serverpod-models

You define Serverpod models by creating declarative schemas in a .spy.yaml file under your server lib/ directory. This YAML source of truth generates Dart server and client classes, serialization logic, and optional database ORM tables.

You add database relations by declaring them directly in your Serverpod model YAML files. This allows you to model one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many relations, which are then generated into Dart classes and ORM table definitions.

Yes, you must run database migrations whenever your table definitions change. After updating your .spy.yaml model, run serverpod generate and apply the corresponding migrations workflow to ensure safe backward-compatible schema evolution.

Yes, you can define custom serializable exceptions and enums in your .spy.yaml files. These definitions are processed to generate corresponding Dart classes that can be safely sent across the server and client protocol layers.

Scoped and non-persisted fields are model attributes defined in your YAML that exist across protocol layers but are excluded from the generated database ORM tables. They allow you to transmit data without altering the database schema.

To ensure backward compatibility, you must apply safe field typing and evolution rules when modifying your .spy.yaml files. Any structural table definition changes must be aligned with the database migration workflow to prevent schema conflicts.