Can I use straight SQL to get the number of rows in a table using Fluent (Vapor)?

Question

I want to do this SELECT COUNT(column_name) FROM table_name; to get back an Int and return it as part of a response. I don't want to have to load every object into memory just to get the count; like this: User.query().all().count

Please tell me this is possible with Fluent! :)

Answer 1

It is possible with raw method. Here you have example for MySQL

guard let mysql = drop.database?.driver as? MySQLDriver else {
    return
}

let count = try mysql.raw("SELECT COUNT(column_name) FROM table_name")

Also, every driver has to implement raw method

public protocol Driver {
    var idKey: String { get }
    func query<T: Entity>(_ query: Query<T>) throws -> Node
    func schema(_ schema: Schema) throws
    func raw(_ raw: String, _ values: [Node]) throws -> Node
}