surrealdb-js

SurrealDB JavaScript SDK

The official SDK (surrealdb on npm) works in Node.js, Deno, Bun, and the browser. It connects to a remote SurrealDB instance over WebSocket/HTTP, or runs an embedded engine in-process. Target the latest stable surrealdb release; install without pinning (npm i surrealdb) unless the user requires a specific version.

Installation

npm i surrealdb
# or: pnpm i surrealdb / yarn add surrealdb / bun add surrealdb

Connect & select namespace/database

Always connect, then use a namespace + database, then authenticate. Close the connection when finished.

import { Surreal } from "surrealdb";

const db = new Surreal();
await db.connect("ws://127.0.0.1:8000/rpc");
await db.use({ namespace: "test", database: "test" });
await db.signin({ username: "root", password: "root" });

// ... work ...

await db.close();

Run a local server with surreal start -u root -p root rocksdb:mydb (or in-memory with surreal start -u root -p root). To run SurrealDB in-process with no server, see references/embedded.md.

Authentication

// Root / namespace / database users
await db.signin({ username: "root", password: "root" });
await db.signin({ namespace: "test", username: "ns_user", password: "..." });
await db.signin({ namespace: "test", database: "test", username: "db_user", password: "..." });

// Record (scope) access — sign in / sign up against a DEFINE ACCESS method
const token = await db.signin({
  namespace: "test",
  database: "test",
  access: "user",          // name of the access method
  variables: { email: "a@b.com", pass: "secret" },
});

await db.signup({
  namespace: "test",
  database: "test",
  access: "user",
  variables: { email: "a@b.com", pass: "secret" },
});

await db.authenticate(token); // re-auth with a stored JWT
await db.invalidate();        // log out the current session
const me = await db.info();   // info about the authenticated record user

CRUD

Pass a table as a string ("person") or a RecordId for a specific record. See references/data-types.md for RecordId, Table, Duration, Decimal, and other value classes.

import { RecordId } from "surrealdb";

interface Person { id: RecordId; name: string; age?: number; }

// Create (random id, or a specific RecordId)
await db.create<Person>("person", { name: "Tobie" });
await db.create<Person>(new RecordId("person", "tobie"), { name: "Tobie" });

// Select all from a table, or a single record
const people = await db.select<Person>("person");
const tobie = await db.select<Person>(new RecordId("person", "tobie"));

// Replace the whole record(s)
await db.update<Person>(new RecordId("person", "tobie"), { name: "Tobie", age: 30 });

// Insert or update (upsert)
await db.upsert<Person>(new RecordId("person", "tobie"), { name: "Tobie" });

// Merge partial data into record(s)
await db.merge<Person>("person", { active: true });

// JSON Patch a record
await db.patch(new RecordId("person", "tobie"), [
  { op: "replace", path: "/name", value: "Tobie M H" },
]);

// Bulk insert
await db.insert<Person>("person", [{ name: "A" }, { name: "B" }]);

// Graph relation:  person:tobie ->wrote-> article:surreal
await db.relate(new RecordId("person", "tobie"), "wrote", new RecordId("article", "surreal"));

// Delete record(s)
await db.delete("person");
await db.delete(new RecordId("person", "tobie"));

Queries

db.query<T>(sql, vars) runs raw SurrealQL and returns an array with one entry per statement. Always pass user input via bound parameters, never string interpolation.

const [people, count] = await db.query<[Person[], number]>(
  `SELECT * FROM person WHERE age > $min;
   SELECT count() FROM person GROUP ALL;`,
  { min: 18 },
);

// Bind values and RecordIds as parameters
const [found] = await db.query<[Person[]]>(
  "SELECT * FROM person WHERE id = $who",
  { who: new RecordId("person", "tobie") },
);

Other helpers: db.let(name, value) / db.unset(name) set session parameters usable as $name in later queries; db.run(fnName, version, args) invokes a defined function; db.queryRaw() returns the unparsed RPC response (status + timing per statement).

Live queries

Subscribe to real-time changes on a table with db.live(). Requires a WebSocket (or embedded) connection — not HTTP. See references/live-queries.md.

const queryUuid = await db.live<Person>("person", (action, result) => {
  // action: "CREATE" | "UPDATE" | "DELETE" | "CLOSE"
  console.log(action, result);
});

await db.kill(queryUuid); // stop the subscription

References

• references/data-types.md — RecordId, Table, Duration, Decimal, Uuid, geometry, and CBOR mapping.
• references/embedded.md — embedded engines via @surrealdb/node (RocksDB / SurrealKV / in-memory) and @surrealdb/wasm (in-memory / IndexedDB).
• references/live-queries.md — live, subscribeLive, and kill patterns.

Resources

• SDK documentation
• GitHub repository