JavaScript

This section is intended to help JavaScript developers get started using the Fauna JavaScript driver for application development.

Current version and repository location

Current stable version

4.8.0

Repository

fauna/faunadb-js

Supported runtimes

This driver supports and is tested on:

  • Node.js

    • LTS

    • Stable

  • Chrome

  • Firefox

  • Safari

  • Internet Explorer 11

Installation

Node.js

npm install --save faunadb

See faunadb on NPM for more information.

Browsers

Via CDN:

<script src="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/faunadb@latest/dist/faunadb.js"></script>

The minified version of the driver can also be used via CDN:

<script src="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/faunadb@latest/dist/faunadb-min.js"></script>

Example application

The following example code runs a bare-bones Node.js application which creates a new document in a collection called scores.

Prerequisites

  • A Fauna account. If you don’t have one, see the dashboard quick start for help getting set up.

  • Node.js and the Fauna JavaScript driver. See Installation for driver installation help.

Procedure

  1. Navigate to the Fauna Dashboard

    Log in to your Fauna account at Fauna Dashboard if you’re not already logged in.

  2. Create a new database

    Click NEW DATABASE. Select the Classic region group.

  3. Create a new collection

    Click NEW COLLECTION. Name your new collection People and save it.

  4. Create an access key

    Click SECURITY in the left-side navigation menu. Create a new key for your database. Be sure to save the key’s secret in a safe place, as it is only displayed once.

  5. Create a local environment variable with your access key’s secret

    On MacOS and Linux systems, enter the following in a terminal window:

    export FAUNADB_SECRET=<your-secret>

    For Windows systems, enter the following in a terminal window:

    set FAUNADB_SECRET=<your secret>

    For either example, replace <your secret> with the secret for the access key that you created.

  6. Create a local application file

    With your preferred editor, create a file called test.js with the following contents:

    const faunadb = require('faunadb')
const q = faunadb.query

const secret = process.env.FAUNADB_SECRET
var endpoint = process.env.FAUNADB_ENDPOINT

if (typeof secret === 'undefined' || secret === '') {
  console.error('The FAUNADB_SECRET environment variable is not set, exiting.')
  process.exit(1)
}

if (!endpoint) endpoint = 'https://db.fauna.com/'

var mg, domain, port, scheme
if ((mg = endpoint.match(/^(https?):\/\/([^:]+)(:(\d+))?/))) {
  scheme = mg[1] || 'https'
  domain = mg[2] || 'db.fauna.com'
  port = mg[4] || 443
}

const client = new faunadb.Client({
  secret: secret,
  domain: domain,
  port: port,
  scheme: scheme,
})

client.query(
  q.Create(
    q.Collection('People'),
    {
      data: {
        first: 'Linus',
        last: 'Torvalds',
        age: 52,
      },
    },
  )
)
.then((ret) => console.log(ret))
.catch((err) => console.error(
  'Error: [%s] %s: %s',
  err.name,
  err.message,
  err.errors()[0].description,
))

    The above example app uses the Create function to create a new document in the People collection.

  7. Run your application

    In a terminal window, run the application:

    node test.js

    You should see results similar to this:

    {
  ref: Ref(Collection("People"), "324879521056555520"),
  ts: 1646088105160000,
  data: { first: 'Linus', last: 'Torvalds', age: 52 }
}

    If you get an error, check to make sure your access key is correct.

Next steps

Now that your development environment is set up, you’re ready to start developing more complex applications. The following resources can help.

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