ORM Init CLI Tool

A CLI tool for setting up popular SQL and NoSQL ORMs/ODMs in Node.js projects, with support for both JavaScript and TypeScript.

Part of the excli ecosystem.

Why Choose This Tool?

Stop wiring ORM boilerplate manually. @excli/orm-init gets your database layer production-ready in seconds, whether you're starting fresh or dropping into an existing project.

Built for modern development:

• 🗄️ SQL — MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite
• 🍃 NoSQL — MongoDB
• 🔗 ORMs/ODMs — Prisma, Sequelize, TypeORM, Drizzle, Mongoose
• 🚀 TypeScript & JavaScript support
• 📦 Works with npm, yarn, pnpm, and bun
• ⚡ Interactive and flag-based modes

Getting Started

No installation needed! Just run:

npx @excli/orm-init

Or install globally:

npm install -g @excli/orm-init
excli-orm-init [flags]

Requirements

• Node.js 20 or higher
• A running database (local or via @excli/docker)

Usage

Interactive Mode

Run the CLI and follow the prompts:

npx @excli/orm-init

You'll be asked about:

1. Language — TypeScript or JavaScript
2. Database — MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, or MongoDB
3. ORM/ODM — Your preferred ORM for the chosen database
4. Package Manager — npm, yarn, pnpm, or bun

Flag-Based Mode

Skip the prompts and pass everything directly:

# TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Prisma + pnpm
npx @excli/orm-init --ts --pnpm --postgres --prisma

# JavaScript + MongoDB + Mongoose + npm
npx @excli/orm-init --js --npm --mongodb --mongoose

# TypeScript + MySQL + TypeORM + yarn
npx @excli/orm-init --ts --yarn --mysql --typeorm

# TypeScript + PostgreSQL + Drizzle + bun
npx @excli/orm-init --ts --bun --postgres --drizzle

# JavaScript + MySQL + Sequelize + pnpm
npx @excli/orm-init --js --pnpm --mysql --sequelize

# TypeScript + SQLite + Drizzle + pnpm
npx @excli/orm-init --ts --pnpm --sqlite --drizzle

Flags

| Category | Flag | Description | | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------ | | Language | --ts / --js | TypeScript or JavaScript | | Database | --mysql --mariadb --postgres --mongodb --sqlite | Target database | | ORM/ODM | --prisma --sequelize --typeorm --drizzle --mongoose | ORM/ODM to configure | | Package Manager | --npm --yarn --pnpm --bun | Package manager to use |

What's Included

Generated Files

After running the CLI, you get:

• ORM config file — pre-configured database connection
• Schema / Model file — starter schema or model for your chosen ORM

Note: .env, .env.example, and .gitignore are not generated. This is intentional so the tool integrates safely into both new and existing projects. Use @excli/docker to auto-generate a complete .env, or create one manually.

Compatibility Matrix

| ORM / ODM | MySQL | MariaDB | PostgreSQL | SQLite | MongoDB | | ------------- | :---: | :-----: | :--------: | :----: | :-----: | | Prisma | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Sequelize | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | TypeORM | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | Drizzle | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | | Mongoose | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |

Incompatible combinations are caught at runtime — the CLI will prompt you to correct them.

Known Issues & Gotchas

Sequelize + MariaDB — Connection String Prefix

The DATABASE_URL must use the mariadb:// prefix, not mysql://. Using the wrong prefix causes Sequelize to load the wrong driver.

# ❌ Wrong
DATABASE_URL="mysql://root:password@localhost:3306/mydb"

# ✅ Correct
DATABASE_URL="mariadb://root:password@localhost:3306/mydb"

Prisma — Shadow Database Error

During prisma migrate dev, Prisma requires a shadow database and needs CREATE DATABASE privileges. Use root credentials for local development.

# ✅ Use root credentials for migrations
DATABASE_URL="mysql://root:rootpassword@localhost:3306/mydb"

This only applies to prisma migrate dev. Production deployments use prisma migrate deploy, which does not require shadow database creation.

TypeORM — synchronize: true in Production

Never enable synchronize: true in production — it can drop or alter columns on startup. Always use migrations instead.

// ❌ Development only
synchronize: true;

// ✅ Production
synchronize: false;

Drizzle — Migration Folder

Drizzle outputs SQL migrations to a drizzle/ folder. Commit this folder to version control — it serves as your migration history.

Mongoose — No Migrations

MongoDB is schemaless; existing documents are not updated when your Mongoose schema changes. Handle data migrations manually.

Troubleshooting

| Problem | Solution | | -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------- | | Prisma shadow database error | Use root credentials in DATABASE_URL | | Incompatible ORM + database | Check the compatibility matrix | | .env not generated | Expected — create manually or use @excli/docker | | TypeORM decorators failing in JS | Use TypeScript; JS decorator support is limited | | Prisma Client not found | Run npx prisma generate after setup | | Connection refused | Ensure your database is running before testing |

excli Ecosystem

| Package | Description | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | | @excli/express | Express app generator for JS/TS | | @excli/docker | Docker Compose + .env generator | | @excli/orm-init | ORM/ODM setup (this package) |

Full project setup in one command:

npx @excli/express

Scaffolds a complete Express app with Docker, a running database, and a configured ORM.

Contributing

Bug reports, feature requests, and pull requests are welcome. Please read the Contributing Guide before opening a PR.

License

ISC License — see LICENSE for details.

Author

Noman
📧 [email protected]
🐙 @pxycknomdictator

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