Kotlin Exposed Patterns

Comprehensive patterns for database access with JetBrains Exposed ORM, including DSL queries, DAO, transactions, and production-ready configuration.

When to Use

• Setting up database access with Exposed
• Writing SQL queries using Exposed DSL or DAO
• Configuring connection pooling with HikariCP
• Creating database migrations with Flyway
• Implementing the repository pattern with Exposed
• Handling JSON columns and complex queries

How It Works

Exposed provides two query styles: DSL for direct SQL-like expressions and DAO for entity lifecycle management. HikariCP manages a pool of reusable database connections configured via HikariConfig. Flyway runs versioned SQL migration scripts at startup to keep the schema in sync. All database operations run inside newSuspendedTransaction blocks for coroutine safety and atomicity. The repository pattern wraps Exposed queries behind an interface so business logic stays decoupled from the data layer and tests can use an in-memory H2 database.

Examples

DSL Query

suspend fun findUserById(id: UUID): UserRow? =
    newSuspendedTransaction {
        UsersTable.selectAll()
            .where { UsersTable.id eq id }
            .map { it.toUser() }
            .singleOrNull()
    }

DAO Entity Usage

suspend fun createUser(request: CreateUserRequest): User =
    newSuspendedTransaction {
        UserEntity.new {
            name = request.name
            email = request.email
            role = request.role
        }.toModel()
    }

HikariCP Configuration

val hikariConfig = HikariConfig().apply {
    driverClassName = config.driver
    jdbcUrl = config.url
    username = config.username
    password = config.password
    maximumPoolSize = config.maxPoolSize
    isAutoCommit = false
    transactionIsolation = "TRANSACTION_READ_COMMITTED"
    validate()
}

Database Setup

HikariCP Connection Pooling

// DatabaseFactory.kt
object DatabaseFactory {
    fun create(config: DatabaseConfig): Database {
        val hikariConfig = HikariConfig().apply {
            driverClassName = config.driver
            jdbcUrl = config.url
            username = config.username
            password = config.password
            maximumPoolSize = config.maxPoolSize
            isAutoCommit = false
            transactionIsolation = "TRANSACTION_READ_COMMITTED"
            validate()
        }

        return Database.connect(HikariDataSource(hikariConfig))
    }
}

data class DatabaseConfig(
    val url: String,
    val driver: String = "org.postgresql.Driver",
    val username: String = "",
    val password: String = "",
    val maxPoolSize: Int = 10,
)

Flyway Migrations

// FlywayMigration.kt
fun runMigrations(config: DatabaseConfig) {
    Flyway.configure()
        .dataSource(config.url, config.username, config.password)
        .locations("classpath:db/migration")
        .baselineOnMigrate(true)
        .load()
        .migrate()
}

// Application startup
fun Application.module() {
    val config = DatabaseConfig(
        url = environment.config.property("database.url").getString(),
        username = environment.config.property("database.username").getString(),
        password = environment.config.property("database.password").getString(),
    )
    runMigrations(config)
    val database = DatabaseFactory.create(config)
    // ...
}

Migration Files

-- src/main/resources/db/migration/V1__create_users.sql
CREATE TABLE users (
    id UUID PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
    name VARCHAR(100) NOT NULL,
    email VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
    role VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL DEFAULT 'USER',
    metadata JSONB,
    created_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW(),
    updated_at TIMESTAMPTZ NOT NULL DEFAULT NOW()
);

CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users(email);
CREATE INDEX idx_users_role ON users(role);

Table Definitions

DSL Style Tables

// tables/UsersTable.kt
object UsersTable : UUIDTable("users") {
    val name = varchar("name", 100)
    val email = varchar("email", 255).uniqueIndex()
    val role = enumerationByName<Role>("role", 20)
    val metadata = jsonb<UserMetadata>("metadata", Json.Default).nullable()
    val createdAt = timestampWithTimeZone("created_at").defaultExpression(CurrentTimestampWithTimeZone)
    val updatedAt = timestampWithTimeZone("updated_at").defaultExpression(CurrentTimestampWithTimeZone)
}

object OrdersTable : UUIDTable("orders") {
    val userId = uuid("user_id"