@anarchitects/nx-typeorm

Nx plugin for TypeORM integration in Nx backend applications and libraries. It provides:

• nx add / init setup for minimal TypeORM dependencies.
• bootstrap scaffolding for app runtime datasource wiring and library infrastructure-persistence templates.
• name-first scaffold generators for TypeORM file creation workflows.
• inferred database targets via createNodesV2.
• thin executors that wrap TypeORM CLI workflows.

Installation

Use nx add so the plugin installs and runs init automatically:

nx add @anarchitects/nx-typeorm

This registers the plugin in nx.json and installs minimal dependencies: typeorm and reflect-metadata.

You can re-run initialization later:

nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:init

Generators

init

nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:init

• Registers @anarchitects/nx-typeorm in nx.json > plugins.
• Adds typeorm and reflect-metadata.

bootstrap

nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:bootstrap --project=api

For applications:

• generates runtime datasource in src/data-source.ts.
• generates compatibility re-export src/typeorm.datasource.ts.
• generates shared connection helper tools/typeorm/connection-options.ts.
• generates TypeORM CLI migration datasource tools/typeorm/datasource.migrations.ts and seeds under tools/typeorm.
• preserves an existing tools/typeorm/datasource.migrations.ts file.
• generates a DB-specific env.example with URL/discrete modes.
• patches app.module.ts only when the app has a Nest module file.

For libraries:

• generates schema.ts and 1700000000000_init_schema.ts under src/infrastructure-persistence by default.
• supports overrides with:
  • --schemaPath=<relative-path>
  • --migrationsDir=<relative-dir>
• patches project metadata (metadata.typeorm) with schema/domain and paths.

Additional bootstrap dependencies are installed during bootstrap: ts-node, typeorm-ts-node-commonjs, typeorm-ts-node-esm, DB driver package for selected --db, and @nestjs/typeorm only for Nest applications.

Supported --db values: postgres, postgresql (normalized to postgres), mysql, mariadb, sqlite, better-sqlite3, mssql.

Generated app datasources support two connection modes:

• DATABASE_URL
• discrete TYPEORM_* variables

The generated helper rejects mixed mode (setting DATABASE_URL together with TYPEORM_* connection variables) and throws clear validation errors when required variables are missing.

Scaffolding generators

These are convenience wrappers around existing executors. They are invoked manually via nx g and are not inferred targets.

migration-create (alias: migration)

nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:migration-create --project=api --name="add users"
nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:migration --project=api --name="add users"

• required: --project, --name
• optional: --directory (relative to project root), --outputJs, --esm, --timestamp, --args
• default output directory:
  • app: tools/typeorm/migrations
  • lib: src/infrastructure-persistence/migrations

migration-api (alias: migration-api-lib)

nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:migration-api --project=data-access --name="init users"
nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:migration-api-lib --project=data-access --name="init users"

• library-only generator (fails for applications)
• generates migration files using TypeORM migration API (QueryRunner, Table, TableColumn, etc.) without raw SQL strings
• maintains migration state in src/infrastructure-persistence/migrations/.nx-typeorm-migration-manifest.json
• default behavior:
  • no file when entity snapshot is unchanged
  • new consolidated delta migration when entities changed
• options:
  • required: --project
  • required in fileMode=new (default): --name
  • optional: --fileMode=new|patch-init (default new)
  • optional: --entityGlob=<glob-relative-to-project-root> (default src/infrastructure-persistence/entities/**/*.ts)
  • optional: --allowMixedMigrations to opt into mixed manual/tool migration directories
  • optional: --timestamp=<number>
• safety behavior:
  • fails on unsupported/unresolvable decorators/options
  • fails when implicit naming cannot be resolved safely
  • fails on rename-like table/column diffs (manual migration required)
  • patch-init only patches bootstrap init migration 1700000000000_init_schema.ts and is only allowed before any generated delta migration exists

entity-create (alias: entity)

nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:entity-create --project=api --name="user profile"
nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:entity --project=api --name="user profile"

