@datastax/astra-db-ts

astra-db-ts is a TypeScript client for interacting with DataStax Astra DB.

This README targets v1.0.0+, which introduces a whole new API. Click here for the pre-existing client readme.

Table of contents

• Quickstart
• High-level architecture
• Getting the most out of the typing
• Working with Dates
• Working with ObjectIds and UUIDs
• Monitoring/logging
• Non-astra support
• Non-standard environment support
  • HTTP/2 with minification
  • Browser support

Quickstart

Use your preferred package manager to install @datastax/astra-db-ts. Note that this is not supported in browsers.

Get the API endpoint and your application token for your Astra DB instance @ astra.datastax.com.

Try the following code after setting the following environment variables:

import { DataAPIClient, VectorDoc, UUID, ObjectId } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Schema for the collection (VectorDoc adds the $vector field)
interface Idea extends VectorDoc {
  idea: string,
}

// Connect to the db
const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*');
const db = client.db('*ENDPOINT*', { namespace: '*NAMESPACE*' });

(async () => {
  try {
    // Creates collection, or gets it if it already exists with same options
    const collection = await db.createCollection<Idea>('vector_5_collection', {
      vector: {
        dimension: 5,
        metric: 'cosine',
      },
      checkExists: false,
    });

    // Insert many ideas into the collection
    const ideas = [
      {
        idea: 'An AI quilt to help you sleep forever',
        $vector: [0.1, 0.15, 0.3, 0.12, 0.05],
      },
      {
        _id: new UUID('e7f1f3a0-7e3d-11eb-9439-0242ac130002'),
        idea: 'Vision Vector Frame—A deep learning display that controls your mood',
        $vector: [0.1, 0.05, 0.08, 0.3, 0.6],
      },
      {
        idea: 'A smartwatch that tells you what to eat based on your mood',
        $vector: [0.2, 0.3, 0.1, 0.4, 0.15],
      },
    ];
    await collection.insertMany(ideas);

    // Insert a specific idea into the collection
    const sneakersIdea = {
      _id: new ObjectId('507f191e810c19729de860ea'),
      idea: 'ChatGPT-integrated sneakers that talk to you',
      $vector: [0.45, 0.09, 0.01, 0.2, 0.11],
    }
    await collection.insertOne(sneakersIdea);

    // Actually, let's change that idea
    await collection.updateOne(
      { _id: sneakersIdea._id },
      { $set: { idea: 'Gemini-integrated sneakers that talk to you' } },
    );

    // Get similar results as desired
    const cursor = collection.find({}, {
      vector: [0.1, 0.15, 0.3, 0.12, 0.05],
      includeSimilarity: true,
      limit: 2,
    });

    for await (const doc of cursor) {
      // Prints the following:
      // - An AI quilt to help you sleep forever: 1
      // - A smartwatch that tells you what to eat based on your mood: 0.85490346
      console.log(`${doc.idea}: ${doc.$similarity}`);
    }

    // Cleanup (if desired)
    await collection.drop();
  } finally {
    // Cleans up all open http sessions
    await client.close();
  }
})();

Next steps

• More info and usage patterns are given in the ts-doc of classes and methods
• TS client reference
• Data API reference
• Package on npm

High-level architecture

astra-db-ts's abstractions for working at the data and admin layers are structured as depicted by this diagram:

Here's a small admin-oriented example:

import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Spawn an admin 
const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*');
const admin = client.admin();

(async () => {
  // list info about all databases
  const databases = await admin.listDatabases();
  const dbInfo = databases[0];
  console.log(dbInfo.info.name, dbInfo.id, dbInfo.info.region);

  // list namespaces for the first database
  const dbAdmin = admin.dbAdmin(dbInfo.id, dbInfo.info.region);
  console.log(await dbAdmin.listNamespaces());
})();

Getting the most out of the typing

astra-db-ts is a typescript-first library, performing minimal runtime type-checking. As such, it provides a rich set of types to help you write type-safe code.

