Creating and Running Migrations
1. Creating Development Migration
npx prisma migrate dev --name add_user_email_index
Step Detail Diff Compare schema vs shadow DB Generate SQL Stored in prisma/migrations/<ts>_name/ Apply Run on dev DB Regenerate Prisma client refreshed
2. Applying Production Migrations
npx prisma migrate deploy
Aspect Detail No prompts Apply pending migrations only CI/CD Run in deploy pipeline before app boot DIRECT_URL Use direct DB URL (skip pooler)
3. Resetting Database
npx prisma migrate reset # drop, recreate, re-apply, seed
Use Detail Dev only Wipes all data Runs seed Triggers prisma db seed
4. Checking Migration Status
Command Output migrate statusPending / applied migrations migrate diffSchema diff (without applying)
5. Creating Baseline Migration
npx prisma migrate resolve --applied 0_init
Use Detail Existing DB Mark current state as baseline Adopting Prisma Avoid re-running schema
6. Resolving Migration Conflicts
Scenario Resolution Drift Inspect with migrate diff Failed migration prisma migrate resolve --rolled-back <name>Manual fix Edit SQL, mark applied
7. Using Shadow Database
Aspect Detail Purpose Diff state for safe migration generation Default Auto-created (PG/MySQL) Cloud Set shadowDatabaseUrl for managed DBs
8. Customizing Migration SQL Files
Use Detail Data backfill Add SQL between schema changes --create-onlyGenerate SQL without applying Run review Edit, then migrate dev applies it
9. Handling Schema Drift
Warning: If the database has unexpected changes not tracked in _prisma_migrations, Prisma will block migrations. Use migrate diff to inspect and either pull (db pull) or reset.
Action When db pullAdopt out-of-band changes migrate resetWipe + reapply
10. Rolling Back Migrations
Strategy Detail No auto-rollback Prisma forward-only Manual Create reverse migration Mark rolled back migrate resolve --rolled-back