Generate types

FFDB CLI can inspect a live app, fetch schema metadata, and write a generated Database interface that matches the tables in your instance.

This command is the bridge between your running FFDB instance and the type-safe client. It can read values from the environment or from explicit CLI flags.

Basic usage

ffdb-cli generate --url http://localhost:3000 --token your-admin-token --out ./src/ffdb.types.ts

If your environment already defines the connection values, you can shorten it to:

ffdb-cli generate

Why this command is central

Type generation is the contract between live schema and application code.

Name
Schema-to-code alignment
Description
Prevents drift between table changes and query typing.
Name
Safer refactors
Description
Type errors surface quickly when schema fields change.
Name
Better editor ergonomics
Description
Autocomplete and query hinting become accurate for your actual app schema.

Flags and env fallbacks

Name
--url <url>
Type
string
Description
The FFDB API URL. This overrides API_URL from your .env file.
Name
--token <token>
Type
string
Description
The admin token or API key. This overrides FFDB_AUTH_TOKEN from your .env file.
Name
--out <path>
Type
string
Description
Output path for the generated types file. Defaults to ./ffdb.types.ts.
Name
--env <path>
Type
string
Description
Optional path to a .env file. Defaults to .env.

The generator validates that the API URL starts with http:// or https://, inspects your app schema, and writes the generated types file to disk.

The output is a Database interface plus one interface per table in your app schema. The generated file is intended to be imported by ffdb-client so createClient and the query helpers can stay type-safe.

Typical shape:

export interface User {
  id: string
  email: string
  name: string | null
}

export interface Database {
  user: User
  // ...other tables
}

Name
Schema source
Description
The CLI reads schema information from the target FFDB app URL you provide.
Name
Table mapping
Description
Each table becomes a TypeScript interface, and the final Database interface maps table names to those interfaces.
Name
Field typing
Description
Numeric, text, boolean, date/time, and blob columns are converted into TypeScript types.

Notes

Use this command whenever you want the live schema to become a typed Database interface. The generated file is the source of truth for app code that uses ffdb-client.

Regeneration strategy

Regenerate after schema migrations or table/column changes.
Commit generated types alongside schema-related app changes.
Run generation in CI or release workflows when schema can drift from local state.

Treat generated types as derived artifacts. Edit schema, then regenerate; avoid hand-editing generated type files.