Adding a New Database

Each ORM adapter uses an internal DialectConfig object to isolate all database-specific code (column types, client setup, dependencies). Adding a new database to an existing ORM means adding a new DialectConfig and registering it — no other code needs to change.

How it works

DrizzleAdapter("mysql")
    │
    └─▶ DIALECTS["mysql"]  →  DrizzleDialectConfig
            typeMap, idPkExpr, clientFile, deps…

The adapter dispatches every database-specific decision to the dialect config. The rest of the adapter (query builders, route imports, etc.) is completely database-agnostic.

Step 1: Understand what changes per database

For a new database "mydb" you need to define:

What	Example (SQLite → MyDB)
ORM core package	drizzle-orm/sqlite-core → drizzle-orm/mydb-core
Table factory function name	sqliteTable → mydbTable
Column type for string	text → varchar(255)
Column type for boolean	integer (0/1) → boolean
Column type for date	integer (epoch ms) → datetime
UUID column expression	text('id').$defaultFn(randomUUID) → …
Client file (db.ts) content	new Database('sqlite.db') → createPool(url)
Runtime npm dependencies	better-sqlite3 → mydb-driver

Step 2: Add a DialectConfig to the ORM adapter

Open the relevant adapter (e.g. packages/core/src/orm/drizzle/index.ts) and add a new constant:

packages/core/src/orm/drizzle/index.ts

const mydbDialect: DrizzleDialectConfig = {
    tableFactory: "mydbTable",
    corePackage:  "drizzle-orm/mydb-core",
    typeMap: {
        string:  { fn: "varchar",   import: "varchar",   extraArgs: "{ length: 255 }" },
        number:  { fn: "int",       import: "int"       },
        boolean: { fn: "boolean",   import: "boolean"   },
        date:    { fn: "datetime",  import: "datetime"  },
    },
    uuidImport:    "varchar",
    dateNowImport: "datetime",
    fkExpr:      (col) => `varchar('${col}', { length: 36 })`,
    idPkExpr:    (col) => `varchar('${col}', { length: 36 }).primaryKey().$defaultFn(() => crypto.randomUUID())`,
    uuidExpr:    (col) => `varchar('${col}', { length: 36 }).$defaultFn(() => crypto.randomUUID())`,
    dateNowExpr: (col) => `datetime('${col}').$defaultFn(() => new Date())`,
    generateClientFile: () =>
        [
            `// Auto-generated by Codabra — do not edit manually`,
            `import { createPool } from 'mydb-driver';`,
            `import { drizzle } from 'drizzle-orm/mydb';`,
            `import * as schema from '@/drizzle/schema';`,
            ``,
            `const pool = createPool({ uri: process.env.DATABASE_URL });`,
            `export const db = drizzle(pool, { schema });`,
            ``,
        ].join("\n"),
    getDependencies:    () => ({ "drizzle-orm": "^0.30.0", "mydb-driver": "^1.0.0" }),
    getDevDependencies: () => ({ "drizzle-kit": "^0.21.0" }),
};

Then register it in the DIALECTS map (same file):

const DIALECTS: Record<string, DrizzleDialectConfig> = {
    sqlite:     sqliteDialect,
    postgresql: postgresqlDialect,
    mysql:      mysqlDialect,
    mydb:       mydbDialect,   // ← add this
};

That's it for the adapter — no other method in DrizzleAdapter needs to change.

Step 3: Register the database in the ORM registry

Open packages/core/src/orm/index.ts and import the new dialect entry, then add it to supportedDatabases:

packages/core/src/orm/dialects.ts

export const mydb: DatabaseDialectEntry = { name: "mydb", label: "MyDB" };
export const allDialects: readonly DatabaseDialectEntry[] = [sqlite, postgresql, mysql, mydb];

packages/core/src/orm/index.ts

import { sqlite, postgresql, mysql, mydb } from "./dialects";

export const ormRegistry: OrmRegistryEntry[] = [
    {
        name: "drizzle",
        label: "Drizzle ORM",
        supportedDatabases: [sqlite, postgresql, mysql, mydb],   // ← add mydb
        defaultDatabase: "sqlite",
        create: (database) => new DrizzleAdapter(database),
    },
    // ...
];

Step 4: Update the JSON Schema

Add "mydb" to the database enum in packages/core/src/schemas/codabra.schema.json:

"database": {
    "type": "string",
    "enum": ["sqlite", "postgresql", "mysql", "mydb"]
}

Step 5: Update Prisma if applicable

If the new database also works with Prisma and Prisma supports it natively, you only need to:

1. Add mydb to SUPPORTED_DATABASES in packages/core/src/orm/prisma/index.ts
2. Prisma's datasource db { provider = "mydb" } will be generated automatically — no other change needed.

Step 6: Test it

node packages/cli/bin/create-codabra.js my-test-app
# Select: Drizzle ORM → MyDB → ...

# Or generate into an existing project:
# Set "database": "mydb" in codabra.json, then:
node packages/cli/bin/codabra.js generate

Check apps/web/src/lib/db.ts and apps/web/src/drizzle/schema.ts for the correct MyDB output.