NextChair/.agents/skills/prisma-cli/references/db-push.md

prisma db push

Pushes schema changes directly to database without creating migrations. Ideal for prototyping.

Command

prisma db push [options]

What It Does

• Syncs your Prisma schema to the database
• Creates database if it doesn't exist
• Does NOT create migration files
• Does NOT track migration history

Options

Option	Description
--force-reset	Force a reset of the database before push
--accept-data-loss	Ignore data loss warnings
--schema	Custom path to your Prisma schema
--config	Custom path to your Prisma config file
--url	Override the datasource URL from the Prisma config file

Follow-up Command

• Run prisma generate explicitly when you need refreshed client output

Examples

Basic push

prisma db push

Accept data loss

prisma db push --accept-data-loss

Required when changes would delete data (dropping columns, etc.)

Force reset

prisma db push --force-reset

Completely resets database and applies schema.

Full workflow

prisma db push
prisma generate

When to Use

• Prototyping - Rapid schema iteration
• Local development - Quick schema changes
• MongoDB - Primary workflow (migrations not supported)
• Testing - Setting up test databases

When NOT to Use

• Production - Use migrate deploy
• Team collaboration - Use migrations for trackable changes
• When you need rollback - Migrations provide history

Comparison with migrate dev

Feature	db push	migrate dev
Creates migration files	No	Yes
Tracks history	No	Yes
Requires shadow database	No	Yes
Speed	Faster	Slower
Rollback capability	No	Yes
Best for	Prototyping	Development

MongoDB Workflow

MongoDB doesn't support migrations. Use db push exclusively:

# Schema changes for MongoDB
prisma db push
prisma generate

Common Patterns

Prototyping workflow

# Make schema changes
# ...

# Push to database
prisma db push

# Generate client
prisma generate

# Test your changes
# Repeat as needed

Reset and start fresh

prisma db push --force-reset
prisma db seed

Handling conflicts

If db push can't apply changes safely:

Error: The following changes cannot be applied:
  - Removing field `email` would cause data loss
  
Use --accept-data-loss to proceed

Decide whether data loss is acceptable, then:

prisma db push --accept-data-loss

Transition to Migrations

When ready for production, switch to migrations:

# Create baseline migration from current schema
prisma migrate dev --name init

Then use migrate dev for future changes.