/node-postgres";
import pg from "pg";
import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
import { users } from "./schema";
 
const pool = new pg.Pool({ connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL });
export const db = drizzle(pool);
 
export async function findUserByEmail(email: string) {
  const rows = await db.select().from(users).where(eq(users.email, email)).limit(1);
  return rows[0] ?? null;
}

When to reach for this:

Developers want SQL visibility with TypeScript inference
Bundle size and runtime overhead matter (edge workers, small services)
Team comfortable reviewing generated migration SQL

Working Example

// src/db/index.ts
import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/node-postgres";
import pg from "pg";
import * as schema from "./schema";
 
const pool = new pg.Pool({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
  max: 10,
});
 
export const db = drizzle(pool, { schema });
 
// src/repositories/order-repo.ts
import { db } from "../db";
import { orders, orderItems } from "../db/schema";
import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 
export async function createOrder(
  userId: string,
  items: { sku: string; qty: number; priceCents: number }[]
) {
  const totalCents = items.reduce((s, i) => s + i.qty * i.priceCents, 0);
 
  return db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    const [order] = await tx
      .insert(orders)
      .values({ id: crypto.randomUUID(), userId, totalCents })
      .returning();
 
    await tx.insert(orderItems).values(
      items.map((i) => ({
        id: crypto.randomUUID(),
        orderId: order.id,
        sku: i.sku,
        qty: i.qty,
        priceCents: i.priceCents,
      }))
    );
 
    return order;
  });
}

What this demonstrates:

Schema as TypeScript tables
db.transaction wraps Postgres transaction
returning() for INSERT results without second query
Same pg pool tuning applies underneath

Deep Dive

Migrations with drizzle-kit

npx drizzle-kit generate
npx drizzle-kit migrate

Generated SQL lives in drizzle/ folder for PR review
Align CI to run migrate before app deploy, same as Prisma policy

Joins and Relations

import { db } from "./db";
import { users, orders } from "./schema";
import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 
const rows = await db
  .select({
    userId: users.id,
    email: users.email,
    orderId: orders.id,
    totalCents: orders.totalCents,
  })
  .from(users)
  .innerJoin(orders, eq(orders.userId, users.id))
  .where(eq(users.id, userId));

Explicit joins make query plans reviewable in logs
Relational query API (db.query.users.findMany({ with: { orders: true } })) available when preferred

SQL Escape Hatch

import { sql } from "drizzle-orm";
 
await db.execute(sql`
  SELECT date_trunc('day', created_at) AS day, COUNT(*)::int AS cnt
  FROM orders GROUP BY 1
`);

Tagged sql template keeps parameterization for dynamic fragments

Fastify 5 Plugin Sketch

import fp from "fastify-plugin";
import { db } from "./db";
 
export const dbPlugin = fp(async (fastify) => {
  fastify.decorate("db", db);
});

Decorate once; routes use fastify.db for queries
Close pool in onClose hook

Gotchas

Forgetting .limit(1) on unique lookups - returns array always. Fix: limit(1) and take [0].
Schema drift without migrate in CI - runtime errors on missing columns. Fix: migrate deploy gate.
Mixing Drizzle and Prisma in one service - two migration systems. Fix: pick one ORM per deployable.
Large inArray filters - huge SQL packets. Fix: batch IDs or temp table pattern.
No default UUID in DB - app must generate IDs consistently.

Alternatives

Alternative	Use When	Don't Use When
Prisma	Studio, relation ergonomics, larger ecosystem	Want SQL-first minimal runtime
Kysely	Query builder only, no schema DSL	Want integrated schema + migrate kit
`pg` + SQL files	DBAs own all SQL	Need TS inference on columns
TypeORM	Legacy Nest projects	Greenfield without migration cost

FAQs

Drizzle vs Prisma for new Node APIs?

Drizzle if SQL transparency and runtime weight matter. Prisma if schema DSL and tooling speed win.

Does Drizzle support NestJS 11?

Yes via custom provider wrapping db instance or community Drizzle modules.

How do I log SQL?

Enable logger in drizzle(pool, { logger: true }) in development only.

Serverless Postgres?

Small max on pool or serverless driver; see Connection Pool Tuning.

Can I use Drizzle with SQLite for tests?

Yes - swap drizzle-orm/better-sqlite3 driver in test bootstrap.

Composite primary keys?

Supported in table definition with tuple primaryKey config.

Enums?

pgEnum in schema maps to Postgres ENUM type - migrate carefully in prod.

How do I avoid N+1?

Use joins or with relational queries in one round trip - same discipline as Prisma include.

ESM on Node 24?

Drizzle is ESM-friendly. Use "type": "module" and import syntax throughout.

Raw performance vs Prisma?

Drizzle is typically lighter; benchmark your endpoints, not hello-world inserts.

Prisma - schema-first ORM
node-postgres (pg) - underlying driver
Databases Basics - when SQL vs document
Connection Pool Tuning - pool sizing
Databases Best Practices - migration policy

npm Official Website & Registry - Package search, publishing, and documentation.
Node.js Best Practices (GitHub) - Curated production best practices.
DigitalOcean Node.js Tutorials - Production-oriented how-tos.
Node.js Design Patterns, 4th Edition - Production-grade application patterns.
Node.js Cookbook, 5th Edition - Practical server-side recipes.

Stack versions: This page was written for Node.js 24.18.0 (Active LTS), npm 10+, TypeScript 5.6+, Express 5, Fastify 5, and NestJS 11.

Recipe

Quick-reference recipe card - copy-paste ready.

