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Overview

Transactions ensure that a series of database operations either all succeed or all fail together, maintaining data consistency and integrity. Drizzle provides a simple, type-safe transaction API.

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Basic Transactions

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Simple Transaction

Wrap multiple operations in a transaction: 
import { db } from './db';
import { users, accounts } from './schema';

await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Insert user
  const [user] = await tx.insert(users).values({
    name: 'John Doe',
    email: '[email protected]',
  }).returning();

  // Create associated account
  await tx.insert(accounts).values({
    userId: user.id,
    balance: 0,
  });

  // Both operations succeed or both fail
});
If any operation fails, all changes are rolled back automatically.

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Transaction Return Value

Return data from transactions: 
const newUser = await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  const [user] = await tx.insert(users).values({
    name: 'Jane Doe',
    email: '[email protected]',
  }).returning();

  await tx.insert(accounts).values({
    userId: user.id,
    balance: 100,
  });

  return user; // Return value becomes transaction result
});

console.log(newUser.id, newUser.name);

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Transaction API

The transaction callback receives a transaction object (tx) that has the same API as db: 
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // All query methods available
  await tx.select().from(users);
  await tx.insert(users).values({ name: 'Alice' });
  await tx.update(users).set({ active: true });
  await tx.delete(users).where(eq(users.id, 1));
  
  // Relational queries
  await tx.query.users.findMany();
  
  // Raw SQL
  await tx.execute(sql`SELECT * FROM users`);
});

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Rollback

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Automatic Rollback

Transactions automatically roll back on errors: 
try {
  await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    await tx.insert(users).values({ name: 'Bob' });
    
    // This will fail (duplicate email)
    await tx.insert(users).values({ email: '[email protected]' });
    
    // Transaction automatically rolled back
  });
} catch (error) {
  console.error('Transaction failed:', error);
  // First insert was rolled back
}

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Manual Rollback

Explicitly roll back a transaction: 
import { TransactionRollbackError } from 'drizzle-orm';

try {
  await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    const [user] = await tx.insert(users).values({ 
      name: 'Charlie' 
    }).returning();

    // Business logic check
    if (user.id > 1000) {
      // Roll back transaction
      tx.rollback();
    }

    await tx.insert(accounts).values({ userId: user.id });
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof TransactionRollbackError) {
    console.log('Transaction was rolled back');
  }
}

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Transaction Isolation

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PostgreSQL Isolation Levels

Configure transaction isolation level: 
import { db } from './db';

// Read Committed (default)
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Transaction code
}, {
  isolationLevel: 'read committed',
});

// Repeatable Read
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Transaction code
}, {
  isolationLevel: 'repeatable read',
});

// Serializable
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Transaction code
}, {
  isolationLevel: 'serializable',
});

// Read Uncommitted
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Transaction code
}, {
  isolationLevel: 'read uncommitted',
});

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Access Mode

Set transaction to read-only: 
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Only read operations allowed
  const users = await tx.select().from(users);
  
  // Write operations will fail
}, {
  accessMode: 'read only',
});

// Read-write (default)
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Both read and write operations allowed
}, {
  accessMode: 'read write',
});

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Deferrable Transactions

PostgreSQL-specific deferrable transactions: 
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  // Transaction code
}, {
  deferrable: true,
});

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Nested Transactions

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Savepoints

Use savepoints for partial rollbacks: 
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  await tx.insert(users).values({ name: 'User 1' });

  // Create savepoint
  await tx.execute(sql`SAVEPOINT sp1`);

  try {
    await tx.insert(users).values({ email: '[email protected]' });
  } catch (error) {
    // Rollback to savepoint
    await tx.execute(sql`ROLLBACK TO SAVEPOINT sp1`);
  }

  // First insert still committed
  await tx.insert(accounts).values({ userId: 1 });
});

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Nested Transaction Pattern

Implement nested transaction logic: 
async function createUserWithAccount(tx: typeof db) {
  const [user] = await tx.insert(users).values({
    name: 'Alice',
  }).returning();

  await tx.insert(accounts).values({
    userId: user.id,
  });

  return user;
}

await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  const user = await createUserWithAccount(tx);
  
  await tx.insert(posts).values({
    authorId: user.id,
    title: 'First post',
  });
});

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Use Cases

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Bank Transfer

Atomic money transfer between accounts: 
import { eq, sql } from 'drizzle-orm';

async function transferMoney(
  fromAccountId: number,
  toAccountId: number,
  amount: number
) {
  await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    // Withdraw from source account
    const [fromAccount] = await tx
      .update(accounts)
      .set({ balance: sql`${accounts.balance} - ${amount}` })
      .where(eq(accounts.id, fromAccountId))
      .returning();

