What is Kysely?
A TypeScript SQL query builder that runs on Node.js, Deno, Bun, Cloudflare Workers, and browsers. Provides schema-aware autocompletion, compile-time type checking, and composable queries with zero runtime dependencies.
What Kysely does
The capabilities that matter for orm & database tools, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- Type-safe queries
- ✓
- Schema migrations
- -
- Relations / joins API
- ✓
- Languages
- TypeScript/JavaScript
- Schema-first modelling
- ✓
- Raw SQL escape hatch
- -
- Multiple database backends
- -
- Connection pooling
- -
- Data browser / studio
- -
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- Web
Integrations (8)
Independently observed- MikroORM
- Better Auth
- ZenStack
- Prisma
- tldraw
- Cal.com
- Bluesky
- AWS Blocks
Kysely alternatives
Other orm & database tools we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- PrismaAgent Infrastructure for TypeScript — Build, deploy, and iterate end-to-end in one conversationmedium · 63%
- Knex.jsSQL query builder for Javascriptlow · 30%
- Drizzle ORMHeadless TypeScript ORM with a headlow · 45%
- TypeORMCode with Confidence. Query with Power.low · 41%
- Django ORMThe web framework for perfectionists with deadlines.low · 15%
- SQLAlchemyThe Database Toolkit for Pythonmedium · 55%
The Vioscale score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Kysely, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package Downloads | 93 | 26.00 | 2406.0 | ✓ |
| Release Cadence | 96 | 10.00 | 961.1 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 58 | 16.00 | 925.0 | ✓ |
| Github Activity | 36 | 18.00 | 649.5 | ✓ |
| Github Stars | 78 | 5.00 | 391.3 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 35 | 8.00 | 277.0 | ✓ |
| Security Posture | 0 | 13.00 | 0.0 | - |
| Stackoverflow Activity | 0 | 12.00 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 13 | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 65% |
Adoption
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | {"languages":"TypeScript/JavaScript","relations":true,"schema_first":true,"type_safe_queries":true} | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 15 | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | TypeScript | highsource · 2026-08-03 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | MIT | highsource · 2026-08-03 · 99% |
Release
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence days | 7 | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 70% |