Migrating from v1 to v2

@ackplus/nest-seeder v2 is a focused redesign. The core you already know — the @Factory decorator, the Seeder interface, and DataFactory — is unchanged, so most applications upgrade in a few minutes. The breaking changes are concentrated in the CLI, the config ergonomics, and the packaging.

TL;DR

1. npm install @ackplus/nest-seeder@^2
2. Replace your long seed script with "seed": "nest-seed".
3. Rename the --dummyData flag to --dummy-data.
4. If your drop() uses repository.delete({}), switch to repository.createQueryBuilder().delete().execute().

Everything else is optional polish.

At a glance

Area	v1	v2
Run command	node -r ts-node/register … dist/cli.js -c ./seeder.config.ts	nest-seed (config auto-detected)
--config	Required	Optional (auto-discovers seeder.config.{ts,js,cjs,mjs})
Dummy-data flag	--dummyData	--dummy-data (or the new --context)
Scaffolding	none	nest-seed init
Inspect seeders	none	nest-seed list
Preview	none	nest-seed --dry-run
drop()	required	optional
Refresh drop order	same as list	reverse of list (foreign-key safe)
Build output	CommonJS only	Dual ESM + CJS with an exports map
Logging	console.*	NestJS Logger

Step-by-step

1. Update the dependency

npm install @ackplus/nest-seeder@^2 @faker-js/faker
# .ts config files still need:
npm install -D ts-node typescript

2. Simplify your run script

The verbose v1 invocation still works, but v2 ships a real binary with config auto-discovery.

// package.json
{
  "scripts": {
    // before (v1)
    "seed": "node -r ts-node/register -r tsconfig-paths/register ./node_modules/@ackplus/nest-seeder/dist/cli.js -c ./seeder.config.ts",
    // after (v2)
    "seed": "nest-seed",
    "seed:refresh": "nest-seed --refresh"
  }
}

If your config file is not named seeder.config.* in the project root, keep passing -c ./path/to/config.ts.

3. Rename the --dummyData flag

The flag is now kebab-case to match the rest of the CLI:

# before
nest-seed --dummyData
# after
nest-seed --dummy-data

options.dummyData is still delivered to your seeders (it's deprecated but functional). For new code, prefer the general-purpose --context flag:

nest-seed --context '{ "size": "large" }'

async seed(options: SeederServiceOptions) {
  const big = options.context?.size === 'large';
  // ...
}

4. Fix your drop() method ⚠️

v1 docs taught await this.repo.delete({}). Modern TypeORM rejects an empty criteria with Empty criteria(s) are not allowed for the delete method. Use the query builder instead:

// before (throws on modern TypeORM)
async drop() {
  await this.userRepository.delete({});
}

// after
async drop() {
  await this.userRepository.createQueryBuilder().delete().execute();
}

Mongoose is unchanged: await this.userModel.deleteMany({}).

5. (Optional) Wrap your config in defineSeederConfig

Get full IntelliSense and type-checking for free:

import { defineSeederConfig } from '@ackplus/nest-seeder';

export default defineSeederConfig({
  imports: [/* … */],
  seeders: [UserSeeder, PostSeeder],
});

A plain export default { … } still works.

6. (Optional) Add stable seeder names

--name matches the class name by default, which breaks under minification. Add @SeederName for a stable, friendly alias:

import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { Seeder, SeederName } from '@ackplus/nest-seeder';

@Injectable()
@SeederName('users')
export class UserSeeder implements Seeder { /* … */ }

nest-seed --name users

Run nest-seed list to see every seeder and its alias.

Behavior changes to be aware of

• Overrides are always applied. factory.generate(3, { authorId: user.id }) now includes authorId even though it isn't a @Factory field. In v1 such keys were silently dropped — a common source of NOT NULL errors when seeding relationships. This is a fix, but if you worked around the old behavior, you can remove the workaround.
• dependsOn is resolved transitively and is no longer order-sensitive.
• Factory inheritance works. A factory that extends a base factory now inherits the base's @Factory properties (subclass definitions win).
• Refresh drops in reverse order. On --refresh, seeders are dropped from last to first so foreign-key children are removed before their parents. List your seeders parent-first (you almost certainly already do).
• drop() is optional. Seeders without a drop() are simply skipped during refresh.

Packaging notes

• v2 ships dual ESM + CJS with a restricted exports map. Import from the package root:

  import { DataFactory, Factory, Seeder } from '@ackplus/nest-seeder';

  Deep imports like @ackplus/nest-seeder/dist/lib/... are no longer supported (the internal file layout changed). If you relied on one, open an issue describing the use case.

• The nest-seed binary path (dist/cli.js) is preserved, so the old long run command keeps working.

Need help?

• Browse the Guide and API Reference.
• Hit a snag? See Troubleshooting or open an issue.