Prisma ORM - Type-Safe Database Operations

VerifiedSafe

Prisma ORM for type-safe database operations with PostgreSQL. Replaces raw SQL queries with declarative schema modeling, automatic type generation, and migration management.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
306/2/2026
Claude CodeCursorWindsurf
#prisma#orm#database#typescript#postgresql

Recommended for

Our review

This skill sets up and uses Prisma ORM for type-safe, secure database operations with PostgreSQL.

Strengths

  • Automatic TypeScript type generation from schema
  • Built-in, reliable migration management
  • Support for relational queries with joins and transactions
  • Flexible column and table name mapping

Limitations

  • Requires client regeneration after every schema change
  • Complex queries may be less performant than optimized raw SQL
  • Learning curve for advanced relations and transactions
When to use it

Use this skill when defining database schemas, writing type-safe queries, creating migrations, or replacing raw SQL with an ORM pattern.

When not to use it

Avoid it if you need highly optimized raw SQL queries or work with a database not supported by Prisma.

Security analysis

Safe
Quality score88/100

The skill provides standard setup commands for Prisma (npm install, npx prisma init) which are typical for local development. No dangerous operations, data exfiltration, or obfuscation.

No concerns found

Examples

Initialize Prisma with PostgreSQL
Install Prisma and @prisma/client, then run `npx prisma init` to set up the schema and datasource for a PostgreSQL database.
Model a Product with Translations
Define a Prisma schema with a Product model and a ProductTranslation model, including relations, @map for snake_case, @db.Decimal, and @@unique on productId and languageCode.
Fetch Product with Translation Fallback
Write a Prisma query to fetch a product by ID and include translations filtered by language code, then use the translation name if available, falling back to the base product name.

name: prisma description: | Prisma ORM for type-safe database operations with PostgreSQL. Use when: Defining schemas, writing type-safe queries, creating migrations, modeling relations, or replacing raw SQL with ORM patterns. allowed-tools: Read, Edit, Write, Glob, Grep, Bash

Prisma Skill

Provides type-safe database operations as an alternative to raw SQL. This codebase currently uses the pg library with raw SQL queries. Prisma offers automatic type generation, declarative schema modeling, and migration management - eliminating the manual row mapping and SQL injection risks present in raw SQL approaches.

Quick Start

Install and Initialize

cd backend
npm install prisma @prisma/client
npx prisma init

Schema Definition

// prisma/schema.prisma
generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client-js"
}

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

model Product {
  id               Int                    @id @default(autoincrement())
  name             String
  shortDescription String                 @map("short_description")
  description      String
  price            Decimal                @db.Decimal(10, 2)
  salePrice        Decimal?               @map("sale_price") @db.Decimal(10, 2)
  imageUrl         String                 @map("image_url")
  inventory        Int                    @default(0)
  categories       Json
  highlights       Json?
  usage            String?
  isNew            Boolean                @default(false) @map("is_new")
  isFeatured       Boolean                @default(false) @map("is_featured")
  salesCount       Int                    @default(0) @map("sales_count")
  createdAt        DateTime               @default(now()) @map("created_at")
  updatedAt        DateTime               @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
  translations     ProductTranslation[]
  orderItems       OrderItem[]
  variants         ProductVariant[]

  @@map("products")
}

model ProductTranslation {
  id              Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  productId       Int      @map("product_id")
  languageCode    String   @map("language_code") @db.VarChar(10)
  name            String   @db.VarChar(255)
  shortDescription String  @map("short_description")
  description     String
  highlights      Json?
  usage           String?
  slug            String?  @db.VarChar(255)
  createdAt       DateTime @default(now()) @map("created_at")
  updatedAt       DateTime @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
  product         Product  @relation(fields: [productId], references: [id], onDelete: Cascade)
  language        Language @relation(fields: [languageCode], references: [code], onDelete: Cascade)

  @@unique([productId, languageCode])
  @@map("product_translations")
}

Client Usage

// backend/src/db/prisma.ts
import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';

const prisma = new PrismaClient({
  log: process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development' ? ['query', 'warn', 'error'] : ['error'],
});

export { prisma };

Key Concepts

| Concept | Usage | Example | |---------|-------|---------| | @map | Map field to snake_case column | @map("created_at") | | @@map | Map model to table name | @@map("products") | | Relations | Define FK relationships | product Product @relation(...) | | @db.Decimal | Specify PostgreSQL types | @db.Decimal(10, 2) | | @@unique | Composite unique constraints | @@unique([productId, languageCode]) | | Transactions | Atomic operations | prisma.$transaction([...]) |

Common Patterns

Fetching with Translation Fallback

When: Getting localized content with English fallback

const product = await prisma.product.findUnique({
  where: { id: productId },
  include: {
    translations: {
      where: { languageCode: lang },
    },
  },
});

// Apply translation or fallback to base
const name = product.translations[0]?.name ?? product.name;

Transactions for Orders

When: Creating orders with inventory updates

await prisma.$transaction(async (tx) => {
  const order = await tx.order.create({ data: orderData });
  
  for (const item of items) {
    await tx.orderItem.create({
      data: { orderId: order.id, ...item },
    });
    await tx.product.update({
      where: { id: item.productId },
      data: { inventory: { decrement: item.quantity } },
    });
  }
  
  return order;
});

See Also

  • patterns - Query patterns and model design
  • workflows - Migrations and schema management

Related Skills

  • See the postgresql skill for raw SQL patterns and PostgreSQL-specific features
  • See the typescript skill for type inference patterns with Prisma
  • See the zod skill for runtime validation of Prisma inputs
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