Writing Queries

Learn Sync Streams query syntax for filtering, column selection, and type transformations.

This page covers query syntax for Sync Streams: filtering, selecting columns, and transforming data.

For parameter usage, see Using Parameters. For real-world patterns, see Examples, Patterns & Demos.

Basic Queries

The simplest stream query syncs all rows from a table:

streams:
  auto_subscribe: true
  categories:
    query: SELECT * FROM categories

Add a WHERE clause to filter:

streams:
  auto_subscribe: true
  active_products:
    query: SELECT * FROM products WHERE active = true

Filtering by User

Most apps need to sync different data to different users. Use auth.user_id() to filter by the authenticated user:

streams:
  auto_subscribe: true
  my_lists:
    query: SELECT * FROM lists WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id()

This syncs only the lists owned by the current user. The user ID comes from the sub claim in their JWT token. See Auth Parameters.

On-Demand Data with Subscription Parameters

For data that should only sync when the user navigates to a specific screen, use subscription parameters. The client passes these when subscribing to a stream:

streams:
  list_todos:
    query: SELECT * FROM todos WHERE list_id = subscription.parameter('list_id')

Authorization: This example filters only by subscription.parameter('list_id'). Any client can pass any list_id, so a user could access another user’s todos. For production, add an authorization check so the user can only see lists they own or have access to — for example, add AND list_id IN (SELECT id FROM lists WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id() OR id IN (SELECT list_id FROM list_shares WHERE shared_with = auth.user_id())). See Combining Parameters with Subqueries below.

// When user opens a specific list, subscribe with that list's ID
const sub = await db.syncStream('list_todos', { list_id: 'abc123' }).subscribe();

See Using Parameters for the full reference on parameters.

Selecting Columns

Select specific columns instead of * to reduce data transfer:

streams:
  users:
    query: SELECT id, name, email, avatar_url FROM users WHERE org_id = auth.parameter('org_id')

Renaming Columns

Use AS to rename columns in the synced data:

streams:
  todos:
    query: SELECT id, name, created_timestamp AS created_at FROM todos

Type Transformations

PowerSync syncs data to SQLite on the client. You may need to transform types for compatibility:

streams:
  items:
    query: |
      SELECT 
        id,
        CAST(item_number AS TEXT) AS item_number,        -- Cast to text
        metadata_json ->> 'description' AS description,  -- Extract field from JSON
        base64(thumbnail) AS thumbnail_base64,           -- Binary to base64
        unixepoch(created_at) AS created_at              -- DateTime to epoch
      FROM items

See Type Mapping for details on how each database type is handled.

Using Subqueries

Subqueries let you filter based on related tables. Use IN (SELECT ...) to sync data where a foreign key matches rows in another table:

streams:
  # Sync comments for issues owned by the current user
  my_issue_comments:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM comments 
      WHERE issue_id IN (SELECT id FROM issues WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id())

Nested Subqueries

Subqueries can be nested to traverse multiple levels of relationships. This is useful for normalized database schemas:

streams:
  # Sync tasks for projects in organizations the user belongs to
  org_tasks:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM tasks 
      WHERE project_id IN (
        SELECT id FROM projects WHERE org_id IN (
          SELECT org_id FROM org_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
        )
      )

Combining Parameters with Subqueries

A common pattern is using subscription parameters to select what data to sync, while using subqueries for authorization:

streams:
  # User subscribes with a list_id, but can only see lists they own or that are shared with them
  list_items:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM items 
      WHERE list_id = subscription.parameter('list_id')
        AND list_id IN (
          SELECT id FROM lists 
          WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id() 
             OR id IN (SELECT list_id FROM list_shares WHERE shared_with = auth.user_id())
        )

Using Joins

For complex queries that traverse multiple tables, join syntax is often easier to read than nested subqueries. You can use JOIN or INNER JOIN (they’re equivalent). For the exact supported JOIN syntax and restrictions, see Supported SQL — JOIN syntax.

Consider this query:

streams:
  # Nested subquery version
  user_comments:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM comments WHERE issue_id IN (
        SELECT id FROM issues WHERE project_id IN (
          SELECT project_id FROM project_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
        )
      )

The same query using joins:

streams:
  # Join version - same result, easier to read
  user_comments:
    query: |
      SELECT comments.* FROM comments
        INNER JOIN issues ON comments.issue_id = issues.id
        INNER JOIN project_members ON issues.project_id = project_members.project_id
      WHERE project_members.user_id = auth.user_id()

Both queries sync the same data. Choose whichever style is clearer for your use case.

