db.stream()

Streaming is LinkedQL's lazy, pull-based result consumption model. Rows are produced only as the consumer requests them via for await, rather than being pushed all at once.

Use it when you want:

• row-by-row async iteration
• lower peak memory usage for large result sets
• a query result you can consume on demand instead of buffering all at once

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API

The surface area is intentionally small:

await db.stream(query, options?)

Supported parameters:

• query: the query input accepted by the current client, most commonly a SQL string
• options.values: positional bind values as with db.query()
• options.batchSize: number of rows fetched into memory per batch

Example:

const q = 'SELECT id, email FROM public.users WHERE active = $1 ORDER BY id';
const asyncIterable = await db.stream(q, {
  values: [true],
  batchSize: 500,
});

What this does:

• executes the query once
• exposes the result as an async iterable, consumed incrementally

Rows are yielded in the order defined by the query.

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What Streaming Is and Is Not

Streaming is:

• lazy
• async-iterable
• still a single query execution

Streaming is not:

• a live query
• a changefeed
• a continuous stream over time

If you need those, see:

• Live Queries
• Changefeeds

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Why stream()

Buffered queries are convenient:

const result = await db.query('SELECT * FROM public.huge_table');
console.log(result.rows.length);

But for large results, buffering every row before your code can start consuming them is not always what you want.

Streaming gives you the right trade there:

• less up-front materialization
• earlier consumption
• simpler handling of large result sets

Streaming does not change query semantics. It only changes how results are consumed.

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Runtime Notes

Mainstream DB Clients

For PGClient, MySQLClient, and MariaDBClient, stream() maps to the underlying client/runtime's streaming path.

EdgeClient

EdgeClient can stream over:

• HTTP
• worker ports

Depending on the portBasedStreaming setting, rows may arrive:

• over a message port
• as a streamed HTTP body parsed incrementally

By default, EdgeClient's options.portBasedStreaming is set to true, so rows are streamed over a port even on an HTTP transport. This requires the backend to expose a port-based channel. See the Edge guide.

To stream over native HTTP responses, explicitly set options.portBasedStreaming to false on EdgeClient:

const db = new EdgeClient({
  type: 'http',
  url: '/api/db',
  portBasedStreaming: false,
});

Regardless of the options.portBasedStreaming setting, the application-facing shape remains the same: async iterable.

FlashQL

In FlashQL, stream() gives you lazy iteration over the result of a local query execution.

That makes it useful for:

• local analytical scans
• browser/worker exports
• large local result sets where full buffering is unnecessary

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Additional Reading

If you want to learn about...	Go to...
the related query() API	Query API
streaming within a transaction	Transaction API