Real-time Databases Made Easy with Pulse

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. What is Pulse?
3. Setting up Pulse Inside Your Application
4. Installing Prisma Extension Pulse
5. Logging into Cloud Projects and Adding Pulse
6. Configuring Pulse for Your Database
7. Creating and Managing API Keys
8. Importing Prisma Client and Configuring API Key
9. Creating a Pulse Enabled Prisma Client
10. Creating an Async Main Function
11. Subscribing to Events with Pulse
12. Error Checking and Logging Events
13. Running the Application
14. Using Prisma Studio with Pulse
15. Filtering Events with Pulse
16. Conclusion

Introduction

Hey there! In this article, we're going to dive into the world of Pulse. Pulse is a managed change data capture service created by Prisma that allows your applications to stay updated in real-time with changes happening in your database. If you've ever wanted your apps to update Instantly as soon as your database does, then Pulse is the perfect solution for you. In this guide, we'll walk you through the process of setting up Pulse inside your application and Show you how to leverage its real-time capabilities to enhance your application's functionality.

What is Pulse?

Before we dive into the details of setting up and using Pulse, let's first understand what exactly Pulse is. Pulse is a managed change data capture service that allows You to capture and subscribe to database events in real-time. It acts as a bridge between your database and your application, enabling Instant updates whenever a change occurs in your database. This means that you no longer have to manually poll your database for updates. Pulse takes care of the heavy lifting for you, making your application real-time and reactive.

Setting up Pulse Inside Your Application

To get started with Pulse, you'll need to follow a few simple steps to set it up inside your application. In this section, we'll walk you through the installation process and guide you on how to configure Pulse for your specific database.

Installing Prisma Extension Pulse

The first step in setting up Pulse is installing the Prisma Extension Pulse. This extension enables the use of Pulse inside your application. To install it, you can use the NPM Package manager and run the command npm install @prisma/extension-pulse in your terminal. This will install the necessary dependencies and make the Pulse extension available for use.

Logging into Cloud Projects and Adding Pulse

Once you have installed the Prisma Extension Pulse, the next step is to log into your Prisma Cloud account and add Pulse to one of your projects. If you don't have a Prisma Cloud account yet, you can easily sign up for one. Once you're logged in, navigate to your project and find the section where you can configure Pulse. Follow the instructions provided to set up Pulse for your specific database.

Configuring Pulse for Your Database

Configuring Pulse for your database is a straightforward process. You'll need to have your database connection STRING ready, which can be found in your application's .env file or your schema.prisma file. Simply copy and paste the database connection string into the appropriate field in the Pulse configuration panel. Once you've done that, the setup process will take approximately four minutes to complete. You'll then receive a confirmation screen indicating that Pulse has been successfully configured for your database.

Creating and Managing API Keys

To be able to use Pulse inside your application, you'll need to Create an API key and manage your API keys. API keys ensure secure access to the Pulse service. In your Prisma Cloud account, go to the "Manage API Keys" section and click on the "Create a New API Key" button. Follow the instructions to generate an API key that you can use to authenticate your application with the Pulse service.

Importing Prisma Client and Configuring API Key

Now that you have the Prisma Extension Pulse installed and your project configured, it's time to import the necessary dependencies into your application and configure your API key. In your application's code, import the Prisma Client along with the Pulse extension. You can then retrieve your API key from your environment variables and pass it as an argument when creating a new instance of the Prisma Client. This will enable the Pulse functionality in your Prisma Client.

Creating a Pulse Enabled Prisma Client

To fully leverage the power of Pulse, you need to create a Pulse enabled Prisma Client. This is done by extending the base Prisma Client with the Pulse extension. By doing so, you gain access to the Pulse-specific methods and functionality. In your application's code, create a new instance of the Prisma Client and pass in your API key when initializing it. This will create a Prisma Client with Pulse enabled, allowing you to use the Pulse subscribe method.

Creating an Async Main Function

To keep the connection alive and receive events in real-time, you need to create an async main function. This function will be the entry point of your application and will handle the subscription to database events. By making the main function asynchronous, you ensure that it can handle events in a non-blocking manner.

Subscribing to Events with Pulse

Now comes the exciting part - subscribing to events with Pulse. In your main function, define a variable to store the subscription using the Prisma.user.subscribe method. This method allows you to listen for events on a specific table, in this case, the user table. Once you have the subscription set up, you will receive updates, creations, and deletions that occur in the user table in real-time.

Error Checking and Logging Events

To handle errors and log the events received from the Pulse subscription, you can add error checking and event logging blocks within your main function. This will ensure that any errors or events are properly captured and handled. You can customize the error handling and logging logic Based on your application's specific requirements.

Running the Application

With everything set up and configured, it's time to run your application and start receiving real-time updates from your database. In your terminal, run the command npx ts-node index.ts or the appropriate command for your development setup. This will execute your application code and establish the connection to your Pulse-enabled database. You should start seeing debug messages indicating that your application is connected to Pulse and ready to receive events.

Using Prisma Studio with Pulse

To Visualize the real-time updates in your database, you can use Prisma Studio. Open Prisma Studio in a separate terminal or command prompt window. With Prisma Studio, you can Interact with your database and see the changes happening in real-time. Try creating, updating, and deleting records in your database using Prisma Studio, and you'll see the corresponding events being logged in your application's terminal.

Filtering Events with Pulse

Pulse provides powerful filtering capabilities that allow you to selectively listen to specific events. By adding filters to your Pulse subscription, you can narrow down the events you want to receive based on specific conditions. For example, you can filter for updated events from the user table or events related to a specific user only. This enables you to tailor the real-time updates to the exact requirements of your application.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully set up and integrated Pulse into your application. With Pulse, you can now enjoy real-time updates from your database, making your application more responsive and engaging for your users. In this guide, we covered the installation process, configuration steps, and usage of Pulse, as well as explored advanced features like event filtering. Keep exploring the capabilities of Pulse and feel free to reach out to the Prisma team for any further assistance or to share your cool ideas on how you're using Pulse in your applications. Happy coding!