// src/db/schema.ts
import { pgTable, text, timestamp, integer } from "drizzle-orm/pg-core";
 
export const users = pgTable("users", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  email: text("email").notNull().unique(),
  createdAt: timestamp("created_at").defaultNow().notNull(),
});
 
export const orders = pgTable("orders", {
  id: text("id").primaryKey(),
  userId: text("user_id").notNull().references(() => users.id),
  totalCents: integer("total_cents").notNull(),
});

import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/node-postgres";
import pg from "pg";
import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
import { users } from "./schema";
 
const pool = new pg.Pool({ connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL });
export const db = drizzle(pool);
 
export async function findUserByEmail(email: string) {
  const rows = await db.select().from(users).where(eq(users.email, email)).limit(1);
  return rows[0] ?? null;
}

When to reach for this:

Developers want SQL visibility with TypeScript inference
Bundle size and runtime overhead matter (edge workers, small services)
Team comfortable reviewing generated migration SQL

Working Example

// src/db/index.ts
import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/node-postgres";
import pg from "pg";
import * as schema from "./schema";
 
const pool = new pg.Pool({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
  max: 10,
});
 
export const db = drizzle(pool, { schema });
 
// src/repositories/order-repo.ts
import { db } from "../db";
import { orders, orderItems } from "../db/schema";
import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 
export async function createOrder(
  userId: string,
  items: { sku: string; qty: number; priceCents: number }[]
) {
  const totalCents = items.reduce((s, i) => s + i.qty * i.priceCents, 0);
 
  return db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    const [order] = await tx
      .insert(orders)
      .values({ id: crypto.randomUUID(), userId, totalCents })
      .returning();
 
    await tx.insert(orderItems).values(
      items.map((i) => ({
        id: crypto.randomUUID(),
        orderId: order.id,
        sku: i.sku,
        qty: i.qty,
        priceCents: i.priceCents,
      }))
    );
 
    return order;
  });
}

What this demonstrates:

Schema as TypeScript tables
db.transaction wraps Postgres transaction
returning() for INSERT results without second query
Same pg pool tuning applies underneath

Deep Dive

Migrations with drizzle-kit

npx drizzle-kit generate
npx drizzle-kit migrate

Generated SQL lives in drizzle/ folder for PR review
Align CI to run migrate before app deploy, same as Prisma policy

Joins and Relations

import { db } from "./db";
import { users, orders } from "./schema";
import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 
const rows = await db
  .select({
    userId: users.id,
    email: users.email,
    orderId: orders.id,
    totalCents: orders.totalCents,
  })
  .from(users)
  .innerJoin(orders, eq(orders.userId, users.id))
  .where(eq(users.id, userId));

Explicit joins make query plans reviewable in logs
Relational query API (db.query.users.findMany({ with: { orders: true } })) available when preferred

SQL Escape Hatch

import { sql } from "drizzle-orm";
 
await db.execute(sql`
  SELECT date_trunc('day', created_at) AS day, COUNT(*)::int AS cnt
  FROM orders GROUP BY 1
`);

Tagged sql template keeps parameterization for dynamic fragments

Fastify 5 Plugin Sketch

import fp from "fastify-plugin";
import { db } from "./db";
 
export const dbPlugin = fp(async (fastify) => {
  fastify.decorate("db", db);
});

Decorate once; routes use fastify.db for queries
Close pool in onClose hook

Gotchas

Forgetting .limit(1) on unique lookups - returns array always. Fix: limit(1) and take [0].
Schema drift without migrate in CI - runtime errors on missing columns. Fix: migrate deploy gate.
Mixing Drizzle and Prisma in one service - two migration systems. Fix: pick one ORM per deployable.
Large inArray filters - huge SQL packets. Fix: batch IDs or temp table pattern.
No default UUID in DB - app must generate IDs consistently.

Alternatives

Alternative	Use When	Don't Use When
Prisma	Studio, relation ergonomics, larger ecosystem	Want SQL-first minimal runtime
Kysely	Query builder only, no schema DSL	Want integrated schema + migrate kit
`pg` + SQL files	DBAs own all SQL	Need TS inference on columns
TypeORM	Legacy Nest projects	Greenfield without migration cost

FAQs

Drizzle vs Prisma for new Node APIs?

Drizzle if SQL transparency and runtime weight matter. Prisma if schema DSL and tooling speed win.

Does Drizzle support NestJS 11?

Yes via custom provider wrapping db instance or community Drizzle modules.

How do I log SQL?

Enable logger in drizzle(pool, { logger: true }) in development only.

Serverless Postgres?

Small max on pool or serverless driver; see Connection Pool Tuning.

Can I use Drizzle with SQLite for tests?

Yes - swap drizzle-orm/better-sqlite3 driver in test bootstrap.

Composite primary keys?

Supported in table definition with tuple primaryKey config.

Enums?

pgEnum in schema maps to Postgres ENUM type - migrate carefully in prod.

How do I avoid N+1?

Use joins or with relational queries in one round trip - same discipline as Prisma include.

ESM on Node 24?

Drizzle is ESM-friendly. Use "type": "module" and import syntax throughout.

Raw performance vs Prisma?

Drizzle is typically lighter; benchmark your endpoints, not hello-world inserts.

Prisma - schema-first ORM
node-postgres (pg) - underlying driver
Databases Basics - when SQL vs document
Connection Pool Tuning - pool sizing
Databases Best Practices - migration policy

npm Official Website & Registry - Package search, publishing, and documentation.
Node.js Best Practices (GitHub) - Curated production best practices.
DigitalOcean Node.js Tutorials - Production-oriented how-tos.
Node.js Design Patterns, 4th Edition - Production-grade application patterns.
Node.js Cookbook, 5th Edition - Practical server-side recipes.

Stack versions: This page was written for Node.js 24.18.0 (Active LTS), npm 10+, TypeScript 5.6+, Express 5, Fastify 5, and NestJS 11.

Drizzle ORM

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Drizzle ORM