CLI Commands

Complete reference for all Drizzle Kit CLI commands including generate, migrate, push, pull, studio, and more.

Drizzle Kit provides a comprehensive CLI for managing database migrations and schema operations. All commands support both CLI flags and configuration file options.

Installation

npm install -D drizzle-kit

Available Commands

generate

Generate SQL migration files from your Drizzle schema.

drizzle-kit generate

--dialect · string · required

Database dialect: postgresql, mysql, sqlite, turso, or singlestore

--schema · string

Path to schema file or folder. Can be a glob pattern.

drizzle-kit generate --schema=./src/schema.ts
drizzle-kit generate --schema=./src/schema/*

--out · string · default: "drizzle"

Output folder for migration files

--name · string

Custom migration file name

drizzle-kit generate --name=add_users_table

--custom · boolean · default: false

Generate an empty migration file for custom SQL

drizzle-kit generate --custom

--breakpoints · boolean · default: true

Enable SQL statement breakpoints in generated migrations. Required for databases that don’t support multiple DDL statements in one transaction (MySQL, SQLite, SingleStore).

--prefix · string · default: "index"

Migration file prefix format

Options: index, timestamp, supabase, unix, none

# Results in: 0001_migration.sql
drizzle-kit generate --prefix=index

# Results in: 20240304120000_migration.sql  
drizzle-kit generate --prefix=timestamp

--config · string

Path to config file (default: drizzle.config.ts)

--casing · string

Column name casing for serialization: camelCase or snake_case

The generate command does not execute migrations - it only creates migration files. Use the migrate command to apply migrations to your database.

---

migrate

Apply pending migrations to your database.

drizzle-kit migrate

--config · string

Path to config file containing database credentials and migration settings

The migrate command requires database credentials to be configured in your drizzle.config.ts file. It reads migration files from the out directory and applies them in order.

How it works:

1. Reads migration files from the configured output directory (default: drizzle)
2. Checks the migrations table to see which migrations have been applied
3. Applies pending migrations in sequential order
4. Records applied migrations in the migrations table

Configuration example:

import { defineConfig } from 'drizzle-kit';

export default defineConfig({
  dialect: 'postgresql',
  schema: './src/schema.ts',
  out: './drizzle',
  dbCredentials: {
    url: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
  },
  migrations: {
    table: 'migrations',
    schema: 'public',
  },
});

---

push

Push schema changes directly to the database without generating migration files.

drizzle-kit push

--dialect · string · required

Database dialect: postgresql, mysql, sqlite, turso, or singlestore

--schema · string · required

Path to schema file or folder

--verbose · boolean · default: false

Print all SQL statements that will be executed

--strict · boolean · default: false

Always ask for confirmation before applying changes

--force · boolean · default: false

Auto-approve all data loss statements without confirmation

Use with caution! This flag will automatically approve statements that may truncate tables or delete data.

--config · string

Path to config file

Database Credentials (CLI flags):

--url · string

Database connection URL

drizzle-kit push --url=postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/db

--host · string

Database host

--port · string

Database port

--user · string

Database user

--password · string

Database password

--database · string

Database name

--ssl · string

SSL mode for PostgreSQL: require, allow, prefer, or verify-full

--auth-token · string

Authentication token (for Turso)

Filtering Options:

--tablesFilter · string

Filter tables with glob patterns

drizzle-kit push --tablesFilter=users_*,posts_*

--schemaFilters · string

PostgreSQL schema name filters

drizzle-kit push --schemaFilters=public,custom

The push command is ideal for prototyping and development. For production, use generate and migrate to maintain a history of schema changes.

---

pull (introspect)

Introspect an existing database and generate Drizzle schema.

drizzle-kit pull
drizzle-kit introspect  # Alias

--dialect · string · required

Database dialect: postgresql, mysql, sqlite, turso, singlestore, or gel

--out · string · default: "drizzle"

Output folder for generated schema files

--config · string

Path to config file

--introspect-casing · string · default: "camel"

Casing format for generated schema: camel or preserve

• camel: Converts snake_case to camelCase
• preserve: Keeps original database casing

--breakpoints · boolean · default: true

Generate migration files with breakpoints

Database credentials and filtering options are the same as the push command.

Example:

drizzle-kit pull --dialect=postgresql --url=$DATABASE_URL --out=./src/db/schema

This generates:

• schema.ts: Complete Drizzle schema based on your database
• relations.ts: Inferred relations between tables

---

studio

Launch Drizzle Studio - a visual database browser.

drizzle-kit studio

--port · number · default: 4983

Custom port for Drizzle Studio

drizzle-kit studio --port=3000

--host · string · default: "0.0.0.0"

Custom host for Drizzle Studio

drizzle-kit studio --host=localhost

--verbose · boolean · default: false

Print all SQL statements executed by Studio

--config · string

Path to config file containing database credentials

Features:

• Browse and edit database records
• Run queries
• View table schemas and relationships
• Real-time data updates

Access Studio at https://local.drizzle.studio

---

drop

Remove a migration file and update the migration journal.

drizzle-kit drop

--out · string · default: "drizzle"

Migrations folder

--config · string

Path to config file

This command only removes the migration file locally. It does not revert applied migrations from the database.

---

check

Validate migration files and ensure consistency.

drizzle-kit check

--dialect · string · required

Database dialect

--out · string · default: "drizzle"

Migrations folder

--config · string

Path to config file

Validates:

• Migration file syntax
• Migration journal consistency
• Schema snapshot integrity

---

up

Upgrade migration files to the latest Drizzle Kit format.

drizzle-kit up

--dialect · string · required

Database dialect

--out · string · default: "drizzle"

Migrations folder

--config · string

Path to config file

This command upgrades migration metadata format when updating Drizzle Kit versions. It preserves your migration SQL while updating internal metadata.

---

export

Generate SQL diff between current schema and empty state.

drizzle-kit export

--dialect · string · required

Database dialect

--schema · string · required

Path to schema file or folder

--sql · boolean · default: true

Generate output as SQL

--config · string

Path to config file

Generates a complete SQL file representing your entire schema without using migrations.

---

Global Options

All commands support:

• --config: Specify custom config file path
• Using environment variables through config file
• Both CLI flags and config file (flags take precedence)

Exit Codes

• 0: Success
• 1: Error occurred

Examples

Complete workflow

# 1. Generate migration from schema changes
drizzle-kit generate

# 2. Review generated SQL in drizzle/ folder
cat drizzle/0001_*.sql

# 3. Apply migration to database
drizzle-kit migrate

# 4. Open Studio to verify changes
drizzle-kit studio

Quick prototyping

# Push changes directly without migration files
drizzle-kit push --verbose

Working with existing database

# Pull schema from database
drizzle-kit pull --out=./src/schema

# Generate initial migration
drizzle-kit generate --name=init