Drizzle ORM · Module

.prepare

.prepare converts a Drizzle query into a reusable prepared statement. Execute it repeatedly, supplying named placeholder values when runtime inputs are needed.

How it works

.prepare turns a Drizzle query into a prepared statement that can be executed repeatedly. Put runtime values in named sql.placeholder(...) expressions and pass their values to execute.

Syntax

query.prepare(statementName?)

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`values`	`object`	Object whose properties provide values for named placeholders in the prepared query.

Returns

A prepared statement object that can be executed repeatedly.

Key points

Preparation performs SQL concatenation once on the Drizzle ORM side.
The database driver can reuse precompiled binary SQL rather than parsing the query repeatedly.
The largest performance gains are expected for large SQL queries.
A query becomes reusable by chaining .prepare(...) after building it.
Run a prepared statement with its execute method.
Pass placeholder values as an object to execute.

Common mistakes

Dynamic values must be represented with named placeholders rather than embedded directly in the prepared query.

Example: Reusable prepared query

import { eq, sql } from "drizzle-orm";

const prepared = db
  .select()
  .from(customers)
  .where(eq(customers.id, sql.placeholder("id")))
  .prepare("customer_by_id");

const customer = await prepared.execute({ id: 10 });

Creates one reusable query and supplies a different customer ID each time it executes.

When to use it

Reuse parameterized queries

A frequently executed query has the same SQL shape but different filter values.

Improve repeated-query performance

A large query is run repeatedly and parsing overhead matters.

Reuse prepared statements in serverless

A serverless handler can retain objects between invocations.

Interview questions

QWhat does .prepare do?

.prepare creates a prepared statement from a Drizzle query. Drizzle performs SQL concatenation once, allowing the database driver to reuse precompiled SQL on later executions.

Follow-up: How would you pass changing filter values? Use sql.placeholder("name") in the query and provide the corresponding value to execute, such as { name: "%an%" }.

QHow is a prepared statement executed?

Call .execute() on the prepared statement for each run. The same prepared object can therefore be executed repeatedly instead of rebuilding the query each time.

Follow-up: Why can this help performance? Reusing precompiled SQL avoids repeatedly parsing the query, with the greatest benefit on large SQL statements.

QHow do you add runtime parameters?

Use sql.placeholder with a unique name inside the query, then pass an object containing that name to execute. For example, sql.placeholder("id") pairs with execute({ id: 10 }).

Follow-up: Can a query have multiple runtime values? Yes; define multiple named placeholders and provide all corresponding properties in the execution object.

sql.placeholder
execute
select
where
Drizzle ORM

Source: Drizzle ORM - Queries. Checked 2026-10-16.