So If I understand it right, this is an ORM (with some graphql like properties) with the addition of data model code generation?
it's more than just a traditional ORM layer. They run a server (prisma) between the client and the database.
Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
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Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#72What is Prisma actually? Is it an ORM or a client for a db that exposes a GraphQL API for the data stored?
Hopefully that clears it up!
Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#73Earlier quoted context omitted.
it's more than just a traditional ORM layer. They run a server (prisma) between the client and the database.
This is really not clear from the site. Even after I skimmed the tutorials and docs. I would imagine it should be front and center like in Hasura and Postgraphile . I would be tiffed if I found out after I started developing with it using the cli that I need to setup another server and process in my production environment.
It is very important to understand that Prisma is NOT a GraphQL-as-a-Service like Hasura or Postgraphile. It's really a suite of database tools that you can use for any use case (building GraphQL, REST or gRPC APIs, or use it in any other app where you need a database). We recently wrote a blog post about this topic: https://www.prisma.io/blog/prisma-and-graphql-mfl5y2r7t49c/
Also, the Prisma server (that proxies the database) is indeed currently a mandatory component in the Prisma architecture. However, this requirement will be lifted very soon (as we're currently rewriting the Prisma core in Rust) and it will be possible to run Prisma as a library, just like any other ORM.
Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#74I've been using Prisma for most of the last year in personal projects and I have to say it has been the absolute easiest database layer I've ever used. My development experience has been immensely streamlined.
Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's a GraphQL ORM and it runs in it's own process on top of whatever db you have, whether Mongo or Postgres. You can use it with any programming language but I think their support is best for Node and Go.
Ah so this is similar to Hasura.
Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#76Forgive me the obvious elephant in the room - where is Swift and Java/Kotlin support?
That's a great question! We started with a major focus on GraphQL which has now become more generic as Prisma can really be used for any app that uses a DB (REST, gRPC, ...). With that GraphQL history, we've put a lot of focus on the Node/TypeScript ecosystem because that's where GraphQL tooling is most mature. However, we're definitely planning to support more languages in the future. In particular, we are opening the generator API for the Prisma client which means it will be possible for anyone to implement the Prisma client in their own preferred language: https://github.com/prisma/rfcs/blob/client-generators/text/0...
Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#77I've been using Prisma in for some months now (even in production), and I'm a big fan of the product. With TypeScript you have an easy full autocompletion & type checking over your models, and coupled with a graphql-yoga server & graphqlgen for the exposed GraphQL part it has been a pretty nice experience. The downside is (because there is always some), as it's a new tech, problems can pop up and more research have t…
Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#78Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#79When I first saw prisma I was blown away but after a couple months of trying to get a production ready system online I was just fed up with the "schema first" pattern. Wasted way too much time adapting the schema for custom types. I was about take it behind the shed and feed it a bullet until nexus/nexus-prisma came along. It was perfect timing in my case, I now love prisma again.
For anyone who is curious about Nexus, I recommend our blog article series about code-first vs SDL/schema-first GraphQL server development: https://www.prisma.io/blog/the-problems-of-schema-first-grap...
Also, for a quick and ready-to-run example, you can check out this: https://github.com/prisma/prisma-examples/tree/master/node/g...
Re: Prisma – Database tools for modern application development
#80Is this a library? A server? Something else? It looks like a business, so what's for sale?
Prisma is open-source and you are typically running it in production by running it on your own cloud infrastructure.
The commercial parts of Prisma are called Prisma Cloud and Prisma Enterprise. Prisma Cloud aims to simplify various Prisma workflows such as server and data management, monitoring, backups, migrations/rollbacks, ... We're also planning a "Prisma Serverless" offering so you don't need to host the Prisma server yourself.