At a glance
| Supported databases | PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite and SingleStore; SQL Server and CockroachDB in the Drizzle Kit docs for the 1.0 line |
| Migration approach | Codebase-first: generated versioned SQL files or direct push; database-first via pull |
| Schema diff and generation | generate diffs the TypeScript schema against previous snapshots and writes SQL; export outputs full DDL |
| Rollback | No rollback or down command in Drizzle Kit |
| CI/CD and automation | CLI migrate, runtime migrations at application startup, or SQL handed to an external tool |
| Language or runtime | TypeScript on Node.js, Bun, Deno, Cloudflare Workers and other edge runtimes |
| Licensing | drizzle-orm Apache-2.0; drizzle-kit MIT on npm; free |
Drizzle suits TypeScript developers who know SQL and want queries that map closely to it, a schema in plain TypeScript with no generation step, and a light library that runs on Node.js, Bun, Deno and edge runtimes. Drizzle Kit covers the common migration workflows but has no rollback command, and the project is still pre-1.0, so pin your versions.
Overview
Drizzle ORM is a TypeScript library in which tables are declared with functions such as pgTable, mysqlTable and sqliteTable, and queried either with a SQL-like builder (select().from().where()) or with a relational query API that loads nested data. The README describes it as tree shakeable with zero dependencies and lists Node.js, Bun, Deno, Cloudflare Workers, other edge runtimes and browsers.
Drizzle Kit is the companion CLI for migrations. The documentation describes several workflows: pull an existing database into TypeScript, push the TypeScript schema straight to the database, generate SQL migration files and apply them with migrate or from application code at startup, or generate the SQL and apply it with an external tool such as Atlas, Liquibase or Bytebase.
Key features
- Schema defined in TypeScript, with types available without a code generation step
- SQL-like query builder plus a relational query API
- drizzle-kit generate writes SQL migration files from schema changes; migrate applies them
- drizzle-kit push syncs the schema directly for prototyping; pull introspects an existing database
- drizzle-kit export prints the schema as SQL DDL for external tools
- drizzle-kit check detects collisions between generated migrations
- Drizzle Studio database browser started with drizzle-kit studio
Pros and cons
Pros
- Schema and queries in plain TypeScript, close to SQL
- Zero dependencies and wide runtime support, including edge platforms
- Flexible migration workflows: generate, migrate, push, pull and export
- Free, permissively licensed, with no paid tier
Cons
- Still pre-1.0: stable is 0.45.x and 1.0 is a release candidate
- Current docs describe the 1.0 line, so some pages need the rc packages
- No down or rollback command in Drizzle Kit
- The SQL-like API assumes you are comfortable with SQL joins and clauses
Pricing
Drizzle ORM and Drizzle Kit are free. The drizzle-orm repository is Apache-2.0 licensed, and the drizzle-kit package declares the MIT licence on npm. There is no paid edition of the ORM or the CLI.
Pricing checked on the vendor's official page on 7 November 2026. Prices change; confirm before buying.
Who it is best for
TypeScript developers who think in SQL, deploy to serverless or edge runtimes and want the schema in plain TypeScript.
Who should look elsewhere
- Developers who want a higher-level client that hides joins: see Prisma vs Drizzle ORM.
- Teams that need rollback commands or governance features, where a dedicated migration tool fits better: see Flyway vs Liquibase.
Verdict
Drizzle is a lightweight, SQL-shaped TypeScript ORM whose Drizzle Kit CLI handles generation, application and introspection of migrations without a paid tier. Expect to plan rollbacks as forward migrations, and pin versions until 1.0 is final.
Frequently asked questions
Is Drizzle ORM 1.0 released?
Not as a stable release on 7 November 2026. npm's latest tag was 0.45.4, and 1.0 was available as release candidates under the rc tag.
Does Drizzle Kit support down migrations?
The Drizzle Kit command list (generate, migrate, push, pull, check, up, studio, export) has no rollback or down command, so roll back with a new forward migration or a restore.
Can I use Drizzle migrations with another migration tool?
Yes. Drizzle's documentation describes generating SQL files and applying them yourself or with tools such as Atlas, Liquibase or Bytebase, and exporting the schema as SQL with drizzle-kit export.
Sources
- Drizzle Kit overview
- Drizzle ORM: Migrations
- Drizzle ORM repository and licence (GitHub)
- npm registry: drizzle-orm
- npm registry: drizzle-kit
Checked November 2026.
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