Counts the number of records matching the where clause. Returns a number.

const total = await client.db.User.count();
// total: number

count uses an efficient SELECT count() FROM ... GROUP ALL query — only the count is returned from the database, not the actual records. This makes it suitable for large tables where you need the total without fetching data.

Options

Option	Type	Required	Description
`where`	`UserWhereInput`	No	Filter conditions (omit to count all records)

The where argument is passed directly — not wrapped in an options object.

Count All Records

const total = await client.db.User.count();
// total: number (e.g., 42)

Count with Filter

const activeUsers = await client.db.User.count({ isActive: true });
// activeUsers: number

const recentPosts = await client.db.Post.count({
  createdAt: { gte: new Date('2024-01-01') },
});
// recentPosts: number

Combining with Pagination

Use count alongside findMany to build paginated responses:

const pageSize = 10;
const page = 1;
const where = { isActive: true };

const [users, total] = await Promise.all([
  client.db.User.findMany({
    where,
    limit: pageSize,
    offset: (page - 1) * pageSize,
    orderBy: { createdAt: 'desc' },
  }),
  client.db.User.count(where),
]);

const totalPages = Math.ceil(total / pageSize);
// users: User[], total: number, totalPages: number

count vs exists

When you only need to know whether any records match, prefer exists — it makes the intent clearer:

// Use count when you need the actual number
const adminCount = await client.db.User.count({ role: 'admin' });
console.log(`There are ${adminCount} admins`);

// Use exists when you only need a boolean
if (await client.db.User.exists({ role: 'admin' })) {
  // at least one admin exists
}

Both use the same efficient aggregate query under the hood.

Return Value

Returns a number representing the count of matching records.
Returns 0 if no records match.