Escape Hatch

Sometimes you need to drop down to raw Drizzle queries for features that Relayer does not cover. The $orm property and getOrm() method give you direct access to the underlying Drizzle database instance.

$orm

const db = r.$orm;

const result = await db.select().from(schema.users).where(eq(schema.users.id, 1));

getOrm()

const db = r.getOrm();

const result = await db.select().from(schema.users).where(eq(schema.users.id, 1));

Both $orm and getOrm() return the same Drizzle instance passed to createRelayerDrizzle.

When to use it

Use the escape hatch when you need:

• Complex SQL that cannot be expressed through the Relayer DSL
• Raw SQL execution (db.execute(sql…))
• Drizzle-specific features not yet wrapped by Relayer (e.g., custom joins, CTEs, window functions)
• Schema migrations or DDL operations

Example: custom join

const db = r.$orm;

const result = await db
  .select({
    userId: schema.users.id,
    userName: schema.users.firstName,
    orderTotal: schema.orders.total,
  })
  .from(schema.users)
  .innerJoin(schema.orders, eq(schema.users.id, schema.orders.userId))
  .where(gt(schema.orders.total, 1000));

Example: raw SQL

const db = r.$orm;

const result = await db.execute(sql`SELECT * FROM users WHERE first_name ~* ${'^jo'}`);

Mixing Relayer and raw Drizzle

You can freely mix Relayer queries with raw Drizzle queries in the same codebase. Relayer does not lock you in — use it where it adds value, and drop down to Drizzle when you need full control.

// Use Relayer for standard CRUD with computed fields
const users = await r.users.findMany({
  select: { id: true, fullName: true, postsCount: true },
  where: { email: { contains: '@example.com' } },
});

// Use raw Drizzle for a complex analytical query
const db = r.$orm;
const analytics = await db.execute(
  sql`
    SELECT date_trunc('month', created_at) AS month,
           count(*) AS signups
    FROM users
    GROUP BY 1
    ORDER BY 1
  `,
);