Prisma

Prisma is the TypeScript-first ORM for Node.js that makes database access type-safe. You define your tables in a schema file, Prisma generates a client, and every query is type-checked at build time. Typo in a column name? Your code won't compile.

The schema-first workflow is the real sell. You write model User { id Int @id, name String } and Prisma gives you migrations, a query client, and a visual database browser (Prisma Studio) for free. Migrations are automatic and diffable.

Prisma Accelerate is the paid play: a global connection pooler and edge cache. Free tier gives you 60K queries/month. Beyond that, pricing starts at $29/mo for 1M queries. Self-hosted Prisma ORM has no limits.

The catch: Prisma generates queries that can be less efficient than hand-written SQL for complex joins and aggregations. The ORM abstraction leaks on advanced queries; you'll drop to raw SQL for anything with CTEs or window functions. And the schema.prisma file is its own DSL, not standard SQL, so there's a learning curve. Migration squashing and team workflows are clunkier than something like Flyway.