Drizzle vs Prisma vs Kysely: TypeScript ORM 2026

TL;DR

• Drizzle: Recommended default untuk new project. TypeScript-first, edge-compatible, lightweight.
• Prisma: Recommended kalau team familiar atau butuh introspect existing database.
• Kysely: Recommended kalau Anda prefer SQL-like syntax dengan TypeScript type safety.

Konteks

5 project saya 2024-2026:

• 3 pakai Drizzle (semua baru)
• 1 pakai Prisma (legacy, sudah ada di project)
• 1 pakai Kysely (eksperimen, lalu migrate ke Drizzle)

Drizzle

Apa itu

TypeScript-first ORM/query builder. Lightweight (no codegen, no extra binary).

Schema definition

// db/schema.ts
import { pgTable, text, integer, timestamp, boolean } from 'drizzle-orm/pg-core';

export const users = pgTable('users', {
  id: text('id').primaryKey(),
  email: text('email').notNull().unique(),
  name: text('name').notNull(),
  role: text('role', { enum: ['admin', 'user'] }).default('user').notNull(),
  createdAt: timestamp('created_at').defaultNow().notNull(),
});

export const posts = pgTable('posts', {
  id: text('id').primaryKey(),
  userId: text('user_id').notNull().references(() => users.id),
  title: text('title').notNull(),
  published: boolean('published').default(false).notNull(),
});

Query example

import { eq, and } from 'drizzle-orm';

// Simple select
const user = await db.select().from(users).where(eq(users.email, '[email protected]'));

// Join
const userWithPosts = await db.select()
  .from(users)
  .leftJoin(posts, eq(posts.userId, users.id))
  .where(eq(users.id, 'user_123'));

// Insert + return
const inserted = await db.insert(users)
  .values({ id: 'u1', email: '[email protected]', name: 'Asti' })
  .returning();

Pro

• TypeScript type inference excellent
• Edge-compatible (work di Cloudflare Workers, Vercel Edge)
• Minimal runtime overhead
• Migration tool built-in (drizzle-kit)
• Drizzle-zod integration: schema → Zod schema otomatis

Con

• Less mature dari Prisma (smaller ecosystem)
• Relational query pattern lebih verbose dari Prisma
• Documentation OK tapi tidak as polished
• Community lebih kecil

Prisma

Apa itu

Mature ORM dengan codegen + schema-first approach.

Schema definition

// prisma/schema.prisma
generator client {
  provider = "prisma-client-js"
}

datasource db {
  provider = "postgresql"
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
}

model User {
  id        String   @id @default(cuid())
  email     String   @unique
  name      String
  role      String   @default("user")
  posts     Post[]
  createdAt DateTime @default(now())
}

model Post {
  id        String   @id @default(cuid())
  userId    String
  user      User     @relation(fields: [userId], references: [id])
  title     String
  published Boolean  @default(false)
}

Lalu run prisma generate untuk gen client.

Query example

import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client';
const prisma = new PrismaClient();

// Simple select
const user = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { email: '[email protected]' } });

// Include relation
const userWithPosts = await prisma.user.findUnique({
  where: { id: 'user_123' },
  include: { posts: true },
});

// Create
const created = await prisma.user.create({
  data: { email: '[email protected]', name: 'Asti' },
});

Pro

• Most mature TS ORM (dominant since 2020)
• Schema-first: source of truth jelas di schema.prisma
• Relational query API ergonomic (include, select)
• Excellent docs + community
• Prisma Studio: visual DB browser (gratis, helpful)
• Introspect existing database

Con

• Codegen step: setiap schema change, butuh prisma generate. Lupa = type out of sync.
• Heavy runtime: bundle size ~10MB, query engine binary additional
• Edge issue: tidak fully work di Cloudflare Workers (butuh Driver Adapter, masih beta)
• Migration tool kompleks: lebih powerful dari Drizzle Kit tapi steep learning curve

Kysely

Apa itu

Type-safe SQL query builder. Tidak ada ORM abstraction — Anda write SQL-like syntax dengan TypeScript types.

