brizzle init

The init command sets up Drizzle ORM in your Next.js project with an interactive setup wizard.

Usage

brizzle init

This launches an interactive wizard that guides you through:

1. Select database dialect - SQLite, PostgreSQL, or MySQL
2. Select driver - Choose from supported drivers for your dialect
3. Configure paths - Set database directory location
4. Optional files - Create .env.example and docker-compose.yml
5. Install dependencies - Automatically install required packages

Generated Files

The init command creates:

File	Description
drizzle.config.ts	Drizzle Kit configuration
db/index.ts	Database client with schema
db/schema.ts	Empty schema file for your models
.env.example	Environment variable template (optional)
docker-compose.yml	Local database setup (PostgreSQL/MySQL only)

It also adds helper scripts to your package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "db:generate": "drizzle-kit generate",
    "db:migrate": "drizzle-kit migrate",
    "db:push": "drizzle-kit push",
    "db:studio": "drizzle-kit studio"
  }
}

Supported Drivers

SQLite

Driver	Package	Description
better-sqlite3	better-sqlite3	Native SQLite for Node.js
libsql	@libsql/client	Turso edge database or local LibSQL
bun:sqlite	(built-in)	Bun's native SQLite driver

PostgreSQL

Driver	Package	Description
postgres	postgres	postgres.js (recommended)
pg	pg	Traditional node-postgres driver
neon	@neondatabase/serverless	Neon serverless PostgreSQL
vercel-postgres	@vercel/postgres	Vercel's managed PostgreSQL

MySQL

Driver	Package	Description
mysql2	mysql2	Standard MySQL/MariaDB driver
planetscale	@planetscale/database	PlanetScale serverless MySQL

Options

Option	Description
-f, --force	Overwrite existing files without prompting
-n, --dry-run	Preview changes without writing files
-d, --dialect <dialect>	Database dialect (non-interactive mode)
--driver <driver>	Database driver (non-interactive mode)
--no-install	Skip automatic dependency installation

Non-Interactive Mode

For CI/CD or scripting, use --dialect and --driver to skip prompts:

# SQLite with better-sqlite3
brizzle init --dialect sqlite --driver better-sqlite3

# PostgreSQL with postgres.js
brizzle init --dialect postgresql --driver postgres

# MySQL with mysql2
brizzle init --dialect mysql --driver mysql2

Examples

Basic Setup (Interactive)

npx brizzle init

Follow the prompts to configure your database.

PostgreSQL with Docker

brizzle init
# Select: PostgreSQL > postgres.js
# Answer "Yes" to docker-compose.yml

Then start your database:

docker compose up -d
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your credentials

Preview Changes

brizzle init --dry-run

Shows what files would be created without writing anything.

Force Regenerate

brizzle init --force

Overwrites all existing configuration files.

Next Steps

After running brizzle init:

1. Copy the environment file: cp .env.example .env
2. Set your database connection string in .env
3. Create your first model:

   npx brizzle model user name:string email:string:unique

4. Generate and run migrations:

   npm run db:generate
   npm run db:migrate