From Drizzle to Prisma: Migrating a SvelteKit Blog Database

The Migration Journey

This blog started with Drizzle ORM but was successfully migrated to Prisma to better support Cloudflare Workers and edge computing. Here's how the migration was accomplished.

Why Migrate from Drizzle to Prisma?

The migration was driven by several factors:

• Edge Runtime Compatibility: Prisma Accelerate works seamlessly with Cloudflare Workers
• Connection Pooling: Better performance for high-traffic scenarios
• Type Safety: Enhanced TypeScript integration
• Migration System: Robust schema evolution capabilities

The Migration Process

The migration involved several key steps:

1. Schema Translation: Converting Drizzle schema to Prisma schema
2. Client Updates: Updating all database queries throughout the application
3. Environment Configuration: Setting up different clients for local vs production
4. Data Migration: Preserving existing content during the transition

Prisma Schema Design

The blog uses a simple but effective schema:

model User {
  id        Int        @id @default(autoincrement())
  age       Int?
  createdAt DateTime   @default(now()) @map("created_at")
  updatedAt DateTime   @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
  posts     BlogPost[]
}

model BlogPost {
  id          Int       @id @default(autoincrement())
  title       String
  slug        String    @unique
  content     String
  excerpt     String?
  publishedAt DateTime? @default(now()) @map("published_at")
  isPublished Boolean   @default(false) @map("is_published")
  authorId    Int?      @map("author_id")
  createdAt   DateTime  @default(now()) @map("created_at")
  updatedAt   DateTime  @updatedAt @map("updated_at")
  
  author User? @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
}

Environment-Specific Configuration

The application uses different Prisma configurations for different environments:

• Local Development: Standard Prisma client with local PostgreSQL
• Production: Prisma Accelerate with edge client for Cloudflare Workers

Performance Improvements

The migration brought several performance benefits:

• Faster Queries: Optimized connection handling
• Global Caching: Content cached at the edge
• Reduced Latency: Database connections closer to users

Lessons Learned

Key insights from the migration process:

• Plan migrations carefully to preserve data integrity
• Test thoroughly in staging environments
• Consider edge runtime requirements early
• Document environment-specific configurations

Conclusion

The migration to Prisma was successful and provides a solid foundation for the blog's continued growth. The combination of Prisma Accelerate and Cloudflare Workers delivers excellent performance and developer experience.