Use Prisma Postgres with TypeORM

TypeORM is a TypeScript ORM. In this guide, you'll learn how to connect TypeORM to Prisma Postgres.

Prerequisites​

• Node.js version 16 or higher
• TypeScript version 4.5 or higher

1. Generate a TypeORM project​

Use the TypeORM CLI to generate a starter project:

npx typeorm init --name typeorm-quickstart --database postgres

This command will generate a new project with the following structure:

typeorm-quickstart
├── src
│   ├── entity
│   │   └── User.ts       # Sample entity
│   ├── migration         # Migrations folder
│   ├── data-source.ts    # Data source configuration
│   └── index.ts          # Application entry point
├── .gitignore
├── package.json
├── README.md
└── tsconfig.json

2. Install dependencies​

Navigate to the project directory and install dependencies:

cd typeorm-quickstart
npm install

Install dotenv to load environment variables:

npm install dotenv

3. Create a Prisma Postgres database​

You can create a Prisma Postgres database using the create-db CLI tool. Follow these steps to create your Prisma Postgres database:

npx create-db

Then the CLI tool should output:

┌  🚀 Creating a Prisma Postgres database
│
│  Provisioning a temporary database in us-east-1...
│
│  It will be automatically deleted in 24 hours, but you can claim it.
│
◇  Database created successfully!
│
│
●  Database Connection
│
│
│    Connection String:
│
│    postgresql://hostname:[email protected]:5432/postgres?sslmode=require
│
│
◆  Claim Your Database
│
│    Keep your database for free:
│
│    https://create-db.prisma.io/claim?CLAIM_CODE
│
│    Database will be deleted on 11/18/2025, 1:55:39 AM if not claimed.
│
└  

Create a .env file and add the connection string from the output:

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://hostname:[email protected]:5432/postgres?sslmode=require"

The database created is temporary and will be deleted in 24 hours unless claimed. Claiming moves the database into your account. Visit the claim URL from the output to keep your database.

4. Configure database connection​

Update the src/data-source.ts file to use your Prisma Postgres connection:

import "reflect-metadata"
import "dotenv/config";
import { DataSource } from "typeorm"
import { User } from "./entity/User"

// Parse DATABASE_URL into connection parameters
function parseConnectionString(url: string) {
  const parsed = new URL(url)
  return {
    host: parsed.hostname,
    port: parseInt(parsed.port),
    username: parsed.username,
    password: parsed.password,
    database: parsed.pathname.slice(1), // Remove leading '/'
  }
}

const connectionParams = parseConnectionString(process.env.DATABASE_URL!)

export const AppDataSource = new DataSource({
  type: "postgres",
  host: "localhost",
  port: 5432,
  username: "test",
  password: "test",
  database: "test",
  ...connectionParams,
  ssl: true,
  synchronize: true,
  logging: false,
  entities: [User],
  migrations: [],
  subscribers: [],
})

5. Run the application​

Start the application:

npm start

You should see output indicating the connection was successful and a new user was inserted into the database:

Inserting a new user into the database...
Saved a new user with id: 1
Loading users from the database...
Loaded users:  [ User { id: 1, firstName: 'Timber', lastName: 'Saw', age: 25 } ]

Next steps​

You've successfully connected TypeORM to Prisma Postgres! For more advanced features like entities, migrations, and queries, see the TypeORM documentation.