Schema definition

// db/types.ts
export interface Database {
  users: UsersTable;
  posts: PostsTable;
}

export interface UsersTable {
  id: string;
  email: string;
  name: string;
  role: 'admin' | 'user';
  created_at: Date;
}

export interface PostsTable {
  id: string;
  user_id: string;
  title: string;
  published: boolean;
}

Query example

import { Kysely, PostgresDialect } from 'kysely';

const db = new Kysely<Database>({ dialect: new PostgresDialect({ ... }) });

// Simple select
const user = await db.selectFrom('users')
  .selectAll()
  .where('email', '=', '[email protected]')
  .executeTakeFirst();

// Join
const userWithPosts = await db.selectFrom('users')
  .leftJoin('posts', 'posts.user_id', 'users.id')
  .selectAll()
  .where('users.id', '=', 'user_123')
  .execute();

Pro

• SQL-like syntax (familiar untuk SQL dev)
• Type safety excellent (compile-time check)
• No codegen
• Lightweight (similar to Drizzle)
• Multi-DB support (Postgres, MySQL, SQLite)

Con

• Tidak ada ORM abstraction (no findUnique({ include: ... }) pattern)
• Migration tool external (Kysely-migrator, less integrated)
• Smaller community than Drizzle/Prisma
• Less type inference power for complex query

Performance

Bundle size

ORM	Bundle (gzipped)
Drizzle	~30 KB
Kysely	~25 KB
Prisma	~250 KB + binary

Drizzle/Kysely jauh lebih kecil. Untuk edge function (CF Workers 1MB limit), Prisma struggle.

Query speed

Sama query (select user by email, simple index):

ORM	Avg latency (Postgres local)
Raw pg	0.8ms
Kysely	0.9ms
Drizzle	1.0ms
Prisma	2.5ms

Prisma 2-3x slower due to query engine overhead. Drizzle/Kysely close to raw.

Edge compatibility

ORM	Cloudflare Workers	Vercel Edge	Bun
Drizzle	✅ Native	✅ Native	✅ Native
Prisma	⚠️ Driver Adapter (beta)	⚠️ Driver Adapter	✅ Native
Kysely	✅ Native	✅ Native	✅ Native

Untuk edge-first stack, Drizzle atau Kysely safer.

Schema migration

Drizzle Kit

bunx drizzle-kit generate   # generate SQL migration from schema diff
bunx drizzle-kit migrate    # apply migration
bunx drizzle-kit studio     # web UI to browse DB

Migration file SQL. Manual edit OK. Simple.

Prisma Migrate

bunx prisma migrate dev --name add_user_role
bunx prisma migrate deploy   # production
bunx prisma studio           # web UI

More powerful (shadow database, drift detection) tapi more complex. Bagus untuk team yang butuh strict migration workflow.

Kysely

External tool: kysely-codegen (gen types from DB) + manual SQL migration file. Less integrated, more manual.

Use case decision

Use case	Recommended
New project, Bun + Hono + Postgres/SQLite	Drizzle
New project, edge-first (CF Workers)	Drizzle atau Kysely
Team familiar with Prisma	Prisma (stay)
Existing database, butuh introspect	Prisma (introspect feature)
SQL purist, prefer raw control	Kysely
Bundle size critical	Drizzle atau Kysely
Need maximum type inference	Drizzle (slight edge over Prisma di 2026)

Konteks Indonesia

Untuk SMB Indonesia 2026:

• Project new + edge-first: Drizzle default safe
• Project legacy yang sudah Prisma: stay (migration cost > benefit)
• Tim SQL-senior yang prefer query builder: Kysely

Migration paths

Prisma → Drizzle

Effort: 4-8 jam untuk 10-20 table schema.

• Convert schema.prisma ke Drizzle schema
• Migrate Prisma migrate history (atau start fresh)
• Refactor query (most API similar enough)

Kysely → Drizzle (atau sebaliknya)

Effort: 2-4 jam.

• Both lightweight, syntax similar
• Schema definition different tapi mechanical conversion

Drizzle → Prisma

Effort: 6-12 jam.

• Convert schema definition (Drizzle TS → Prisma .prisma)
• Add codegen step ke build
• Update query syntax

Yang surprising

Drizzle’s relational query API ($\sim$2024) initially feel less ergonomic dari Prisma’s include. Tapi setelah pakai 6 bulan, saya prefer Drizzle karena type inference lebih predictable.

Prisma’s “magic” sometimes obscure what SQL actually runs. Untuk debug complex query, Drizzle’s explicit query lebih clear.

Verdict

Recommended:

• Drizzle untuk new project SMB Indonesia di 2026 (default)
• Prisma untuk existing project + team yang sudah familiar
• Kysely untuk SQL purist atau project SQL-heavy

Hindari:

• Prisma di Cloudflare Workers (sampai Driver Adapter fully stable)
• Raw SQL string concat untuk dynamic query (gunakan query builder)