Comparison

MasterRecord vs Prisma

Prisma models your schema in a dedicated .prisma DSL and generates a typed client. MasterRecord keeps everything in plain JavaScript classes — no codegen step, no separate schema language — with an Active-Record-style API.

At a glance

Feature by feature

Feature	MasterRecord	Prisma
Schema source	JavaScript classes	schema.prisma DSL
Code generation step		prisma generate
Migrations	Built-in, code-first	prisma migrate
Query style	Lambda + $$ params	Fluent client methods
Active Record entities
Lifecycle hooks		Middleware/extensions
Databases	SQLite, MySQL, Postgres	Many (Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, +)
Type safety	Runtime + JSDoc	Generated TypeScript types
Setup steps	Define class → migrate	Edit schema → generate → migrate

Show me the code

The same task, side by side

MasterRecord

// Define a class, migrate, query — no codegen
class User {
  id(db)    { db.integer().primary().auto(); }
  email(db) { db.string().unique(); }
}

const u = await db.User.where((x) => x.email == $$, email).single();

Prisma

// Prisma: schema file + generated client
// schema.prisma
model User { id Int @id @default(autoincrement()) email String @unique }

// then: prisma generate && prisma migrate dev
const u = await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { email } });

The verdict

Which should you choose?

Choose MasterRecord if you want zero codegen, code-first classes, and an Active-Record style with built-in migrations.

Choose Prisma if you want fully-generated end-to-end TypeScript types and a large multi-database support matrix.

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