Connect from Prisma to Neon

Prisma is an open-source, next-generation ORM for Node.js and TypeScript. This guide shows you how to connect a Prisma application to Neon using the recommended setup with the Neon serverless driver adapter.

Prerequisites

• A Neon account and project
• Node.js 18+ installed
• A Node.js or TypeScript project (or create a new one)

Setup

Step 1: Install dependencies

npm install @prisma/client @prisma/adapter-neon dotenv
npm install prisma --save-dev

Step 2: Get your connection strings

From your Neon Console, click Connect and copy both connection strings:

• Pooled connection (has -pooler in the hostname) — for your application
• Direct connection — for Prisma CLI commands (migrations, introspection)

Add them to your .env file:

# Pooled connection for your application
DATABASE_URL="postgresql://[user]:[password]@[endpoint]-pooler.[region].aws.neon.tech/[dbname]?sslmode=require"

# Direct connection for Prisma CLI
DIRECT_URL="postgresql://[user]:[password]@[endpoint].[region].aws.neon.tech/[dbname]?sslmode=require"

Step 3: Configure your Prisma schema

If you don't have a Prisma schema yet, run npx prisma init to create one. Then update prisma/schema.prisma:

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

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
}

model User {
  id        Int      @id @default(autoincrement())
  email     String   @unique
  name      String?
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}

Step 4: Create prisma.config.ts

Create a prisma.config.ts file in your project root. This tells Prisma CLI where to connect for migrations and other commands:

import 'dotenv/config'
import { defineConfig, env } from 'prisma/config'

export default defineConfig({
  schema: 'prisma/schema.prisma',
  datasource: {
    url: env('DIRECT_URL'),
  },
})

Step 5: Create your Prisma Client

Create a file to instantiate Prisma Client with the Neon adapter (e.g., src/db.ts):

import 'dotenv/config'
import { PrismaClient } from './generated/prisma'
import { PrismaNeon } from '@prisma/adapter-neon'

const adapter = new PrismaNeon({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL!,
})

export const prisma = new PrismaClient({ adapter })

Step 6: Generate client and push schema

npx prisma generate
npx prisma db push

You're connected. You can now use Prisma Client in your application:

import { prisma } from './db'

const users = await prisma.user.findMany()

Why two connection strings?

Neon uses connection pooling to efficiently manage database connections in serverless environments:

• Pooled connection (DATABASE_URL): Your application connects through Neon's connection pooler, which is optimal for serverless functions that create many short-lived connections.
• Direct connection (DIRECT_URL): Prisma CLI commands like prisma migrate and prisma db push need a direct connection for schema operations.

Advanced configuration

Using a non-public PostgreSQL schema

If you're using a PostgreSQL schema other than public, pass a schema option when creating the adapter:

const adapter = new PrismaNeon(
  { connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL! },
  { schema: 'myPostgresSchema' }
)

Setting the search path for raw SQL queries

For raw SQL queries that reference tables without schema qualification, use PostgreSQL's options parameter in your connection string:

postgresql://[user]:[password]@[neon_hostname]/[dbname]?options=-c%20search_path%3Dmyschemaname

Troubleshooting

Error: P1001: Can't reach database server at `ep-example-123456.us-east-2.aws.neon.tech`:`5432`

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://...?sslmode=require&connect_timeout=15"

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://...?sslmode=require&connection_limit=20&pool_timeout=15"

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

Next steps

• Schema migrations with Prisma — Full tutorial for building an app with migrations
• Neon serverless driver — Learn more about the driver powering the adapter

Resources

• Prisma documentation
• Prisma connection management
• PostgreSQL connector reference