Here are some examples of how you can properly leverage types to make your code more robust:

// First of all:
// I *highly* recommend writing your query objects & filter objects and such inline with the methods
// to get the best possible type-checking and autocomplete

import { DataAPIClient, StrictFilter, StrictSort, UUID } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*');
const db = client.db('*ENDPOINT*', { namespace: '*NAMESPACE*' });

// You can strictly type your collections for proper type-checking
interface Person {
  _id: UUID,
  name: string,
  interests: {
    favoriteBand?: string,
    friend?: UUID,
  }
}

(async () => {
  // Create your collections with a defaultId type to enforce the type of the _id field
  // (Otherwise it'll default to a string UUID that wouldn't be deserialized as a UUID by the client)
  const collection = await db.createCollection<Person>('my_collection', { defaultId: { type: 'uuidv7' } });

  // Now it'll raise type-errors if you try to insert a document with the wrong shape
  await collection.insertOne({
    _id: new UUID('e7f1f3a0-7e3d-11eb-9439-0242ac130002'),
    name: 'John',
    interests: {
      favoriteBand: 'Nightwish',
    },
    // @ts-expect-error - 'eyeColor' does not exist in type MaybeId<Person>
    eyeColor: 'blue',
  });

  // You can use the 'Strict*' version of Sort/Projection/Filter/UpdateFilter for proper type-checking and autocomplete
  await collection.findOne({
    // @ts-expect-error - Type number is not assignable to type FilterExpr<UUID | undefined>
    'interests.friend': 3,
  } satisfies StrictFilter<Person>, {
    sort: {
      name: 1,
      // @ts-expect-error - 'interests.favoriteColor' does not exist in type StrictProjection<Person>
      'interests.favoriteColor': 1 as const,
    } satisfies StrictSort<Person>,
  });
})();

Working with Dates

Native JS Date objects can be used anywhere in documents to represent dates and times.

Document fields stored using the { $date: number } will also be returned as Date objects when read.

import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// Reference an untyped collection
const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*');
const db = client.db('*ENDPOINT*', { namespace: '*NAMESPACE*' });

(async () => {
  const collection = await db.createCollection('dates_test');
  
  // Insert documents with some dates
  await collection.insertOne({ dateOfBirth: new Date(1394104654000) });
  await collection.insertOne({ dateOfBirth: new Date('1863-05-28') });

  // Update a document with a date and setting lastModified to now
  await collection.updateOne(
    {
      dateOfBirth: new Date('1863-05-28'),
    },
    {
      $set: { message: 'Happy Birthday!' },
      $currentDate: { lastModified: true },
    },
  );

  // Will print *around* `new Date()` (i.e. when server processed the request)
  const found = await collection.findOne({ dateOfBirth: { $lt: new Date('1900-01-01') } });
  console.log(found?.lastModified);
  
  // Cleanup (if desired)
  await collection.drop();
})();

Working with ObjectIds and UUIDs

astra-db-ts exports an ObjectId and UUID class for working with these types in the database.

Note that these are custom classes, and not the ones from the bson package. Make sure you're using the right one!

import { DataAPIClient, ObjectId, UUID } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

interface Person {
  _id: ObjectId | UUID,
  name: string,
  friendId?: ObjectId | UUID,
}

// Connect to the db
const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*');
const db = client.db('*ENDPOINT*', { namespace: '*NAMESPACE*' });

(async () => {
  // Create a collection with a UUIDv7 as the default ID
  const collection = await db.createCollection<Person>('ids_test', { defaultId: { type: 'uuidv7' } });
  
  // You can manually set whatever ID you want
  await collection.insertOne({ _id: new ObjectId("65fd9b52d7fabba03349d013"), name: 'John' });
  
  // Or use the default ID
  await collection.insertOne({ name: 'Jane' });
  
  // Let's give Jane a friend with a UUIDv4 
  const friendId = UUID.v4();

  await collection.insertOne({ name: 'Alice', _id: friendId });
  
  await collection.updateOne(
    { name: 'Jane' },
    { $set: { friendId } },
  );
  
  // And let's get Jane as a document
  // (Prints "Jane", the generated UUIDv4, and true)
  const jane = await collection.findOne({ name: 'Jane' });
  console.log(jane?.name, jane?.friendId?.toString(), friendId.equals(jane?.friendId));
  
  // Cleanup (if desired)
  await collection.drop();
})();

Monitoring/logging

Like Mongo, astra-db-ts doesn't provide a traditional logging system—instead, it uses a "monitoring" system based on event emitters, which allow you to listen to events and log them as you see fit.

Supported events include commandStarted, commandSucceeded, commandFailed, and adminCommandStarted, adminCommandPolling, adminCommandSucceeded, adminCommandFailed.

