prisma-database-setup

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

• 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

Your configuration shape depends on the provider and Prisma major version:

1. All providers use prisma/schema.prisma.
2. Prisma 7 SQL setups typically use prisma.config.ts for datasource URLs.
3. MongoDB projects should stay on Prisma 6.x, keep url = env("DATABASE_URL") in the schema, and continue using the classic MongoDB setup.

Driver Adapters

The standard SQL workflow uses a driver adapter. Choose the adapter and driver for your database and pass the adapter to PrismaClient.

MongoDB should not follow the Prisma 7 SQL adapter workflow. Use the latest Prisma 6.x release for MongoDB projects and do not install a SQL @prisma/adapter-* package for it.

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-devnpm install @prisma/client

2. Add a generator block (prisma-client requires an explicit output path):

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

3. Generate Prisma Client:

   npx prisma generate

4. For SQL providers, 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

datasource db {  provider = "mongodb"  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")}generator client {  provider = "prisma-client-js"}

For MongoDB, stay on the latest Prisma 6.x line and keep the connection URL in schema.prisma. Do not move a MongoDB project to the Prisma 7 SQL adapter setup.

Rule Files

See individual rule files for detailed setup instructions:

references/postgresql.mdreferences/mysql.mdreferences/sqlite.mdreferences/mongodb.mdreferences/sqlserver.mdreferences/cockroachdb.mdreferences/prisma-postgres.mdreferences/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. For MongoDB, use references/mongodb.md instead of copying the SQL adapter examples or Prisma 7 config pattern.