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Deprecated as of version 2025-09-03This page describes the API for versions up to and including 2022-06-28. In the new 2025-09-03 version, the concepts of databases and data sources were split up, as described in Upgrading to 2025-09-03.Refer to the new page instead:
A sort is a condition used to order the entries returned from a database query. A database query can be sorted by a property and/or timestamp and in a given direction. For example, a library database can be sorted by the “Name of a book” (i.e. property) and in ascending (i.e. direction). Here is an example of a sort on a database property. 
{
    "sorts": [
        {
            "property": "Name",
            "direction": "ascending"
        }
    ]
}
If you’re using the Notion SDK for JavaScript, you can apply this sorting property to your query like so: 
const { Client } = require('@notionhq/client');

const notion = new Client({ auth: process.env.NOTION_API_KEY });
// replace with your own database ID
const databaseId = 'd9824bdc-8445-4327-be8b-5b47500af6ce';

const sortedRows = async () => {
	const response = await notion.databases.query({
	  database_id: databaseId,
	  sorts: [
	    {
	      property: "Name",
	      direction: "ascending"
		  }
	  ],
	});
  return response;
}
Database queries can also be sorted by two or more properties, which is formally called a nested sort. The sort object listed first in the nested sort list takes precedence. Here is an example of a nested sort. 
{
    "sorts": [
                {
            "property": "Food group",
            "direction": "descending"
        },
        {
            "property": "Name",
            "direction": "ascending"
        }
    ]
}
In this example, the database query will first be sorted by “Food group” and the set with the same food group is then sorted by “Name”.

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Sort object

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Property value sort

This sort orders the database query by a particular property. The sort object must contain the following properties:
PropertyTypeDescriptionExample value
propertystringThe name of the property to sort against."Ingredients"
directionstring (enum)The direction to sort. Possible values include "ascending" and "descending"."descending"

​
Entry timestamp sort

This sort orders the database query by the timestamp associated with a database entry. The sort object must contain the following properties:
PropertyTypeDescriptionExample value
timestampstring (enum)The name of the timestamp to sort against. Possible values include "created_time" and "last_edited_time"."last_edited_time"
directionstring (enum)The direction to sort. Possible values include "ascending" and "descending"."descending"