Drizzle MySQL Starter

The Drizzle MySQL Starter is a database foundation provided by servercn for projects that use MySQL with Drizzle ORM. When you run:

Installation Guide

npx servercn init drizzle-mysql-starter

you get a production‑ready MySQL + Drizzle setup that integrates cleanly with the Express Server Foundation.

This starter focuses on type‑safe database access, clear schema ownership, and predictable migrations, without hiding SQL or introducing heavy abstractions.

Official Docs

What This Starter Solves

Setting up Drizzle with MySQL repeatedly involves:

  • Database connection management
  • Schema organization
  • Migration configuration
  • Environment‑based credentials
  • Type safety across queries

The Drizzle MySQL Starter standardizes these concerns using a minimal, explicit setup.

What You Get Out of the Box

After initialization, your project includes:

Database Core

  • Drizzle ORM configured for MySQL
  • Type‑safe schema definitions
  • Centralized database client

Configuration

  • Environment‑based database config
  • Safe startup validation
  • Production‑ready connection handling

Migrations

  • Drizzle migration setup
  • Structured migration folder
  • CLI‑ready workflow

Developer Experience

  • Fully typed queries
  • Clean schema organization
  • Zero runtime magic

Environment Configuration

Database credentials are loaded via environment variables.

NODE_ENV='development'
PORT='9000'
LOG_LEVEL='info'
 
DATABASE_URL=mysql://root:password@localhost:3306/db-name

The server fails fast if required database variables are missing.

Defining Schemas

Schemas are written using Drizzle’s SQL‑first, type‑safe API.

src/drizzle/schema.ts 
import { mysqlTable, serial, varchar } from "drizzle-orm/mysql-core";
 
export const usersTable = mysqlTable("users_table", {
  id: serial().primaryKey(),
  name: varchar({ length: 255 }).notNull(),
  email: varchar({ length: 255 }).notNull().unique(),
  password: varchar("password", { length: 255 }).notNull()
});

Schemas are:

  • Explicit
  • Version‑controlled
  • Fully typed across queries

Database Client Setup

src/configs/db.ts or src/db/db.ts

import { drizzle } from "drizzle-orm/mysql2";
import env from "./env";
 
const db = drizzle(env.DATABASE_URL!);
 
export default db;

No repositories or hidden layers — you interact directly with Drizzle.

Migrations Workflow

Generate migrations

npm run db:generate

Apply migrations

npm run db:migrate

Migrations are SQL‑first and fully auditable.

Database Studio

npm run db:studio

Production Considerations

The starter is designed for production:

  • No dynamic schema generation at runtime
  • Controlled migration execution
  • Environment‑safe credentials
  • Predictable connection behavior

Integration with Express Server Foundation

The Drizzle MySQL Starter is designed to layer cleanly on top of:

  • Express Server Foundation
  • Request validation (Zod)
  • Auth and RBAC blocks

This keeps responsibilities separated:

  • Express handles HTTP
  • Drizzle handles data

Why This Is a Starter (Not an ORM Wrapper)

This setup intentionally avoids:

  • Custom query builders
  • Repository patterns by default
  • Magic decorators

You write SQL‑like queries with full type safety.

When to Use Drizzle MySQL Starter

Use this starter when:

  • You want type‑safe MySQL access
  • You prefer explicit schema control
  • You want predictable migrations
  • You are building production APIs

Extending the Starter

Once initialized, you can add:

  • Relations and joins
  • Soft deletes
  • Indexes and constraints
  • Transaction helpers
  • TTL or archival strategies

Each extension builds on the same explicit schema foundation.

Summary

The Drizzle MySQL Starter gives you a clean, production‑ready database foundation using MySQL + Drizzle ORM.

It prioritizes clarity, type safety, and long‑term maintainability — without taking control away from you.

Installation

npx servercn init drizzle-mysql-starter