AstroHow-ToBeginner · 4 min read

How to Use Astro DB: Simple Guide for Beginners

To use Astro DB, import the database client from your chosen adapter and connect it inside your Astro project. Use async functions to query or update data, then render results in your components.

📐

Syntax

Astro DB usage typically involves importing a database client, initializing a connection, and using async functions to perform queries or mutations. You then use the data inside your Astro components.

Import: Bring in the DB client from your adapter.
Connect: Initialize the connection to your database.
Query: Use async calls to fetch or modify data.
Render: Pass data to your Astro component for display.

javascript

import { createClient } from '@astrojs/astro-db';

const db = createClient({
  url: 'your-database-url',
  apiKey: 'your-api-key',
});

async function getData() {
  const results = await db.query('SELECT * FROM table_name');
  return results;
}

export async function get() {
  const data = await getData();
  return {
    body: JSON.stringify(data),
  };
}

💻

Example

This example shows how to fetch user data from Astro DB and display it in an Astro component.

astro

---
import { createClient } from '@astrojs/astro-db';

const db = createClient({
  url: 'https://example-db.com',
  apiKey: 'secret-api-key',
});

const users = await db.query('SELECT id, name FROM users');
---

<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <title>Users List</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>Users</h1>
    <ul>
      {users.map(user => (
        <li key={user.id}>{user.name}</li>
      ))}
    </ul>
  </body>
</html>

Output

<h1>Users</h1><ul><li>Alice</li><li>Bob</li><li>Charlie</li></ul>

⚠️

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes when using Astro DB include:

Not awaiting async database calls, causing empty or unresolved data.
Forgetting to initialize the client with correct credentials.
Trying to use database calls directly in the component without async support.
Not handling errors from failed queries.

Always use await with queries and wrap calls in try-catch blocks for safety.

javascript

/* Wrong way: Missing await */
const users = db.query('SELECT * FROM users'); // returns a Promise, not data

/* Right way: Use await */
const users = await db.query('SELECT * FROM users');

📊

Quick Reference

Remember these tips when using Astro DB:

Always import and initialize your DB client before queries.
Use async/await to handle database calls.
Handle errors gracefully with try-catch.
Pass fetched data to your Astro components for rendering.

✅

Key Takeaways

Import and initialize the Astro DB client with your database credentials.

Use async/await to perform queries and get data before rendering.

Always handle errors to avoid runtime crashes.

Pass the fetched data into your Astro components to display it.

Avoid forgetting await or using database calls directly in non-async contexts.