---
outline: deep
---

# Common API

The Feathers database adapters implement a common interface for initialization, pagination, extending and querying. This chapter describes the common adapter initialization and options, how to enable and use pagination, the details on how specific service methods behave and how to extend an adapter with custom functionality.

<BlockQuote type="warning" label="Important">

Every database adapter is an implementation of the [Feathers service interface](../services.md). If there is no adapter available for your database of choice, you can still use it directly in a [custom service](../services.md). We recommend being familiar with Feathers services, service events and hooks and the database before using a database adapter.

</BlockQuote>

## Initialization

### `new <Name>Service(options)`

Each adapter exports a `<Name>Service` class that can be exported and extended.

```ts
import { NameService } from 'feathers-<name>'

app.use('/messages', new NameService())
app.use('/messages', new NameService({ id, events, paginate }))
```

### Options

The following options are available for all database adapters:

- `id {string}` (_optional_) - The name of the id field property (usually set by default to `id` or `_id`).
- `paginate {Object}` (_optional_) - A [pagination object](#pagination) containing a `default` and `max` page size
- `multi {string[]|boolean}` (_optional_, default: `false`) - Allow `create` with arrays and `patch` and `remove` with id `null` to change multiple items. Can be `true` for all methods or an array of allowed methods (e.g. `[ 'remove', 'create' ]`)

The following legacy options are still available but should be avoided:

- `events {string[]}` (_optional_, **deprecated**) - A list of [custom service events](../events.md#custom-events) sent by this service. Use the `events` option when [registering the service with app.use](../application.md#usepath-service--options) instead.
- `operators {string[]}` (_optional_, **deprecated**) - A list of additional non-standard query parameters to allow (e.g `[ '$regex' ]`). Not necessary when using a [query schema](../schema/validators.md#validatequery)
- `filters {Object}` (_optional_, **deprecated**) - An object of additional top level query filters, e.g. `{ $populate: true }`. Can also be a converter function like `{ $ignoreCase: (value) => value === 'true' ? true : false }`. Not necessary when using a [query schema](../schema/validators.md#validatequery)

For database specific options see the adapter documentation.

## Pagination

When initializing an adapter you can set the following pagination options in the `paginate` object:

- `default` - Sets the default number of items when `$limit` is not set
- `max` - Sets the maximum allowed number of items per page (even if the `$limit` query parameter is set higher)

When `paginate.default` is set, `find` will return a _page object_ (instead of the normal array) in the following form:

```
{
  "total": "<total number of records>",
  "limit": "<max number of items per page>",
  "skip": "<number of skipped items (offset)>",
  "data": [/* data */]
}
```

The pagination options can be set as follows:

```js
const service = require('feathers-<db-name>')

// Set the `paginate` option during initialization
app.use(
  '/todos',
  service({
    paginate: {
      default: 5,
      max: 25
    }
  })
)

// override pagination in `params.paginate` for this call
app.service('todos').find({
  paginate: {
    default: 100,
    max: 200
  }
})

// disable pagination for this call
app.service('todos').find({
  paginate: false
})
```

<BlockQuote type="info" label="note">

Disabling or changing the default pagination is not available in the client. Only `params.query` is passed to the server (also see a [workaround here](https://github.com/feathersjs/feathers/issues/382#issuecomment-288125825))

</BlockQuote>

## params.adapter

Setting the `adapter` in the [service method `params`](../services.md#params) allows do dynamically modify the database adapter options based on the request. This e.g. allows to temporarily allow multiple entry creation/changes or the pagination settings.

```ts
const messages = [
  {
    text: 'message 1'
  },
  {
    text: 'message 2'
  }
]

// Enable multiple entry insertion for this request
app.service('messages').create(messages, {
  adapter: {
    multi: true
  }
})
```

<BlockQuote type="tip">

If the adapter has a `Model` option, `params.adapter.Model` can be used to point to different databases based on the request to e.g. allow multi-tenant systems. This is usually done by setting `context.params.adapter` in a [hook](../hooks.md).

