Express + TypeORM

Install paneljs, @paneljs/express, and @paneljs/typeorm into your Express + TypeORM app and open /admin.

Requirements

• Node.js ^20.19 || ^22.12 || >=24 or Bun >=1.3
• Express 4 or 5
• typeorm ^0.3.20
• An initialized TypeORM DataSource with your entities registered

Introspection reads live entity metadata. The DataSource must already be initialize()d before you pass it to the adapter.

Install

CLI, from the root of this app (does not rewrite source):

npx paneljs@latest init --framework express --orm typeorm --yes

Or add the packages yourself:

npm

$ npm install paneljs @paneljs/express @paneljs/typeorm

pnpm

$ pnpm add paneljs @paneljs/express @paneljs/typeorm

yarn

$ yarn add paneljs @paneljs/express @paneljs/typeorm

bun

$ bun add paneljs @paneljs/express @paneljs/typeorm

Express and TypeORM are peers. If this app does not have them yet:

npm

$ npm install express typeorm

pnpm

$ pnpm add express typeorm

yarn

$ yarn add express typeorm

bun

$ bun add express typeorm

Add it to your server

Initialize the DataSource first, then create the admin:

import express from "express";
import { createAdmin } from "paneljs";
import { mount } from "@paneljs/express";
import { typeormAdapter } from "@paneljs/typeorm";
import { dataSource } from "./data-source.js";

await dataSource.initialize();

const app = express();

const admin = createAdmin({
  adapter: typeormAdapter({ dataSource }),
  siteName: "Admin",
  auth: {
    getCurrentUser: async (req) => {
      const user = await getOperatorFromYourAuth(req);
      if (!user) return null;
      return {
        id: user.id,
        email: user.email,
        role: user.role,
        isSuperAdmin: user.role === "SUPER_ADMIN",
      };
    },
  },
});

admin.register("User");
admin.register("Post");

await mount(app, admin);

app.listen(3000);

Replace "User" / "Post" with entity names registered on the DataSource (@Entity() class name or EntitySchema name), PascalCase, exact.

typeormAdapter throws if the DataSource is not initialized.

Built-in login

If you want /admin/login instead of getCurrentUser, add the auth entities to the DataSource and switch auth mode:

import { builtInAuthEntities, typeormAdapter } from "@paneljs/typeorm";

const dataSource = new DataSource({
  type: "postgres",
  url: process.env.DATABASE_URL,
  entities: [...appEntities, ...builtInAuthEntities({ identifier: "email" })],
});
await dataSource.initialize();

const admin = createAdmin({
  adapter: typeormAdapter({ dataSource }),
  auth: { mode: "built-in", identifier: "email" },
});

Do not register("ExpressAdminUser"). See Authentication.

Create the first operator with npx paneljs createsuperuser --config ./paneljs.config.mjs. The config must export an initialized typeormAdapter and the built-in auth settings. See Authentication.

Open the admin

Start your server and visit:

http://localhost:3000/admin

You should see a sidebar with every entity you registered. register("User") with no second argument is enough for a list and a form. Defaults come from entity metadata.

What to do next

• Wire it into your app — listDisplay, searchFields, listFilter, scope, actions, audit
• Authentication — built-in login or an existing session
• TypeORM adapter — DataSource, builtInAuthEntities, typeormActionWhere
• How it works — why mount is async