    // Check sufficient balance
    if (fromAccount.balance < 0) {
      throw new Error('Insufficient funds');
    }

    // Deposit to destination account
    await tx
      .update(accounts)
      .set({ balance: sql`${accounts.balance} + ${amount}` })
      .where(eq(accounts.id, toAccountId));
  });
}

await transferMoney(1, 2, 100); // Transfer $100 from account 1 to 2

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Inventory Management

Update inventory and create order atomically: 
import { gte } from 'drizzle-orm';

async function createOrder(userId: number, productId: number, quantity: number) {
  return db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    // Check and update inventory
    const [product] = await tx
      .update(products)
      .set({ stock: sql`${products.stock} - ${quantity}` })
      .where(eq(products.id, productId))
      .returning();

    // Verify stock availability
    if (product.stock < 0) {
      throw new Error('Insufficient stock');
    }

    // Create order
    const [order] = await tx
      .insert(orders)
      .values({
        userId,
        productId,
        quantity,
        total: product.price * quantity,
      })
      .returning();

    return order;
  });
}

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User Registration

Create user with related records: 
async function registerUser(email: string, name: string) {
  return db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    // Create user
    const [user] = await tx
      .insert(users)
      .values({ email, name })
      .returning();

    // Create profile
    await tx.insert(profiles).values({
      userId: user.id,
      bio: '',
    });

    // Create default settings
    await tx.insert(settings).values({
      userId: user.id,
      theme: 'light',
      notifications: true,
    });

    // Send welcome email (outside transaction)
    // await sendWelcomeEmail(user.email);

    return user;
  });
}

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Error Handling

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Catching Specific Errors

import { DrizzleError } from 'drizzle-orm';

try {
  await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
    await tx.insert(users).values({ email: '[email protected]' });
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error instanceof DrizzleError) {
    console.error('Database error:', error.message);
  } else {
    console.error('Unknown error:', error);
  }
}

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Retry Logic

async function transactionWithRetry<T>(
  fn: (tx: typeof db) => Promise<T>,
  maxRetries = 3
): Promise<T> {
  let lastError;
  
  for (let i = 0; i < maxRetries; i++) {
    try {
      return await db.transaction(fn);
    } catch (error) {
      lastError = error;
      
      // Check if error is retryable (e.g., deadlock)
      if (isRetryableError(error) && i < maxRetries - 1) {
        await sleep(Math.pow(2, i) * 100); // Exponential backoff
        continue;
      }
      
      throw error;
    }
  }
  
  throw lastError;
}

function isRetryableError(error: any): boolean {
  // PostgreSQL deadlock error code
  return error.code === '40P01';
}

function sleep(ms: number) {
  return new Promise(resolve => setTimeout(resolve, ms));
}

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Best Practices

  • Keep transactions short: Long transactions hold locks and can cause performance issues
  • Avoid external calls: Don’t make HTTP requests or other I/O inside transactions
  • Handle errors: Always wrap transactions in try-catch blocks
  • Use appropriate isolation: Choose the right isolation level for your use case
  • Idempotency: Design operations to be safely retryable
  • Read-only optimization: Use accessMode: 'read only' for read-only transactions
  • Never call external APIs inside transactions
  • Avoid user input or long-running computations in transactions
  • Be careful with nested transactions - not all databases support true nesting
  • Watch for deadlocks when using high isolation levels

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Performance Tips

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Batch Operations

Use batch inserts instead of multiple single inserts: 
// Good: Single insert with multiple values
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  await tx.insert(users).values([
    { name: 'User 1', email: '[email protected]' },
    { name: 'User 2', email: '[email protected]' },
    { name: 'User 3', email: '[email protected]' },
  ]);
});

// Bad: Multiple inserts
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  await tx.insert(users).values({ name: 'User 1', email: '[email protected]' });
  await tx.insert(users).values({ name: 'User 2', email: '[email protected]' });
  await tx.insert(users).values({ name: 'User 3', email: '[email protected]' });
});

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Lock Only What’s Needed

// Lock specific rows for update
await db.transaction(async (tx) => {
  const user = await tx.select()
    .from(users)
    .where(eq(users.id, 1))
    .for('update'); // Row-level lock

  // Update locked row
  await tx.update(users)
    .set({ balance: user[0].balance + 100 })
    .where(eq(users.id, 1));
});

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Next Steps

Queries

Learn more about querying data

Migrations

Manage schema changes safely

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