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Drizzle ORM

by Drizzle Team · Library · also known as Drizzle

TypeScript ORM with SQL-like query builder, schema defined in code, migrations through Drizzle Kit, and support for PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite drivers

Apache-2.0 licenseOpen sourceFreeLocalSelf-hostedCloudSelf-hostable
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Link verified Nov 2, 2026

Overview

Drizzle ORM is a TypeScript object-relational mapper developed by the Drizzle Team and released under the Apache-2.0 license. Schemas are declared in TypeScript, which gives fully typed tables, columns and query results without code generation, and queries are written with a builder that mirrors SQL closely (select, where, join, group by) alongside a relational query API for nested results. It has no runtime dependencies beyond the chosen database driver and runs in Node.js, Bun, Deno and edge runtimes.

Supported databases include PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite families, including hosted variants such as Neon, Supabase, PlanetScale, Turso and Cloudflare D1. The companion Drizzle Kit CLI generates and applies SQL migrations from schema changes and provides Drizzle Studio, a browser-based data viewer. Drizzle is popular in Next.js and Hono projects where developers want SQL transparency and small bundles. Its trade-offs relative to Prisma are a steeper start for those unfamiliar with SQL, fewer high-level conveniences, and documentation that, while improving, is less tutorial-oriented.

Capabilities

  • Schema declared in TypeScript with inferred types
  • SQL-like query builder and relational query API
  • Migrations generated from schema diffs (Drizzle Kit)
  • Drivers for PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite, including serverless variants
  • Runs in Node.js, Bun, Deno and edge runtimes
  • Drizzle Studio data browser

Typical workflows

  1. Define a schema, generate migrations and apply them in CI
  2. Query PostgreSQL from a Next.js server component
  3. Use SQLite or Turso in an edge deployment

Strengths

  • Close to SQL with full type safety
  • No code generation step
  • Small footprint suited to edge runtimes

Limitations

  • Assumes SQL familiarity
  • Fewer high-level abstractions than Prisma
  • Documentation less structured for beginners

Prerequisites

  • TypeScript project and a database driver

Who it is for

  • TypeScript backend developers
  • Teams deploying to edge or serverless runtimes

Alternatives & comparison

Prisma uses its own schema language and a generated client with a query engine, which yields a very approachable API and strong tooling but adds a build step and, historically, a native binary; Drizzle keeps everything in TypeScript and closer to raw SQL. Both support PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite; the choice usually turns on SQL comfort and runtime constraints.

  • Prisma ORM

    TypeScript ORM with a declarative schema language, generated type-safe client and migration tooling, from the company that also offers Prisma Postgres and related hosted services

    Open sourceOpen source

Sources & verification

Primary sources consulted for this record. Claims are tied to the fields each source supports; the automated link checker re-verifies every URL on a schedule.

Confidence
High
Reviewed
Nov 1, 2026
Links
Verified · Nov 2, 2026

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