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API Reference ​

When ejecting from Zero-Config JSON Mode to TypeScript, you will use the defineModel builder. This reference exhaustively lists every available types.* method and its configuration options.

Base Options ​

All types.* methods accept a generic BaseOptions object:

OptionTypeDefaultDescription
requiredbooleanfalseIf true, the API will return 400 Bad Request if this field is missing during POST.
defaultanyundefinedThe default value assigned if the client does not provide one.
uniquebooleanfalseIf true, the database adapter will enforce uniqueness. Returns 409 Conflict on duplicates.
indexbooleanfalseInstructs the database adapter to build an index on this column for faster ?search= queries.
primaryKeybooleanfalseMarks this field as the Primary Key. (You can also use primaryKeys: ['id', 'orgId'] at the root model level).

Types Dictionary ​

types.string(options?) ​

Defines a text field.

Specific Options:

  • minLength (number): Minimum string length.
  • maxLength (number): Maximum string length.

Example:

typescript
username: types.string({ required: true, minLength: 3, unique: true })

types.number(options?) ​

Defines a numeric field (integer or float).

Specific Options:

  • min (number): Minimum allowed value.
  • max (number): Maximum allowed value.

Example:

typescript
price: types.number({ min: 0, default: 9.99 })

types.boolean(options?) ​

Defines a true/false field.

Example:

typescript
published: types.boolean({ default: false })

types.date(options?) ​

Defines an ISO-8601 Date field.

Example:

typescript
createdAt: types.date({ default: () => new Date().toISOString() })

types.id(options?) ​

A specialized field type that automatically configures itself as the primary key. When using @json-express/adapter-postgres, this maps to a UUID or SERIAL column. When using @json-express/adapter-mongodb, this maps seamlessly to the internal BSON _id ObjectId.

Example:

typescript
id: types.id()

types.relation(options) ​

Defines a relational link between two collections.

Specific Options:

  • target (string, Required): The name of the target collection (e.g., 'categories').
  • type ('one-to-one' | 'one-to-many' | 'many-to-one' | 'many-to-many', Required): The cardinality of the relationship.
  • foreignKey (string): The column name that holds the reference. If omitted, JSONExpress attempts to infer it (e.g., categoryId).
  • onDelete ('CASCADE' | 'SET NULL' | 'RESTRICT'): The database constraint behavior when the parent record is deleted.

Example:

typescript
// Inside models/products.ts
categoryId: types.string({ required: true }),
category: types.relation({ 
    target: 'categories', 
    type: 'many-to-one', 
    foreignKey: 'categoryId',
    onDelete: 'CASCADE'
})

By defining relations, the API generator automatically enables the ?_expand=category query parameter, allowing clients to fetch the product and its parent category in a single request.