Create a database in Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL using JavaScript

Article
10/03/2024

APPLIES TO: NoSQL

Databases in Azure Cosmos DB are units of management for one or more containers. Before you can create or manage containers, you must first create a database.

Name a database

In Azure Cosmos DB, a database is analogous to a namespace. When you create a database, the database name forms a segment of the URI used to access the database resource and any child resources.

Once created, the URI for a database is in this format:

https://<cosmos-account-name>.documents.azure.com/dbs/<database-name>

Create a database

Once you create the CosmosClient, use the client to create a Database from two different calls:

createIfNotExists - Creates a database if it doesn't exist. If it does exist, return database.
create - Creates a database. If it does exist, return error statusCode.

const databaseName = 'myDb';

// Possible results:
// Create then return database
// Return existing database
// Return error statusCode
const {statusCode, database } = await client.databases.createIfNotExists({ id: databaseName });

// Possible results: 
// Create then return database
// Return error statusCode, reason includes database already exists
const {statusCode, database } = await client.databases.create({ id: databaseName });

The statusCode is an HTTP response code. A successful response is in the 200-299 range.

Access a database

A database is accessed from the Database object either directly or through a query result from the CosmosClient.

const databaseName = 'myDb';

// Direct - assumes database already exists
const { database, statusCode } = await client.database(databaseName);

// Query - assumes database already exists   
const { resources } = await client.databases
.query({
    query: `SELECT * FROM root r where r.id =@dbId`,
    parameters: [
    {
        name: '@dbId',
        value: databaseName
    }
    ]
})
.fetchAll();

Access by object:

Databases (plural): Used for creating new databases, or querying/reading all databases.
Database (singular): Used for reading, updating, or deleting an existing database by ID or accessing containers belonging to that database.

Delete a database

Once you get the Database object, you can use the Database object to delete the database:

const {statusCode } = await database.delete();

The statusCode is an HTTP response code. A successful response is in the 200-299 range.

Next steps

Now that you've created a database, use the next guide to create containers.

Create a container

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