Migrations and Sync

Quark has two schema paths:

Path	Best for
client.Migrate / client.Sync	Development, tests, prototypes, additive schema evolution.
github.com/jcsvwinston/quark/migrate	Reviewable, ordered, reversible production migrations written in Go.

There is no standalone migration CLI in the current module tree. Run migrations from a small Go command, your application startup, CI, or an admin job.

Create Tables with Migrate

Migrate creates missing tables from model metadata:

err := client.Migrate(ctx, &User{}, &Order{}, &Product{})

It reads:

Metadata	DDL effect
db:"column"	Creates a column.
pk:"true"	Creates a primary key. Multiple PK tags create a composite PK.
Go field type	Maps to a dialect-specific SQL type.
quark:"not_null" / nullable:"false"	Adds NOT NULL.
default:"value"	Adds DEFAULT value.
quark:"unique"	Adds UNIQUE.
rel:"many_to_many" m2m:"..."	Creates a join table.

Example:

type User struct {
    ID        int64     `db:"id" pk:"true"`
    Email     string    `db:"email" quark:"unique,not_null"`
    Name      string    `db:"name" quark:"not_null"`
    Active    bool      `db:"active" default:"1"`
    CreatedAt time.Time `db:"created_at" default:"CURRENT_TIMESTAMP"`
}

if err := client.Migrate(ctx, &User{}); err != nil {
    return err
}

Migrate is idempotent for engines that support CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS. Oracle handles “already exists” errors specially because its syntax differs.

Type Mapping

Quark maps Go types through the selected dialect:

Go kind	Typical SQL type
Integer PK	Auto-increment / identity primary key.
String PK	VARCHAR(36) / NVARCHAR(36) primary key.
string	Text or varying character type.
int, int64, unsigned ints	Integer / number type.
float32, float64	Real / double / float type.
bool	Boolean, bit, or numeric boolean depending on dialect.
time.Time	Timestamp / datetime type.
Pointer fields	Unwrapped for type mapping and nullable unless constrained.

For advanced column types, create them with a versioned migration or raw DDL and map the resulting column with a normal db tag.

Evolve Tables with Sync

Sync compares the current model to the current database table:

err := client.Sync(ctx, quark.SyncOptions{}, &User{})

Supported changes in the current implementation:

Change	Behavior
Missing table	Sync calls Migrate first unless DryRun is true.
New field with db tag	Adds a column.
quark:"rename:old_col"	Renames an existing column to the current db name.
Removed field	Drops the column only when SafeMigrations is false.

Sync does not currently perform automatic type changes or constraint rewrites after a column already exists. Use a versioned migration for those changes.

Rename a Column Safely

Use quark:"rename:old_col" when a field is renamed in Go and in SQL:

type User struct {
    ID       int64  `db:"id" pk:"true"`
    FullName string `db:"full_name" quark:"rename:name"`
}

err := client.Sync(ctx, quark.SyncOptions{}, &User{})

If the table has name but not full_name, Quark emits dialect-specific rename DDL. If neither column exists, it adds full_name.

Safe Migrations

SafeMigrations defaults to true:

limits := quark.DefaultLimits()
limits.SafeMigrations = true

client, err := quark.New(db,
    quark.WithDialect(quark.PostgreSQL()),
    quark.WithLimits(limits),
)

With safe mode enabled, Sync will not drop columns that exist in the database but no longer exist in the model. To allow destructive drops, opt in explicitly:

limits := quark.DefaultLimits()
limits.SafeMigrations = false

client, err := quark.New(db,
    quark.WithDialect(quark.PostgreSQL()),
    quark.WithLimits(limits),
)

err = client.Sync(ctx, quark.SyncOptions{}, &User{})

Prefer a versioned migration for destructive changes so the review includes the data migration, rollback strategy, and operational plan.

Dry Runs and Transactions

SyncOptions controls execution:

err := client.Sync(ctx, quark.SyncOptions{
    DryRun:        true,
    NoTransaction: false,
}, &User{})

Option	Effect
DryRun	Logs planned column add/rename/drop SQL without executing it.
NoTransaction	Disables transactional DDL wrapping even if the dialect supports it.

PostgreSQL, SQLite, SQL Server, and Oracle report transactional DDL support. MySQL and MariaDB perform implicit commits around many DDL statements, so Quark runs their sync steps without a transaction.

Indexes

Use CreateIndex for simple indexes:

err := client.CreateIndex(
    ctx,
    "users",
    "idx_users_email",
    []string{"email"},
    true,
)

The last argument controls uniqueness. The helper quotes identifiers and ignores “already exists” errors for dialects where Quark can recognize them.

For partial indexes, expression indexes, included columns, or engine-specific index options, use a versioned migration with explicit SQL.

Foreign Keys

err := client.AddForeignKey(
    ctx,
    "orders",
    "fk_orders_user",
    []string{"user_id"},
    "users",
    []string{"id"},
    "CASCADE",
    "",
)

columns and refColumns are matched by position. onDelete and onUpdate are appended directly, so pass values supported by your engine, such as CASCADE, RESTRICT, NO ACTION, or SET NULL.

Versioned Go Migrations

Use the migrate package when schema changes must be ordered, reviewed, and reversible.

package migrations

import (
    "context"

    "github.com/jcsvwinston/quark"
    "github.com/jcsvwinston/quark/migrate"
)

func init() {
    migrate.Register(&migrate.Migration{
        ID:   "202605050001_add_users_email_index",
        Name: "add users email index",
        Up: func(ctx context.Context, client *quark.Client) error {
            return client.CreateIndex(ctx, "users", "idx_users_email", []string{"email"}, true)
        },
        Down: func(ctx context.Context, client *quark.Client) error {
            return client.Exec(ctx, `DROP INDEX idx_users_email`)
        },
    })
}

ID strings are sorted lexicographically. Use timestamp-like IDs so migration order is obvious and stable.

Running Migrations

Create a small command that imports your migration package for side effects:

package main

import (
    "context"
    "database/sql"
    "log"

    "github.com/jcsvwinston/quark"
    "github.com/jcsvwinston/quark/migrate"
    _ "github.com/lib/pq"

    _ "your/app/migrations"
)

func main() {
    ctx := context.Background()

    db, err := sql.Open("postgres", "postgres://user:pass@localhost/app?sslmode=disable")
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }

    limits := quark.DefaultLimits()
    limits.AllowRawQueries = true

    client, err := quark.New(db,
        quark.WithDialect(quark.PostgreSQL()),
        quark.WithLimits(limits),
    )
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    defer client.Close()

    migrator := migrate.NewMigrator(client)
    if err := migrator.Up(ctx, 0); err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
}

The migrator stores applied IDs in quark_migrations. It uses client.Exec internally, so configure the migration client with AllowRawQueries: true.

Preview and Rollback

migrator := migrate.NewMigrator(client)

// Preview all pending migrations.
err := migrator.UpDryRun(ctx, 0)

// Apply all pending migrations.
err = migrator.Up(ctx, 0)

// Revert one applied migration.
err = migrator.Down(ctx, 1)

Pass steps > 0 to limit how many migrations are applied or reverted. Pass 0 to apply or revert every eligible migration.

Recommended Production Flow

1. Use Migrate freely in tests and local prototypes.
2. Use Sync for additive changes while the schema is still young.
3. Use quark:"rename:old_col" for non-destructive renames.
4. Move production DDL into versioned Go migrations once the table has real data.
5. Keep SafeMigrations enabled for app clients.
6. Use a separate migration client with AllowRawQueries: true.
7. Make destructive changes explicit and reversible, with a tested Down.