How to Set Up Node.js + Prisma + MySQL with TypeScript and Path Aliases (Dev & Prod Ready)

Setting up a scalable Node.js backend can feel overwhelming, especially when combining Prisma, MySQL, and TypeScript. In this guide, we’ll walk through a complete step-by-step setup—from path aliases to production builds—so your project is both developer-friendly and production-ready. No more nodemon hacks, just a clean and modern workflow you can rely on.

tsconfig.json

 

{ "compilerOptions": { "target": "ES2020", "module": "commonjs", "outDir": "./dist", "rootDir": "./src", "strict": true, "esModuleInterop": true, "skipLibCheck": true, "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true, "baseUrl": "src", "paths": { "@config/*": ["config/*"], "@routes/*": ["routes/*"], "@controllers/*": ["controllers/*"], "@utils/*": ["utils/*"], "@schemas/*": ["schemas/*"], "@middlewares/*": ["middlewares/*"], "@resources/*": ["resources/*"], "@types/*": ["types/*"], "@helpers/*": ["helpers/*"] } }, "include": ["src/**/*", "src/types/global.d.ts", "src/resources/user.resource.ts"], "exclude": ["node_modules"] }

package.json

<!-- //code --> { "name": "my-app", "version": "1.0.0", "scripts": { "dev": "tsx watch --clear-screen=false src/index.ts", "build": "tsc && tsc-alias", "start": "node dist/index.js", "add": "node scripts/add-module.js", "g": "npx prisma generate", "p": "npx prisma db push", "f": "npx prisma format", "db:push": "npx prisma db push", "generate": "npx prisma generate", "all": "npx prisma db push && npx prisma generate" }, "dependencies": { "@prisma/client": "^6.16.1", "bcryptjs": "^3.0.2", "express": "^4.21.2", "jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.2", "multer": "^2.0.2", "mysql2": "^3.6.0", "zod": "^4.1.8" }, "devDependencies": { "@types/express": "^4.17.23", "@types/jsonwebtoken": "^9.0.10", "@types/multer": "^2.0.0", "@types/node": "^22.18.3", "nodemon": "^3.1.10", "prisma": "^6.16.1", "ts-node": "^10.9.2", "tsc-alias": "^1.8.16", "tsconfig-paths": "^4.2.0", "tsx": "^4.20.5", "typescript": "^5.9.2" }, "description": "npm init -y", "main": "index.js", "keywords": [], "author": "", "license": "ISC" }

# 1. Init project

npm init -y

# 2. Install runtime dependencies (used in production)

npm install express @prisma/client mysql2

# 3. Install dev dependencies (used only in dev/build)

npm install -D typescript tsx ts-node prisma @types/node @types/express



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