Postgres Neon

PostgreSQL + Neon + Prisma ORM Setup

Set up a PostgreSQL database using Neon with Prisma ORM for $ARGUMENTS.

Step 1: Install Dependencies

npm install @prisma/client @prisma/adapter-pg pg dotenv
npm install prisma tsx --save-dev
npx prisma init

Uses @prisma/adapter-pg with the pg driver — the proven approach for Neon + Prisma on serverless.

Step 2: Configure Prisma Schema

Update prisma/schema.prisma:

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

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
}

• Prisma 7+: Do NOT put url in the schema — it goes in prisma.config.ts only. Prisma 7 will error if you include url here.
• Custom output path: use ../src/app/generated/prisma if your project uses a src/ directory, or ../app/generated/prisma without src/.
• Import from: @/app/generated/prisma/client
• Add **/generated/** to .eslintrc.json ignorePatterns to suppress lint errors on generated files.

Step 3: Environment Variables

Create .env with both connection strings from Neon Console → Connect:

# Pooled connection (pgbouncer) — used by the app at runtime
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://[user]:[password]@[endpoint]-pooler.[region].aws.neon.tech/[dbname]?sslmode=require&connect_timeout=30

# Unpooled connection — used by Prisma CLI for migrations (no pgbouncer)
DATABASE_URL_UNPOOLED=postgresql://[user]:[password]@[endpoint].[region].aws.neon.tech/[dbname]?sslmode=require&connect_timeout=30

The pooled URL has -pooler in the hostname. The unpooled URL does not.

CRITICAL: Always add connect_timeout=30 to both URLs. Prisma's CLI uses an internal Rust engine (not the Node.js pg driver) which has a short default timeout. On some networks (especially Windows + SSL to Neon), the SSL handshake takes longer than the default, causing P1001: Can't reach database server even when the database is reachable. The connect_timeout=30 parameter fixes this.

Put DB URLs in .env (not just .env.local). Prisma CLI's dotenv/config loads .env by default. Next.js loads .env.local at runtime. Keep DB URLs in both, or use .env for DB and .env.local for app secrets (Clerk keys, etc.).

Also create .env.example with placeholder values (no real credentials).

Add .env, .env.local to .gitignore if not already there.

Step 4: Prisma Client Singleton (Serverless-Safe)

Create lib/db/prisma.ts (or src/lib/db/prisma.ts if using src/):

import { PrismaClient } from "@/app/generated/prisma/client";
import { PrismaPg } from "@prisma/adapter-pg";

const globalForPrisma = globalThis as unknown as { prisma: PrismaClient };

function createPrismaClient() {
  const adapter = new PrismaPg({
    connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL!,
  });
  return new PrismaClient({ adapter });
}

export const prisma = globalForPrisma.prisma || createPrismaClient();

if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production") globalForPrisma.prisma = prisma;

This pattern:

• Prevents connection pool exhaustion in serverless (Vercel)
• Reuses the client during Next.js hot reload in development
• Creates a fresh instance per deployment in production

Step 5: Migration Config (prisma.config.ts)

Create prisma.config.ts in the project root:

import "dotenv/config";
import { defineConfig } from "prisma/config";

export default defineConfig({
  schema: "prisma/schema.prisma",
  migrations: {
    path: "prisma/migrations",
  },
  datasource: {
    url: process.env["DATABASE_URL_UNPOOLED"] || process.env["DATABASE_URL"],
  },
});

This is CRITICAL — pgbouncer (pooler) does NOT support the transaction control needed for schema migrations. The prisma.config.ts tells Prisma CLI to use the unpooled connection for all migration operations.

Step 6: Package.json Scripts

Add these scripts to package.json:

{
  "scripts": {
    "postinstall": "prisma generate",
    "build": "prisma generate && next build",
    "db:push": "prisma db push",
    "db:studio": "prisma studio",
    "db:generate": "prisma generate",
    "db:migrate": "prisma migrate dev",
    "db:seed": "npx tsx prisma/seed.ts"
  }
}

• postinstall — ensures Prisma Client is generated on npm install (required for Vercel)
• build — regenerates client before every Next.js build
• db:push — push schema changes without migration files (fast prototyping)
• db:seed — run seed script via tsx

Step 7: Seed Script Template

Create prisma/seed.ts:

import { PrismaClient } from "../app/generated/prisma/client";
import { PrismaPg } from "@prisma/adapter-pg";
import "dotenv/config";

const adapter = new PrismaPg({
  connectionString: process.env.DATABASE_URL!,
});
const prisma = new PrismaClient({ adapter });

async function main() {
  // Use upsert for idempotent seeding (safe to run multiple times)
  // await prisma.user.upsert({ ... })
  console.log("Seeding complete.");
}

main()
  .catch((e) => {
    console.error(e);
    process.exit(1);
  })
  .finally(async () => {
    await prisma.$disconnect();
  });

Note: The seed script must create its own PrismaClient (not import the singleton) because it runs outside of Next.js.

Step 8: Migration Workflow

# Push schema directly (prototyping — no migration files)
npx prisma db push

# Create a migration file and apply it
npx prisma migrate dev --name init

# Generate the Prisma Client after schema changes
npx prisma generate

# Deploy migrations in CI/CD
npx prisma migrate deploy

# Open Prisma Studio to browse data
npx prisma studio

# Run seed script
npx tsx prisma/seed.ts

Step 9: Verify Connection

Test with a simple query in a server action or API route:

import { prisma } from "@/lib/db/prisma";

const result = await prisma.$queryRaw`SELECT 1 as connected`;
console.log("Database connected:", result);

Usage in Next.js App Router

"use server";

import { prisma } from "@/lib/db/prisma";

export async function getUsers() {
  return prisma.user.findMany();
}

Troubleshooting

• P1001 "Can't reach database server" (but DB is online): Add connect_timeout=30 to your connection string. Prisma CLI uses an internal Rust engine with a short default timeout — SSL handshakes to Neon can exceed it, especially on Windows. The Node.js pg driver connects fine, but Prisma's engine fails silently with a misleading "can't reach" error. This is the #1 gotcha with Neon + Prisma.
• P1012 "url is no longer supported in schema": Prisma 7+ removed url from datasource in schema. Move it to prisma.config.ts instead.
• P1017 connection pool exhausted: Ensure you're using the singleton pattern in Step 4
• Prepared statement error on migrations: Ensure prisma.config.ts exists and points to DATABASE_URL_UNPOOLED (must bypass pgbouncer)
• Migration hangs or times out: You're hitting the pooler — check that prisma.config.ts datasource uses the unpooled URL
• Cannot find module '@/app/generated/prisma/client': Run npx prisma generate first — the output directory must exist
• ESLint errors in generated files: Add "ignorePatterns": ["**/generated/**"] to .eslintrc.json
• Prisma CLI ignores .env.local: Prisma's dotenv/config loads .env by default, not .env.local. Put DB URLs in .env or explicitly configure config({ path: ".env.local" }) in prisma.config.ts.
• SSL error: Add ?sslmode=require to both connection strings
• Token expired on Neon: Regenerate credentials in Neon Console → Connection Details
• Seed script import error: Seed script must use relative import (../app/generated/prisma/client), not the @/ alias