Drizzle

Drizzle is a lightweight, TypeScript-first ORM designed to provide full type safety while keeping its query API as close to raw SQL as possible. It positions itself as a thin, performant abstraction over SQL rather than a heavy framework that hides the database behind object-oriented patterns, making it a compelling choice for developers who think in SQL but want TypeScript's type system. Drizzle's query builder mirrors SQL syntax closely, so writing a Drizzle query feels like writing SQL with TypeScript auto-completion and type checking layered on top. Developers define their schema in TypeScript files using Drizzle's table definition syntax, and the ORM infers types throughout the entire query chain, from select columns to join results to where clause conditions. This approach has zero runtime dependencies, resulting in a minimal bundle size that makes Drizzle particularly well-suited for serverless and edge computing environments where cold start times and package sizes matter. Drizzle Kit, the companion CLI tool, handles schema migrations by comparing the TypeScript schema against the database state and generating the necessary SQL migration files. Drizzle Studio provides a browser-based database viewer for inspecting and editing data during development. Drizzle supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite, and integrates with popular database drivers and hosted platforms including Neon, PlanetScale, Turso, Supabase, and Cloudflare D1. It is best suited for TypeScript developers who are comfortable with SQL and want an ORM that complements their SQL knowledge rather than replacing it. Teams building serverless applications, edge workers, or lightweight APIs will appreciate Drizzle's zero-dependency design. It has gained rapid adoption in the Next.js and serverless communities as an alternative to Prisma for developers who prefer a more SQL-oriented workflow. Drizzle is completely free and open-source under the Apache 2.0 license. There are no paid tiers, commercial editions, or premium features. The ecosystem is still maturing compared to Prisma, with documentation and third-party tooling growing steadily. Teams evaluating Drizzle should consider that while its SQL-like API is intuitive for SQL-proficient developers, those who prefer a more abstracted, object-oriented query interface may find Prisma's approach more comfortable.