Prisma ORM Cheat Sheet

Updated 2026-04-29

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Prisma is a next-generation TypeScript ORM that provides auto-generated, type-safe database access for Node.js and TypeScript applications, supporting PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server, CockroachDB, and more (MongoDB support is planned for Prisma 8). Unlike traditional ORMs, Prisma uses a declarative schema file as the single source of truth, automatically generating a fully-typed client that eliminates runtime errors and provides unmatched developer experience. As of Prisma 7, the client is entirely Rust-free — powered by a WASM-based query compiler with built-in query plan caching — and configured via a prisma.config.ts file for explicit, type-safe project setup. The key insight: Prisma's schema-first approach ensures type safety flows from database to application code, while automatic query batching and a query caching layer optimize performance at scale.

What This Cheat Sheet Covers

This topic spans 18 focused tables and 159 indexed concepts, 111 flashcards. Below is a complete table-by-table outline of this topic, spanning foundational concepts through advanced details.

Table 1: Schema Data TypesTable 2: Schema Field AttributesTable 3: Schema Relation TypesTable 4: CLI CommandsTable 5: Prisma Configuration FileTable 6: Basic CRUD OperationsTable 7: Query FiltersTable 8: Query OptionsTable 9: Aggregations and GroupingTable 10: TransactionsTable 11: Raw QueriesTable 12: Nested WritesTable 13: Client ExtensionsTable 14: Connection ManagementTable 15: Middleware and LoggingTable 16: Migration StrategiesTable 17: Performance OptimizationTable 18: Special Features

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Table 1: Schema Data Types

These are the field types you write in your schema.prisma model, and each one quietly maps to both a native database column and a TypeScript type — that double mapping is what gives Prisma its end-to-end type safety. Most are obvious, but a few carry real gotchas worth knowing: reach for Decimal over Float for money, and remember BigInt returns a JavaScript BigInt that won't serialize to JSON without help.

Type	Example	Description
String	`name String`	• Variable-length text • maps to VARCHAR in SQL databases and string in TypeScript.
Int	`age Int`	• 32-bit signed integer • maps to INTEGER in SQL and number in TypeScript.
Boolean	`isActive Boolean`	• True/false value • maps to BOOLEAN in PostgreSQL, TINYINT(1) in MySQL.
DateTime	`createdAt DateTime @default(now())`	• Timestamp with timezone (PostgreSQL) or without (MySQL) • use `@updatedAt` for auto-update.
Float	`price Float`	• Double-precision floating point • use Decimal for financial calculations to avoid rounding errors.
Decimal	`amount Decimal`	• Arbitrary precision decimal using Decimal.js library • critical for currency and financial data.
Json	`metadata Json`	• Flexible JSON object storage • supports path-based filtering with database-specific operators in PostgreSQL.
BigInt	`userId BigInt`	• 64-bit integer for large numbers • returns JavaScript BigInt type, requiring special JSON serialization.
Bytes	`file Bytes`	• Binary data storage • maps to BYTEA (PostgreSQL), BLOB (MySQL); returns Buffer in Node.js.
Enum	`role Role` `enum Role {` `USER` `ADMIN` `}`	• Database-level enum type • provides type-safe constants; maps to native enums in PostgreSQL.
Unsupported	`custom Unsupported("GEOMETRY")`	• Placeholder for database-specific types not natively supported • read-only in Prisma Client.

Table 2: Schema Field Attributes

Attributes are the annotations that turn a plain field into a primary key, a unique constraint, or an indexed column — the single-@ forms apply to one field, while the double-@@ forms operate at the model level. The @map/@@map pair is especially handy when your code wants camelCase but the database speaks snake_case, letting you keep both happy without renaming a thing.

Attribute	Example	Description
@id	`id Int @id @default(autoincrement())`	• Defines primary key • supports `autoincrement()`, `uuid()`, `cuid()`, `cuid2()` generators.

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 3: Schema Relation Types

Relations are where a schema comes alive, connecting users to posts, orders to items, and so on. The first rows cover the shapes — one-to-many, one-to-one, the two flavors of many-to-many, and self-references — while the onDelete/onUpdate referential actions decide what happens to children when a parent is deleted or its key changes. Choosing Cascade versus Restrict versus SetNull here is really a decision about how you want your data to fail safely.

Type	Example	Description
One-to-many	`posts Post[]` `author User @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])`	• Most common relationship • list on one side, scalar with foreign key on the many side.

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 4: CLI Commands

The prisma CLI is your control panel for everything outside of querying — scaffolding a project, regenerating the client after a schema edit, running migrations, and pulling schema back out of an existing database. The distinction to keep straight is migrate dev for development versus migrate deploy for production, with db push as the no-migration shortcut you'll only want while prototyping.

Command	Example	Description
prisma init	`npx prisma init`	• Initializes Prisma in project • creates `prisma/schema.prisma`, `prisma.config.ts`, and `.env` with database URL template.

The rest of this section is part of the full cheat sheet

Table 1: Schema Data Types

Type	Example	Description
String	`name String`	• Variable-length text • maps to VARCHAR in SQL databases and string in TypeScript.
Int	`age Int`	• 32-bit signed integer • maps to INTEGER in SQL and number in TypeScript.
Boolean	`isActive Boolean`	• True/false value • maps to BOOLEAN in PostgreSQL, TINYINT(1) in MySQL.
DateTime	`createdAt DateTime @default(now())`	• Timestamp with timezone (PostgreSQL) or without (MySQL) • use `@updatedAt` for auto-update.
Float	`price Float`	• Double-precision floating point • use Decimal for financial calculations to avoid rounding errors.
Decimal	`amount Decimal`	• Arbitrary precision decimal using Decimal.js library • critical for currency and financial data.
Json	`metadata Json`	• Flexible JSON object storage • supports path-based filtering with database-specific operators in PostgreSQL.
BigInt	`userId BigInt`	• 64-bit integer for large numbers • returns JavaScript BigInt type, requiring special JSON serialization.
Bytes	`file Bytes`	• Binary data storage • maps to BYTEA (PostgreSQL), BLOB (MySQL); returns Buffer in Node.js.
Enum	`role Role` `enum Role {` `USER` `ADMIN` `}`	• Database-level enum type • provides type-safe constants; maps to native enums in PostgreSQL.
Unsupported	`custom Unsupported("GEOMETRY")`	• Placeholder for database-specific types not natively supported • read-only in Prisma Client.

Table 2: Schema Field Attributes

Attribute	Example	Description
@id	`id Int @id @default(autoincrement())`	• Defines primary key • supports `autoincrement()`, `uuid()`, `cuid()`, `cuid2()` generators.

Table 3: Schema Relation Types

Type	Example	Description
One-to-many	`posts Post[]` `author User @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])`	• Most common relationship • list on one side, scalar with foreign key on the many side.

Table 4: CLI Commands

Command	Example	Description
prisma init	`npx prisma init`	• Initializes Prisma in project • creates `prisma/schema.prisma`, `prisma.config.ts`, and `.env` with database URL template.