Create a database in Azure Cosmos DB for NoSQL using JavaScript

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.

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.cn/dbs/<database-name>

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.

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.

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.

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