Multiple Joins

You can chain multiple joins to traverse complex relationships. This example joins four tables to sync checkpoints for assignments the user has access to.

streams:
  my_checkpoints:
    query: |
      SELECT checkpoint.* FROM user_assignment_scope uas
        JOIN assignment a ON a.id = uas.assignment_id
        JOIN assignment_checkpoint ac ON ac.assignment_id = a.id
        JOIN checkpoint ON checkpoint.id = ac.checkpoint_id
      WHERE uas.user_id = auth.user_id()
        AND a.active = true

Self-Joins

You can join the same table multiple times; aliases are required to distinguish each occurrence (e.g. gm1 and gm2 for the two group_memberships joins). This is useful for finding related records through a shared relationship — for example, finding all users who share a group with the current user:

streams:
  users_in_my_groups:
    query: |
      SELECT users.* FROM users
        JOIN group_memberships gm1 ON users.id = gm1.user_id
        JOIN group_memberships gm2 ON gm1.group_id = gm2.group_id
      WHERE gm2.user_id = auth.user_id()

Join Limitations

When writing stream queries with JOINs, keep in mind: use only JOIN or INNER JOIN; select columns from a single table (e.g. comments.*); and use simple equality conditions (table1.column = table2.column). For the full list of supported JOIN syntax and invalid examples, see Supported SQL — JOIN syntax.

Multiple Queries per Stream

You can group multiple queries into a single stream using queries instead of query. This is useful when several tables share the same access pattern:

streams:
  user_data:
    auto_subscribe: true
    queries:
      - SELECT * FROM notes WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id()
      - SELECT * FROM settings WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
      - SELECT * FROM preferences WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()

You subscribe once to the stream; PowerSync merges the data from all queries efficiently. This is more efficient than defining separate streams, each requiring its own subscription.

When to Use Multiple Queries

Use queries when:

• Multiple tables have the same filtering logic (e.g., all filtered by user_id)
• You want to optimize sync by using one stream so the client subscribes once and PowerSync merges the data from all queries, and to reduce bucket count (see Developer Notes)
• Related data should sync together

streams:
  # All project-related data syncs together
  project_details:
    queries:
      - SELECT * FROM tasks WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')
      - SELECT * FROM files WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')
      - SELECT * FROM comments WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')

Compatibility Requirements

For multiple queries in one stream to be valid, they must use compatible parameter inputs. In practice, this means they should filter on the same parameters in the same way:

# Valid - all queries use the same parameter pattern
streams:
  user_content:
    queries:
      - SELECT * FROM notes WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
      - SELECT * FROM bookmarks WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()

# Valid - all queries use the same subscription parameter
streams:
  project_data:
    queries:
      - SELECT * FROM tasks WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')
      - SELECT * FROM files WHERE project_id = subscription.parameter('project_id')

Combining with CTEs

Multiple queries work well with Common Table Expressions (CTEs) to share the filtering logic and keep all results in one stream, requiring clients to manage one subscription instead of many:

streams:
  org_data:
    auto_subscribe: true
    with:
      user_orgs: SELECT org_id FROM org_members WHERE user_id = auth.user_id()
    queries:
      - SELECT * FROM projects WHERE org_id IN user_orgs
      - SELECT * FROM repositories WHERE org_id IN user_orgs
      - SELECT * FROM team_members WHERE org_id IN user_orgs

Complete Example

A full configuration combining multiple techniques:

config:
  edition: 3

streams:
  # Global reference data (no parameters, auto-subscribed)
  categories:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: SELECT id, name, CAST(sort_order AS TEXT) AS sort_order FROM categories

  # User's own items with transformed fields (auth parameter, auto-subscribed)
  my_items:
    auto_subscribe: true
    query: |
      SELECT 
        id, 
        name,
        metadata ->> 'status' AS status,
        unixepoch(created_at) AS created_at,
        base64(thumbnail) AS thumbnail
      FROM items
      WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id()
  
  # On-demand item details (subscription parameter with auth check)
  item_comments:
    query: |
      SELECT * FROM comments 
      WHERE item_id = subscription.parameter('item_id')
        AND item_id IN (SELECT id FROM items WHERE owner_id = auth.user_id())

See Examples & Patterns for real-world examples like multi-tenant apps and role-based access, and Supported SQL for all available operators and functions.