Prisma ORM

Create a Prisma ORM app backed by Prisma Postgres.

Quick start

bun create prisma@latest

Bash

pnpm create prisma@latest

Bash

yarn create prisma@latest

Bash

npm create prisma@latest

Start with the setup page when you want a guided first run, or read the create-prisma reference for every template and flag. To add Prisma ORM to a project by hand, without the template, follow Set up Prisma ORM from scratch.

Deploy the full Prisma stack: Scaffold, provision Prisma Postgres, query, and deploy to Prisma Compute in one sitting.
Choose a setup path: Pick a new-project quickstart or add Prisma ORM to an existing app.

Run this from a Node.js 22.18 or newer (on the 24 line, 24.11 or newer) environment; Node.js 24 is recommended. When prompted, choose PostgreSQL, and answer No to Deploy to Prisma now?.

Setup adds a starter contract, creates prisma-8.md, installs project-level Prisma ORM skills for your coding agent, and adds package scripts for the database steps below. Choose the minimal template if you want the fastest first run, or a framework template when you want the first query wired into an app route or page.

1. Create the database

Create a Prisma Postgres database from the terminal and export its connection string. The generated scripts read the environment variable, not .env:

bunx create-db@latest

export DATABASE_URL="<the connection string create-db printed>"

The command also prints a claim URL; open it within 24 hours to keep the database in your account.

2. Initialize the database

From the generated project directory, run db:init to apply the starter schema to Prisma Postgres and sign the database.

bun run db:init

Sample users are seeded automatically the first time the app queries the database, so there is no separate seed step.

3. Run the app

Start the app and confirm the sample query runs successfully.

bun run dev

Use the URL or terminal output shown by your template to confirm the sample query runs successfully.

Next steps

Open the generated contract and change the starter model.
Use Import from PostgreSQL or Import from MySQL when you want to move an existing database to Prisma Postgres.
Use the PostgreSQL existing-project guide when your app already has a Prisma Postgres database.