@cradler/sdk

The typed TypeScript client for Cradler — a zero-config backend (a managed PostgreSQL database and file storage) for apps built with AI. No SQL, no migrations: write data and the tables and columns are created for you.

Zero runtime dependencies — it only uses the platform fetch.

Install

pnpm add @cradler/sdk

Setup

Create a project in the Cradler dashboard — it gives you an API URL, a project ID, and two keys (anon and service). Pass them to createClient:

import { createClient } from "@cradler/sdk";

const cradler = createClient({
  url: "https://gateway.cradler.ai",
  projectId: "your-project-id",
  apiKey: process.env.CRADLER_API_KEY!,
});

Use the service key only in server-side code. Use the anon key in the browser — it is limited by the table permissions you set in the dashboard. Never hardcode keys; read them from environment variables.

Reading and writing data

A collection is a table. You never create one — it appears the first time you write to it. Use plain camelCase field names; the SDK maps them to the database.

// Insert — the "books" table and its columns are created automatically
await cradler.from("books").insert({ title: "Dune", year: 1965, inStock: true });

// Insert many at once
await cradler.from("books").insert([{ title: "A" }, { title: "B" }]);

// Query — chainable, await directly
const { rows, count } = await cradler
  .from("books")
  .select("title", "year")
  .gte("year", 1950)
  .order("year", { desc: true })
  .limit(10);

// A single row, or null
const book = await cradler.from("books").select().eq("id", id).first();

// Update / delete — delete requires at least one filter
await cradler.from("books").update({ inStock: false }).eq("id", id);
await cradler.from("books").delete().eq("id", id);

Every insert / query / update / delete resolves to { rows, count }.

Pass a row type for full typing: cradler.from<Book>("books") — filter, order, and select field names are then checked against Book at compile time, so a misspelled field is caught before the call ever runs.

Reserved fields

Every row automatically has three Cradler-managed fields — read them, but never set them:

• id — a unique identifier, generated on insert.
• createdAt — when the row was created.
• updatedAt — updated on every change.

You can filter and order by them, but any id / createdAt / updatedAt you pass to insert() or update() is ignored — Cradler always sets them.

Filters

Chain as many as you need:

eq · neq · gt · gte · lt · lte · like · ilike · in · isNull · notNull

Files and images

// Upload — body is a Blob, ArrayBuffer, or string
await cradler.storage.upload("covers/dune.png", file, {
  contentType: "image/png",
});

// A temporary signed URL to display or download the file
const url = await cradler.storage.getUrl("covers/dune.png");

// Download as a Blob
const blob = await cradler.storage.download("covers/dune.png");

// List (optionally by prefix) and delete
const files = await cradler.storage.list("covers/");
await cradler.storage.remove("covers/dune.png");

Image compression

Pass { compress: true } to shrink and re-encode images on the device before they leave the browser. Defaults: webp, max 2000×2000, quality 0.85 — typically 90%+ smaller than a raw phone photo. Non-image bodies (PDFs, SVGs, zips, plain blobs) are passed through unchanged, so it's safe to set on every upload.

When compression changes the format, the stored path's extension is rewritten to match. Use the returned path when you save a reference:

const { path } = await cradler.storage.upload("avatars/cat.jpg", file, {
  compress: true,
});
// `path` is "avatars/cat.webp" — save *this* in the database.

// Tune it:
await cradler.storage.upload("photos/sunset.jpg", file, {
  compress: { maxWidth: 1600, quality: 0.9, format: "webp" },
});

Browser-only. In Node, compress: true throws; upload original bytes from the server side.

Errors

Any non-2xx response throws a CradlerError with .status, .code and .message — for example schema_conflict when a value clashes with a column's type.

import { CradlerError } from "@cradler/sdk";

try {
  await cradler.from("books").insert({ year: "not a number" });
} catch (err) {
  if (err instanceof CradlerError) {
    console.error(err.status, err.code, err.message);
  }
}

Related

• @cradler/mcp — an MCP server that lets AI agents read and write a Cradler project's data directly.

License

MIT