• required: --project, --name
• optional: --directory (relative to project root), --args
• default output directory:
  • app: src/entities
  • lib: src/infrastructure-persistence/entities

subscriber-create (alias: subscriber)

nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:subscriber-create --project=api --name="user subscriber"
nx g @anarchitects/nx-typeorm:subscriber --project=api --name="user subscriber"

• required: --project, --name
• optional: --directory (relative to project root), --args
• default output directory:
  • app: src/subscribers
  • lib: src/infrastructure-persistence/subscribers

Inferred Targets

When TypeORM files are detected, the plugin infers:

• db:migrate:generate
• db:migrate:run
• db:migrate:revert
• db:migrate:show
• db:schema:sync
• db:schema:log
• db:cache:clear
• db:ensure-schema
• db:seed (applications)

Compatibility aliases are also inferred:

• typeorm:generate
• typeorm:run
• typeorm:revert
• typeorm:show
• typeorm:schema:sync
• typeorm:schema:log
• typeorm:cache:clear
• typeorm:ensure-schema
• typeorm:seed (applications)

Executor Usage

Run inferred targets:

nx run api:db:migrate:run --transaction=each
nx run api:db:migrate:generate --name AddUsers
nx run api:db:migrate:revert --count=2
nx run api:db:migrate:show
nx run api:db:schema:sync
nx run api:db:schema:log
nx run api:db:cache:clear
nx run data-access:db:ensure-schema
nx run api:db:seed --file tools/typeorm/seeds/index.ts

generate supports --check and compatibility alias --driftCheck (mapped to TypeORM check mode).

Datasource-backed CLI executors (generate, run, revert, migration-show, schema-sync, schema-log, schema-drop, query, cache-clear) select the TypeORM runner at runtime:

• moduleSystem=auto (default): detect by nearest package.json type, then project tsconfig module mode, then fall back to CommonJS.
• moduleSystem=commonjs: force typeorm-ts-node-commonjs.
• moduleSystem=esm: force typeorm-ts-node-esm.

When dataSource is omitted, datasource-backed executors (generate, run, revert, migration-show, schema-sync, schema-log, schema-drop, query, cache-clear) and ensure-schema infer it from the project with this priority:

1. tools/typeorm/datasource.migrations.ts
2. tools/typeorm/datasource.migrations.js
3. src/data-source.ts
4. src/data-source.js
5. src/typeorm.datasource.ts
6. src/typeorm.datasource.js

Override inference at any time with --dataSource=<relative-or-absolute-path>.

TypeORM CLI Coverage

Inference is intentionally limited to convention-safe operational commands. Scaffolding/meta commands (migration:create, entity:create, subscriber:create, version, init) are executor-only and not inferred.

TypeORM CLI command	nx-typeorm executor	Inferred target
migration:create	migration-create	no
migration:generate	generate	yes
migration:run	run	yes
migration:revert	revert	yes
migration:show	migration-show	yes
schema:sync	schema-sync	yes
schema:log	schema-log	yes
schema:drop	schema-drop	no
query	query	no
cache:clear	cache-clear	yes
entity:create	entity-create	no
subscriber:create	subscriber-create	no
version	version	no
init	init	no

Manual-only executors are available for explicit wiring in project.json. This includes risky commands (query, schema:drop) and non-inferred scaffolding/meta commands from the table above.

Example manual targets:

{
  "targets": {
    "db:query": {
      "executor": "@anarchitects/nx-typeorm:query",
      "options": {
        "projectRoot": "apps/api",
        "query": "SELECT 1"
      }
    },
    "db:schema:drop": {
      "executor": "@anarchitects/nx-typeorm:schema-drop",
      "options": {
        "projectRoot": "apps/api"
      }
    }
  }
}

License

Copyright © 2026 Optimalist BV and Anarchitects contributors.

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0. See the repository LICENSE and NOTICE files.