drizzle-postgres

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PostgreSQL and Drizzle ORM best practices. Triggers on: PostgreSQL, Postgres, Drizzle, database, schema, tables, columns, indexes, queries, migrations, ORM, relations, joins, transactions, SQL, drizzle-kit, connection pooling, N+1, JSONB, RLS. Use when: writing database schemas, queries, migrations, or any database-related code. Proactively apply when creating APIs, backends, or data models.

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NPX Install

npx skill4agent add pedronauck/skills drizzle-postgres

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Translated version includes tags in frontmatter

PostgreSQL + Drizzle ORM

Type-safe database applications with PostgreSQL 18 and Drizzle ORM.

Essential Commands

bash
npx drizzle-kit generate   # Generate migration from schema changes
npx drizzle-kit migrate    # Apply pending migrations
npx drizzle-kit push       # Push schema directly (dev only!)
npx drizzle-kit studio     # Open database browser

Quick Decision Trees

"How do I model this relationship?"

Relationship type?
├─ One-to-many (user has posts)     → FK on "many" side + relations()
├─ Many-to-many (posts have tags)   → Junction table + relations()
├─ One-to-one (user has profile)    → FK with unique constraint
└─ Self-referential (comments)      → FK to same table

"Why is my query slow?"

Slow query?
├─ Missing index on WHERE/JOIN columns  → Add index
├─ N+1 queries in loop                  → Use relational queries API
├─ Full table scan                      → EXPLAIN ANALYZE, add index
├─ Large result set                     → Add pagination (limit/offset)
└─ Connection overhead                  → Enable connection pooling

"Which drizzle-kit command?"

What do I need?
├─ Schema changed, need SQL migration   → drizzle-kit generate
├─ Apply migrations to database         → drizzle-kit migrate
├─ Quick dev iteration (no migration)   → drizzle-kit push
└─ Browse/edit data visually            → drizzle-kit studio

Directory Structure

src/db/
├── schema/
│   ├── index.ts          # Re-export all tables
│   ├── users.ts          # Table + relations
│   └── posts.ts          # Table + relations
├── db.ts                 # Connection with pooling
└── migrate.ts            # Migration runner
drizzle/
└── migrations/           # Generated SQL files
drizzle.config.ts         # drizzle-kit config

Schema Patterns

Basic Table with Timestamps

typescript
export const users = pgTable("users", {
  id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
  email: varchar("email", { length: 255 }).notNull().unique(),
  createdAt: timestamp("created_at").defaultNow().notNull(),
  updatedAt: timestamp("updated_at").defaultNow().notNull(),
});

Foreign Key with Index

typescript
export const posts = pgTable(
  "posts",
  {
    id: uuid("id").primaryKey().defaultRandom(),
    userId: uuid("user_id")
      .notNull()
      .references(() => users.id),
    title: varchar("title", { length: 255 }).notNull(),
  },
  (table) => [
    index("posts_user_id_idx").on(table.userId), // ALWAYS index FKs
  ],
);

Relations

typescript
export const usersRelations = relations(users, ({ many }) => ({
  posts: many(posts),
}));

export const postsRelations = relations(posts, ({ one }) => ({
  author: one(users, { fields: [posts.userId], references: [users.id] }),
}));

Query Patterns

Relational Query (Avoid N+1)

typescript
// ✓ Single query with nested data
const usersWithPosts = await db.query.users.findMany({
  with: { posts: true },
});

Filtered Query

typescript
const activeUsers = await db
  .select()
  .from(users)
  .where(eq(users.status, "active"));

Transaction

typescript
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  const [user] = await tx.insert(users).values({ email }).returning();
  await tx.insert(profiles).values({ userId: user.id });
});

Performance Checklist

PriorityCheckImpact
CRITICALIndex all foreign keysPrevents full table scans on JOINs
CRITICALUse relational queries for nested dataAvoids N+1
HIGHConnection pooling in productionReduces connection overhead
HIGH
EXPLAIN ANALYZE
slow queries
Identifies missing indexes
MEDIUMPartial indexes for filtered subsetsSmaller, faster indexes
MEDIUMUUIDv7 for PKs (PG18+)Better index locality

Anti-Patterns (CRITICAL)

Anti-PatternProblemFix
No FK indexSlow JOINs, full scansAdd index on every FK column
N+1 in loopsQuery per rowUse
with:
relational queries
No poolingConnection per requestUse
@neondatabase/serverless
or similar
push
in prod
Data loss riskAlways use
generate
+
migrate
Storing JSON as textNo validation, bad queriesUse
jsonb()
column type

Reference Documentation

FilePurpose
references/SCHEMA.mdColumn types, constraints
references/QUERIES.mdOperators, joins, aggregations
references/RELATIONS.mdOne-to-many, many-to-many
references/MIGRATIONS.mddrizzle-kit workflows
references/POSTGRES.mdPG18 features, RLS, partitioning
references/PERFORMANCE.mdIndexing, optimization
references/CHEATSHEET.mdQuick reference

Resources

Drizzle ORM

PostgreSQL