# Connection management (Prisma ORM v6) (/docs/orm/v6/prisma-client/setup-and-configuration/databases-connections/connection-management)

> For the complete Prisma documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.prisma.io/docs/llms.txt). A markdown version of any docs page is available by appending `.md` to its URL.

This page explains how database connections are handled with Prisma Client and how to manually connect and disconnect your database.

Location: ORM > v6 > Prisma Client > Setup and Configuration > Database Connections > Connection management

> [!NOTE]
> Quick summary
> 
> This page explains how Prisma Client manages database connections, including how and when to use the `$connect()` and `$disconnect()` methods, connection pooling behavior, and best practices for both long-running and serverless environments.

`PrismaClient` connects and disconnects from your data source using the following two methods:

* [`$connect()`](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/reference/prisma-client-reference#connect-1)
* [`$disconnect()`](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/reference/prisma-client-reference#disconnect-1)

In most cases, you **do not need to explicitly call these methods**. `PrismaClient` automatically connects when you run your first query, creates a [connection pool](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/prisma-client/setup-and-configuration/databases-connections/connection-pool), and disconnects when the Node.js process ends.

See the [connection management guide](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/prisma-client/setup-and-configuration/databases-connections) for information about managing connections for different deployment paradigms (long-running processes and serverless functions).

**Questions answered in this page**

* When should I call $connect and $disconnect?
* How does Prisma manage connection pools?
* How to handle connections in serverless?

## `$connect()` [#connect]

It is not necessary to call [`$connect()`](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/reference/prisma-client-reference#connect-1) thanks to the *lazy connect* behavior: The `PrismaClient` instance connects lazily when the first request is made to the API (`$connect()` is called for you under the hood).

### Calling `$connect()` explicitly [#calling-connect-explicitly]

If you need the first request to respond instantly and cannot wait for a lazy connection to be established, you can explicitly call `prisma.$connect()` to establish a connection to the data source:

```ts
const prisma = new PrismaClient();

// run inside `async` function
await prisma.$connect();
```

## `$disconnect()` [#disconnect]

When you call [`$disconnect()`](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/reference/prisma-client-reference#disconnect-1) , Prisma Client:

1. Runs the [`beforeExit` hook](#exit-hooks)
2. Ends the Query Engine child process and closes all connections

In a long-running application such as a GraphQL API, which constantly serves requests, it does not make sense to `$disconnect()` after each request - it takes time to establish a connection, and doing so as part of each request will slow down your application.

> [!NOTE]
> To avoid too *many* connections in a long-running application, we recommend that you [use a single instance of `PrismaClient` across your application](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/prisma-client/setup-and-configuration/instantiate-prisma-client#the-number-of-prismaclient-instances-matters).

### Calling `$disconnect()` explicitly [#calling-disconnect-explicitly]

One scenario where you should call `$disconnect()` explicitly is where a script:

1. Runs **infrequently** (for example, a scheduled job to send emails each night), which means it does not benefit from a long-running connection to the database *and*
2. Exists in the context of a **long-running application**, such as a background service. If the application never shuts down, Prisma Client never disconnects.

The following script creates a new instance of `PrismaClient`, performs a task, and then disconnects - which closes the connection pool:

```ts highlight=19;normal
import { PrismaClient } from "../prisma/generated/client";

const prisma = new PrismaClient();
const emailService = new EmailService();

async function main() {
  const allUsers = await prisma.user.findMany();
  const emails = allUsers.map((x) => x.email);

  await emailService.send(emails, "Hello!");
}

main()
  .then(async () => {
    await prisma.$disconnect();
  })
  .catch(async (e) => {
    console.error(e);
    await prisma.$disconnect();
    process.exit(1);
  });
```

If the above script runs multiple times in the context of a long-running application *without* calling `$disconnect()`, a new connection pool is created with each new instance of `PrismaClient`.

## Exit hooks [#exit-hooks]

> [!NOTE]
> From Prisma ORM 5.0.0, the `beforeExit` hook only applies to the [binary Query Engine](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/more/internals/engines#configuring-the-query-engine).

The `beforeExit` hook runs when Prisma ORM is triggered externally (e.g. via a `SIGINT` signal) to shut down, and allows you to run code *before* Prisma Client disconnects - for example, to issue queries as part of a graceful shutdown of a service:

```ts
const prisma = new PrismaClient();

prisma.$on("beforeExit", async () => {
  console.log("beforeExit hook");
  // PrismaClient still available
  await prisma.message.create({
    data: {
      message: "Shutting down server",
    },
  });
});
```

## Related pages

- [`Configure Prisma Client with PgBouncer`](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/prisma-client/setup-and-configuration/databases-connections/pgbouncer): Configure Prisma Client with PgBouncer and other poolers: when to use pgbouncer=true, required transaction mode, prepared statements, and Prisma Migrate workarounds.
- [`Connection pool`](https://www.prisma.io/docs/orm/v6/prisma-client/setup-and-configuration/databases-connections/connection-pool): Prisma ORM's query engine creates a connection pool to store and manage database connections.