cube-js/cube · error · Error

Unsupported db type: ${dbType}

Error message

Unsupported db type: ${dbType}

What it means

driverDependencies(dbType) maps a Cube database type to the driver package name; if a dedicated built-in mapping exists it is used, otherwise it checks whether a package named `${dbType}-cubejs-driver` is installed. If neither applies, it throws 'Unsupported db type: <dbType>', meaning Cube has no known driver package for the requested type. lookupDriverClass relies on this resolution to load the driver class.

Source

Thrown at packages/cubejs-server-core/src/core/DriverResolvers.ts:27

import DriverDependencies from './DriverDependencies';

/**
 * Resolve driver module name by db type.
 */
export const driverDependencies = (dbType: DatabaseType) => {
  if (DriverDependencies[dbType]) {
    return DriverDependencies[dbType];
  }

  if (packageExists(`@cubejs-backend/${dbType}-driver`, true)) {
    return `@cubejs-backend/${dbType}-driver`;
  }

  if (packageExists(`${dbType}-cubejs-driver`, true)) {
    return `${dbType}-cubejs-driver`;
  }

  throw new Error(`Unsupported db type: ${dbType}`);
};

/**
 * Resolve driver module object by db type.
 */
export const lookupDriverClass = (dbType): Constructor<BaseDriver> & {
  dialectClass?: () => any;
  getDefaultConcurrency?: () => number;
} => {
  // eslint-disable-next-line global-require,import/no-dynamic-require
  const module = require(
    driverDependencies(dbType || process.env.CUBEJS_DB_TYPE)
  );
  if (module.default) {
    return module.default;
  }
  return module;
};

View on GitHub (pinned to 7d981676b3)

Solutions

  1. Check CUBEJS_DB_TYPE for typos and use a supported value (postgres, mysql, etc.)
  2. Install the matching driver package, e.g. yarn add @cubejs-backend/<dbtype>-driver (or a package named `${dbType}-cubejs-driver` for custom drivers)
  3. For a fully custom driver, pass a driverFactory returning a driver instance instead of relying on db-type resolution
  4. List supported types via the Cube docs for the installed Cube version

Example fix

// before (.env)
CUBEJS_DB_TYPE=oracledb
// after
# install: yarn add @cubejs-backend/oracle-driver
CUBEJS_DB_TYPE=oracle
Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

import { existsSync } from 'fs';
function assertDbTypeSupported(dbType) {
  const known = ['postgres','mysql','mssql','bigquery','duckdb','clickhouse','snowflake','databricks-jdbc','sqlite'];
  const pkg = `${dbType}-cubejs-driver`;
  if (!known.includes(dbType) && !packageExists(pkg)) {
    throw new Error(`Unsupported db type: ${dbType}. Install ${pkg} or fix CUBEJS_DB_TYPE.`);
  }
}

Type guard

function isSupportedDbType(v) {
  return typeof v === 'string' && v.length > 0 && /^[a-z0-9-]+$/.test(v);
}

Try / catch

try {
  const DriverClass = lookupDriverClass(process.env.CUBEJS_DB_TYPE);
} catch (e) {
  if (/^Unsupported db type:/.test(e.message)) {
    console.error(`Unknown CUBEJS_DB_TYPE '${process.env.CUBEJS_DB_TYPE}'. Install the matching -cubejs-driver package.`);
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: Calling createDriver/lookupDriverClass (directly or via DevServer /playground/test-connection, where the db type comes from variables[CUBEJS_DB_TYPE]) with a type string that is neither a built-in type nor matching an installed `${dbType}-cubejs-driver` package — e.g. CUBEJS_DB_TYPE=oracle when @cubejs-backend/oracle-driver is not installed, or a mistyped value like 'postgress'.

Common situations: Typo in CUBEJS_DB_TYPE; using a database type supported only by a separate driver package that was never yarn-installed; community/custom drivers named incorrectly (must be <type>-cubejs-driver); upgrading Cube and the type moved to an external package.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of cube-js/cube@7d981676b3 (2026-09-02). Data as JSON: /api/errors/13763cdd2514a9ed. Report an issue: GitHub.