Quick Start

Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you get up and running with Helper.db quickly. We’ll cover the basic concepts and show you how to perform common database operations.

Installation

First, make sure you have Helper.db installed:

npm install helper.db

yarn add helper.db

pnpm add helper.db

bun add helper.db

Basic Setup

Create a new database instance and start working with data:

const { Database } = require('helper.db');

// Create a new database instance
const db = new Database('myapp.db');

// The database file will be created automatically
console.log('Database created successfully!');

Core Concepts

Database Instance

The Database class is the main entry point for all operations:

const { Database } = require('helper.db');

// Basic database
const db = new Database('data.db');

// Database with options
const dbWithOptions = new Database('data.db', {
  autoSave: true,
  saveInterval: 5000
});

Setting Data

Store data using the set method:

// Simple key-value
db.set('username', 'john_doe');
db.set('score', 1500);

// Nested objects
db.set('user.profile.name', 'John Doe');
db.set('user.profile.email', 'john@example.com');

// Arrays
db.set('tags', ['javascript', 'database', 'nodejs']);

Getting Data

Retrieve data using the get method:

// Get simple values
const username = db.get('username');
const score = db.get('score');

// Get nested values
const name = db.get('user.profile.name');

// Get with default value
const theme = db.get('settings.theme', 'dark');

console.log('Username:', username);
console.log('Score:', score);
console.log('Name:', name);
console.log('Theme:', theme);

Complete Example

Here’s a complete example showing common operations:

const { Database } = require('helper.db');

// Initialize database
const db = new Database('example.db');

// Set user data
db.set('users.1', {
  id: 1,
  name: 'Alice Johnson',
  email: 'alice@example.com',
  score: 2500,
  achievements: ['first-login', 'score-1000']
});

db.set('users.2', {
  id: 2,
  name: 'Bob Smith',
  email: 'bob@example.com',
  score: 1800,
  achievements: ['first-login']
});

// Get user data
const user1 = db.get('users.1');
const user2 = db.get('users.2');

console.log('User 1:', user1);
console.log('User 2:', user2);

// Update user score
db.set('users.1.score', 2750);

// Add achievement
const achievements = db.get('users.2.achievements');
achievements.push('score-1500');
db.set('users.2.achievements', achievements);

// Get all users
const allUsers = db.get('users');
console.log('All users:', allUsers);

// Check if key exists
if (db.has('users.1.premium')) {
  console.log('User 1 is premium');
} else {
  console.log('User 1 is not premium');
}

// Delete data
db.delete('users.2.achievements.0'); // Remove first achievement

console.log('Operations completed successfully!');

Running Your Code

Save your code to a file and run it:

node app.js

yarn node app.js

pnpm node app.js

bun app.js

Method Reference

Here are some essential methods you’ll use frequently:

set

set(key: string, value: any) → Database

Sets a value in the database. Supports dot notation for nested objects.

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`key`	`string`	The key to set the value for
`value`	`any`	The value to store

get

get(key: string, defaultValue?: any) → any

Gets a value from the database. Returns undefined if key doesn't exist.

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`key`	`string`	The key to retrieve the value for
`defaultValue?`	`any`	Default value if key doesn't exist

has

has(key: string) → boolean

Checks if a key exists in the database.

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`key`	`string`	The key to check for existence

delete

delete(key: string) → boolean

Deletes a key from the database. Returns true if the key existed.

Parameters

Name	Type	Description
`key`	`string`	The key to delete

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basics, you can:

Explore the Database API Reference for all available methods
Learn about Advanced Features like encryption and compression
Check out Real-world Examples for inspiration

Happy coding with Helper.db! 🚀