A Beginner's Guide to Setting Up Prisma with PostgreSQL 🚀

Prisma Setup and Configuration 🛠️

Initialize Prisma

Run this command:

npx prisma init

This creates a new folder called prisma in your project's root directory. Inside this folder, you’ll find:

• schema.prisma: This is where your database schema lives.

  • All your models (tables) will be defined here. ✍️

Sample User Model 📋

Here's an example of how to define a user table:

generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client-js"
  output   = "../src/generated/prisma"
}

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
}

model User {
  id        String   @id @default(uuid())
  name      String?  
  email     String   @unique
  image     String?  
  password  String
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
  updatedAt DateTime @updatedAt
}

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Environment File (.env) 🌍

In your root directory, create a file called .env and add the following:

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/<database>"

✨ Fun Part: How do you get this DATABASE_URL? Let's find out!

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Steps to Obtain the Database URL 🔑

Step 1: Pull the PostgreSQL Docker Image 🐳

Run this command to download PostgreSQL:

docker pull postgres

Step 2: Run the PostgreSQL Container 🏃

Start a new container with:

docker run --name my_postgres_container -e POSTGRES_USER=myuser -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mypassword -e POSTGRES_DB=mydatabase -p 5433:5432 -d postgres

What do these flags mean? 🧐

• --name my_postgres_container: Name your container for easy reference.

• -e POSTGRES_USER=myuser: Set the PostgreSQL username.

• -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=mypassword: Set the PostgreSQL password.

• -e POSTGRES_DB=mydatabase: Create a database named mydatabase.

• -p 5433:5432: Map port 5432 inside the container to port 5433 on your system.

• -d: Run the container in detached mode (in the background).

This setup makes PostgreSQL accessible on your local machine at port 5433. 🎉

Step 3: Construct the DATABASE_URL 🔗

Your DATABASE_URL will look like this:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://myuser:mypassword@localhost:5433/mydatabase

Add this to your .env file. ✅

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Prisma Client 🤝

Prisma Client lets you interact with your database directly in your code. 🎯

• Create a generator block in the Prisma schema file.

• Define your models (like the User model shown earlier).

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Managing Your Database with Migrations 🔄

Prisma migrations help you make changes to your database schema over time.

Create a Migration 🛠️

npx prisma migrate dev

This generates a migration file and applies it to your database. 📝

Deploy Migrations 🌐

npx prisma migrate deploy

This applies any pending migrations to your database. ⚡

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Keep Your Schema Clean ✨

Format your Prisma schema file with:

npx prisma format

🔧 Problem: Restarting the PostgreSQL Container After Shutdown

After shutting down my computer, the PostgreSQL container and the database become inactive and it is not working , so what should I do now ??

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💡 Solution: Reactivate the Container and Verify Database Accessibility

1️⃣ Step 1: Start Docker

• Ensure Docker is running on your computer. Open the Docker Desktop application or start the Docker service using your terminal. 🐋

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2️⃣ Step 2: Start the PostgreSQL Container

• Run the following command to start your PostgreSQL container:

docker start my_postgres_container

Here, my_postgres_container is the name of the container you set earlier. Replace it if you named your container differently. 🛠️

Verify the container is running by executing:

docker ps

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3️⃣ Step 3: Verify the Database with Prisma Studio

• Use Prisma Studio to confirm that your database is running and accessible visually. 🎨 Run the following command:

npx prisma studio

This opens a GUI in your browser where you can:

• View your tables and their data 📊

• Confirm that the database schema and records are intact 🔍