Note that it's disabled by default, and it can be enabled by passing monitorCommands: true option to the root options' dbOptions and adminOptions.

import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*', {
  dbOptions: {
    monitorCommands: true,
  },
});
const db = client.db('*ENDPOINT*');

client.on('commandStarted', (event) => {
  console.log(`Running command ${event.commandName}`);
});

client.on('commandSucceeded', (event) => {
  console.log(`Command ${event.commandName} succeeded in ${event.duration}ms`);
});

client.on('commandFailed', (event) => {
  console.error(`Command ${event.commandName} failed w/ error ${event.error}`);
});

(async () => {
  // Should log
  // - "Running command createCollection"
  // - "Command createCollection succeeded in <time>ms"
  const collection = await db.createCollection('my_collection', { checkExists: false });

  // Should log
  // - "Running command insertOne"
  // - "Command insertOne succeeded in <time>ms"
  await collection.insertOne({ name: 'Queen' });

  // Remove all monitoring listeners
  client.removeAllListeners();

  // Cleanup (if desired) (with no logging)
  await collection.drop();
})();

Non-astra support

astra-db-ts officially supports Data API instances using non-Astra backends, such as Data API on DSE or HCD.

However, while support is native, detection is not; you will have to manually declare the environment at times.

import { DataAPIClient, UsernamePasswordTokenProvider, DataAPIDbAdmin } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

// You'll need to pass in environment to the DataAPIClient when not using Astra
const tp = new UsernamePasswordTokenProvider('*USERNAME*', '*PASSWORD*');
const client = new DataAPIClient(tp, { environment: 'dse' });
const db = client.db('*ENDPOINT*');

// You'll also need to pass it to db.admin() when not using Astra for typing purposes
// If the environment does not match, an error will be thrown as a reminder
const dbAdmin: DataAPIDbAdmin = db.admin({ environment: 'dse' });
dbAdmin.createNamespace(...);

The TokenProvider class is an extensible concept to allow you to create or even refresh your tokens as necessary, depending on the Data API backend. Tokens may even be omitted if necessary.

astra-db-ts provides two TokenProvider instances by default:

• StaticTokenProvider - This unit provider simply regurgitates whatever token was passed into its constructor
• UsernamePasswordTokenProvider - Turns a user/pass pair into an appropriate token for DSE/HCD

(See examples/non-astra-backends for a full example of this in action.)

Non-standard environment support

astra-db-ts is designed foremost to work in Node.js environments.

It will work in edge runtimes and other non-node environments as well, though it'll use the native fetch API for HTTP requests, as opposed to fetch-h2 which provides extended HTTP/2 and HTTP/1.1 support for performance.

By default, it'll attempt to use fetch-h2 if available, and fall back to fetch if not available in that environment. You can explicitly force the fetch implementation when instantiating the client:

import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';

const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*', {
  httpOptions: { client: 'fetch' },
});

There are four different behaviours for setting the client:

• Not setting the httpOptions at all
  • This will attempt to use fetch-h2 if available, and fall back to fetch if not available
• client: 'default' or client: undefined (or unset)
  • This will attempt to use fetch-h2 if available, and throw an error if not available
• client: 'fetch'
  • This will always use the native fetch API
• client: 'custom'
  • This will allow you to pass a custom Fetcher implementation to the client

On some environments, such as Cloudflare Workers, you may additionally need to use the events polyfill for the client to work properly (i.e. npm i events). Cloudflare's node-compat won't work here.

Check out the examples/ subdirectory for some non-standard runtime examples with more info.

HTTP/2 with minification

Due to the variety of different runtimes JS can run in, astra-db-ts does its best to be as flexible as possible. Unfortunately however, because we need to dynamically require the fetch-h2 module to test whether it works, the dynamic import often breaks in minified environments, even if the runtime properly supports HTTP/2.

There is a simple workaround however, consisting of the following steps, if you really want to use HTTP/2:

1. Install fetch-h2 as a dependency (npm i fetch-h2)
2. Import the fetch-h2 module in your code as fetchH2 (i.e. import * as fetchH2 from 'fetch-h2')
3. Set the httpOptions.fetchH2 option to the imported module when instantiating the client

import { DataAPIClient } from '@datastax/astra-db-ts';
import * as fetchH2 from 'fetch-h2';

const client = new DataAPIClient('*TOKEN*', {
  httpOptions: { fetchH2 },
});

This way, the dynamic import is avoided, and the client will work in minified environments.

Note this is not required if you don't explicitly need HTTP/2 support, as the client will default to the native fetch implementation instead if importing fails.

(But keep in mind this defaulting will only happen if httpOptions is not set at all).

(See examples/http2-when-minified for a full example of this workaround in action.)

Browser support

The Data API itself does not natively support browsers, so astra-db-ts isn't technically supported in browsers either.

However, if, for some reason, you really want to use this in a browser, you can probably do so by installing the events polyfill and setting up a CORS proxy to forward requests to the Data API.

But keep in mind that this is not officially supported, and may be very insecure if you're encoding sensitive data into the browser client.

(See examples/browser for a full example of this workaround in action.)