Building APIs with Drizzle ORM

Drizzle ORM is a modern, type-safe ORM for TypeScript that makes working with databases a breeze. Let's explore how to integrate it with Nuxt 4.

Why Drizzle ORM?

Drizzle ORM offers several advantages:

• Type Safety: Full TypeScript support with compile-time type checking
• Performance: Minimal overhead and optimized queries
• Developer Experience: Intuitive API and great error messages
• Flexibility: Works with multiple database drivers

Installation

First, install Drizzle ORM and your database driver:

npm install drizzle-orm @libsql/client
npm install -D drizzle-kit

Defining Your Schema

Create your database schema with Drizzle:

import { sqliteTable, text, integer } from "drizzle-orm/sqlite-core"
import { sql } from "drizzle-orm"

export const blogs = sqliteTable("blogs", {
    id: integer("id").primaryKey({ autoIncrement: true }),
    title: text("title", { length: 255 }).notNull(),
    slug: text("slug", { length: 255 }).notNull(),
    content: text("content"),
    createdAt: text("createdAt").default(sql`CURRENT_TIMESTAMP`),
})

export type Blog = typeof blogs.$inferSelect
export type NewBlog = typeof blogs.$inferInsert

Creating API Endpoints

Create API endpoints in your server/api directory:

// server/api/blogs/index.get.ts
import { db } from "~/server/db"
import { blogs } from "~/server/db/schema"

export default defineEventHandler(async (event) => {
    const allBlogs = await db.select().from(blogs)
    return allBlogs
})

Querying Data

Drizzle makes querying intuitive:

// Get all blogs
const allBlogs = await db.select().from(blogs)

// Filter with where
const techBlogs = await db.select().from(blogs).where(eq(blogs.category, "tech"))

// Limit and offset
const recentBlogs = await db.select().from(blogs).orderBy(desc(blogs.createdAt)).limit(10)

Inserting Data

Adding new records is type-safe:

await db.insert(blogs).values({
    title: "My New Post",
    slug: "my-new-post",
    content: "This is the content...",
})

Updating Records

Update existing data easily:

await db.update(blogs).set({ title: "Updated Title" }).where(eq(blogs.id, 1))

Migrations

Use Drizzle Kit to manage migrations:

# Generate migrations
npm run db:generate

# Push schema to database
npm run db:push

# Open Drizzle Studio
npm run db:studio

Best Practices

1. Use Transactions: For complex operations
2. Validate Input: Always validate data before inserting
3. Handle Errors: Wrap database calls in try-catch blocks
4. Use Prepared Statements: For repeated queries

Conclusion

Drizzle ORM provides a modern, type-safe way to work with databases in your Nuxt applications. Its intuitive API and excellent TypeScript support make it a joy to use.

Try it out in your next project!