</BlockQuote>

## params.paginate

Setting `paginate` in the [service method `params`](../services.md#params) allows to change or disable the default pagination for a single request:

```ts
// Get all messages as an array
const allMessages = await app.service('messages').find({
  paginate: false
})
```

## Extending Adapters

There are two ways to extend existing database adapters. Either by extending the base class or by adding functionality through hooks.

### Classes

All modules also export an [ES6 class](https://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Classes) as `<Name>Service` that can be directly extended. See the [Service CLI guide](../../guides/cli/service.class.md) on how to override existing and implement new methods.

## Service methods

This section describes specifics on how the [service methods](../services.md) are implemented for all adapters.

### constructor(options)

Initializes a new service. Should call `super(options)` when overwritten.

### Methods without hooks

The database adapters support calling their service methods without any hooks by adding a `_` in front of the method name as `_find`, `_get`, `_create`, `_patch`, `_update` and `_remove`. This can be useful if you need the raw data from the service and don't want to trigger any of its hooks.

```js
// Call `get` without running any hooks
const message = await app.service('/messages')._get('<message id>')
```

<BlockQuote type="warning" label="note">

These methods are only available internally on the server, not on the client side and only for the Feathers database adapters. They do _not_ send any events.

</BlockQuote>

### adapter.find(params)

`adapter.find(params) -> Promise` returns a list of all records matching the query in `params.query` using the [common querying mechanism](./querying.md). Will either return an array with the results or a page object if [pagination is enabled](#pagination).

```ts
// Find all messages for user with id 1
const messages = await app.service('messages').find({
  query: {
    userId: 1
  }
})

console.log(messages)

// Find all messages belonging to room 1 or 3
const roomMessages = await app.service('messages').find({
  query: {
    roomId: {
      $in: [1, 3]
    }
  }
})

console.log(roomMessages)
```

Find all messages for user with id 1

```
GET /messages?userId=1
```

Find all messages belonging to room 1 or 3

```
GET /messages?roomId[$in]=1&roomId[$in]=3
```

### adapter.get(id, params)

`adapter.get(id, params) -> Promise` retrieves a single record by its unique identifier (the field set in the `id` option during initialization).

```ts
const message = await app.service('messages').get(1)

console.log(message)
```

```
GET /messages/1
```

### adapter.create(data, params)

`adapter.create(data, params) -> Promise` creates a new record with `data`. `data` can also be an array to create multiple records.

```ts
const message = await app.service('messages').create({
  text: 'A test message'
})

console.log(message)

const messages = await app.service('messages').create([
  {
    text: 'Hi'
  },
  {
    text: 'How are you'
  }
])

console.log(messages)
```

```
POST /messages
{
  "text": "A test message"
}
```

### adapter.update(id, data, params)

`adapter.update(id, data, params) -> Promise` completely replaces a single record identified by `id` with `data`. Does not allow replacing multiple records (`id` can't be `null`). `id` can not be changed.

```ts
const updatedMessage = await app.service('messages').update(1, {
  text: 'Updates message'
})

console.log(updatedMessage)
```

```
PUT /messages/1
{ "text": "Updated message" }
```

### adapter.patch(id, data, params)

`adapter.patch(id, data, params) -> Promise` merges a record identified by `id` with `data`. `id` can be `null` to allow replacing multiple records (all records that match `params.query` the same as in `.find`). `id` can not be changed.

```ts
const patchedMessage = await app.service('messages').patch(1, {
  text: 'A patched message'
})

console.log(patchedMessage)

const params = {
  query: { read: false }
}

// Mark all unread messages as read
const multiPatchedMessages = await app.service('messages').patch(
  null,
  {
    read: true
  },
  params
)
```

```
PATCH /messages/1
{ "text": "A patched message" }
```

Mark all unread messages as read

```
PATCH /messages?read=false
{ "read": true }
```

### adapter.remove(id, params)

`adapter.remove(id, params) -> Promise` removes a record identified by `id`. `id` can be `null` to allow removing multiple records (all records that match `params.query` the same as in `.find`).

```ts
const removedMessage = await app.service('messages').remove(1)

console.log(removedMessage)

const params = {
  query: { read: true }
}

// Remove all read messages
const removedMessages = await app.service('messages').remove(null, params)
```

```
DELETE /messages/1
```

Remove all read messages

```
DELETE /messages?read=true
```