---
title: 'Getting started with Prisma Migrate'
metaTitle: 'Getting started with Prisma Migrate'
metaDescription: 'Learn how to migrate your schema in a development environment using Prisma Migrate.'
sidebar_label: 'Getting started'
tocDepth: 3
---

This page explains how to get started with migrating your schema in a development environment using Prisma Migrate.

## Get started with Prisma Migrate from scratch

To get started with Prisma Migrate in a development environment:

1.  Create a Prisma schema:

    ```prisma file=schema.prisma showLineNumbers
    datasource db {
      provider = "postgresql"
    }
    
    model User {
      id    Int    @id @default(autoincrement())
      name  String
      posts Post[]
    }
    
    model Post {
      id        Int     @id @default(autoincrement())
      title     String
      published Boolean @default(true)
      authorId  Int
      author    User    @relation(fields: [authorId], references: [id])
    }
    ```

    :::tip

    You can use [native type mapping attributes](/orm/prisma-migrate/workflows/native-database-types) in your schema to decide which exact database type to create (for example, `String` can map to `varchar(100)` or `text`).

    :::

    

    1.  Create the first migration:

    <CodeWithResult showText="Show migration SQL" hideText="Hide migration SQL">

    <cmd>

    ```terminal
    prisma migrate dev --name init
    ```

    </cmd>

    <cmdResult>

    ```sql no-copy
      -- CreateTable
    CREATE TABLE "User" (
        "id" SERIAL,
        "name" TEXT NOT NULL,

        PRIMARY KEY ("id")
    );
      -- CreateTable
    CREATE TABLE "Post" (
        "id" SERIAL,
        "title" TEXT NOT NULL,
        "published" BOOLEAN NOT NULL DEFAULT true,
        "authorId" INTEGER NOT NULL,

        PRIMARY KEY ("id")
    );

      -- AddForeignKey
    ALTER TABLE "Post" ADD FOREIGN KEY("authorId")REFERENCES "User"("id") ON DELETE CASCADE ON UPDATE CASCADE;
    ```

    </cmdResult>

    > **Note**: If you do not provide a `--name`, Prisma CLI will prompt you for a name.

    </CodeWithResult>

    Your Prisma schema is now in sync with your database schema and you have initialized a migration history:

    ```
    migrations/
      └─ 20210313140442_init/
        └─ migration.sql
    ```

1.  Add additional fields to your schema:

    ```prisma highlight=3;add
    model User {
      id       Int    @id @default(autoincrement())
      //add-next-line
      jobTitle String
      name     String
      posts    Post[]
    }
    ```

1.  Create the second migration:

    <CodeWithResult showText="Show migration SQL" hideText="Hide migration SQL">

    <cmd>

    ```terminal
    prisma migrate dev --name added_job_title
    ```

    </cmd>

    <cmdResult>

    ```sql no-copy
      -- AlterTable
    ALTER TABLE "User" ADD COLUMN     "jobTitle" TEXT NOT NULL;
    ```

    </cmdResult>

    </CodeWithResult>

    Your Prisma schema is once again in sync with your database schema, and your migration history contains two migrations:

    ```
    migrations/
      └─ 20210313140442_init/
        └─ migration.sql
      └─ 20210313140442_added_job_title/
        └─ migration.sql
    ```



You now have a migration history that you can [source control](/orm/prisma-migrate/understanding-prisma-migrate/migration-histories#committing-the-migration-history-to-source-control) and use to [deploy changes to test environments and production](/orm/prisma-migrate/workflows/development-and-production#production-and-testing-environments).

## Adding Prisma Migrate to an existing project

The steps involved in **adding Prisma Migrate to your existing project** are:

1. Introspect your database to update your Prisma schema
1. Create a baseline migration
1. Update your schema or migration to workaround features not supported by Prisma Schema Language
1. Apply the baseline migration
1. Commit the migration history and Prisma schema

### Introspect to create or update your Prisma schema

Make sure your Prisma schema is in sync with your database schema. This should already be true if you are using a previous version of Prisma Migrate.

1. Introspect the database to make sure that your Prisma schema is up-to-date:
   ```terminal
   prisma db pull
   ```

### Create a baseline migration

Baselining is the process of initializing a migration history for a database that:

- Existed before you started using Prisma Migrate
- Contains data that must be maintained (like production), which means that the database cannot be reset

Baselining tells Prisma Migrate to assume that one or more migrations have **already been applied**. This prevents generated migrations from failing when they try to create tables and fields that already exist.

To create a baseline migration:

1. If you have a `prisma/migrations` folder, delete, move, rename, or archive this folder.
1. Run the following command to create a `migrations` directory inside with your preferred name. This example will use `0_init` for the migration name:
    ```terminal
    mkdir -p prisma/migrations/0_init
    ```
    :::note
    The `0_` is important because Prisma Migrate applies migrations in a [lexicographic order](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexicographic_order). You can use a different value such as the current timestamp.
    ::::
1. Generate a migration and save it to a file using `prisma migrate diff`:
    ```terminal no-lines
    npx prisma migrate diff \
    --from-empty \
    --to-schema-datamodel prisma/schema.prisma \
    --script > prisma/migrations/0_init/migration.sql
    ```
1. Review the generated migration.

### Work around features not supported by Prisma Schema Language

To include [unsupported database features](/orm/prisma-migrate/workflows/unsupported-database-features) that already exist in the database, you must replace or modify the initial migration SQL:

1. Open the `migration.sql` file generated in the [Create a baseline migration](#create-a-baseline-migration) section.
1. Modify the generated SQL. For example:
  - If the changes are minor, you can append additional custom SQL to the generated migration. The following example creates a partial index:
    ```sql
    /* Generated migration SQL */

    --add-start
    CREATE UNIQUE INDEX tests_success_constraint ON posts (subject, target)
      WHERE success;
    --add-end
    ```
  - If the changes are significant, it can be easier to replace the entire migration file with the result of a database dump ([`mysqldump`](https://dev.mysql.com/doc/refman/8.0/en/mysqldump.html), [`pg_dump`](https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/app-pgdump.html)). When using `pg_dump` for this, you'll need to update the `search_path` as follows with this command: `SELECT pg_catalog.set_config('search_path', '', false);`; otherwise you'll run into the following error: `The underlying table for model '_prisma_migrations' does not exist.`
`
    :::info
    Note that the order of the tables matters when creating all of them at once, since foreign keys are created at the same step. Therefore, either re-order them or move constraint creation to the last step after all tables are created, so you won't face `can't create constraint` errors
    :::

### Apply the initial migrations

To apply your initial migration(s):

1. Run the following command against your database:

   ```terminal
   npx prisma migrate resolve --applied 0_init
   ```

1. Review the database schema to ensure the migration leads to the desired end-state (for example, by comparing the schema to the production database).

The new migration history and the database schema should now be in sync with your Prisma schema.

### Commit the migration history and Prisma schema

Commit the following to source control:

- The entire migration history folder
- The `schema.prisma` file

## Going further

- Refer to the [Deploying database changes with Prisma Migrate](/orm/prisma-client/deployment/deploy-database-changes-with-prisma-migrate) guide for more on deploying migrations to production.
- Refer to the [Production Troubleshooting](/orm/prisma-migrate/workflows/patching-and-hotfixing#fixing-failed-migrations-with-migrate-diff-and-db-execute) guide to learn how to debug and resolve failed migrations in production using `prisma migrate diff`, `prisma db execute` and/ or `prisma migrate resolve`.
