Prisma Vs. TypeORM Vs. Sequelize | Which is Better?

Summary

In this informative video, the host compares three leading Object Relational Mappers (ORMs) in the JavaScript ecosystem: Prisma, TypeORM, and Sequelize. Highlighting their pros and cons, the host discusses specific use cases for each ORM and shares insights on when to use them, focusing on TypeScript support, developer experience, and community size. The host's personal preference leans towards Prisma for new projects, but encourages viewers to make informed decisions based on their project needs and familiarity with the technologies.

Takeaways

• 😀 The video compares three popular Object-Relational Mappers (ORMs) in the JavaScript ecosystem: Prisma, TypeORM, and Sequelize.
• 🔍 An ORM is a tool that translates database logic into JavaScript code, simplifying database interactions.
• 📘 Prisma is a modern, lightweight ORM with excellent TypeScript support and a clean, intuitive syntax.
• 👍 Prisma's generated TypeScript types enhance safety in applications, which is a significant advantage for developers.
• 🛠️ Prisma offers a good developer experience with features like Prisma Studio, a visual interface for databases.
• 🚀 Prisma is gaining popularity and notoriety, which can be beneficial due to a larger community and more resources available.
• 📚 TypeORM is praised for its flexibility, supporting various database types and architectural patterns, including active record and data mapper.
• 🔄 TypeORM has robust support for transactions and a wide variety of databases but may have a steeper learning curve.
• 🔑 TypeORM's TypeScript support is not as comprehensive as Prisma's, which could be a drawback for TypeScript-centric projects.
• 👴 Sequelize is considered one of the oldest ORMs and has a large community, but its syntax is verbose and lacks strong TypeScript support.
• 🏆 The choice of ORM depends on the project's requirements, the developer's familiarity with the technology, and the project's future scope.
• 🌐 The presenter personally prefers Prisma for new projects due to its TypeScript integration and developer experience.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is comparing the three most popular Object-Relational Mappers (ORMs) in the JavaScript ecosystem: Prisma, Sequelize, and TypeORM.

What is an ORM and what does it do?

An ORM is an Object-Relational Mapper, which allows developers to translate database logic into simple JavaScript code.

Why is TypeScript support important according to the video?

TypeScript support is important because it adds safety and reliability to applications, especially for intermediate to advanced developers, and is increasingly becoming a standard in the industry.

What are some features of Prisma mentioned in the video?

Prisma is described as modern, lightweight, with good TypeScript support, clean and intuitive syntax, and features like Prisma Studio for a better developer experience.

What are some pros and cons of using TypeORM mentioned in the video?

Pros include flexibility, support for various databases, and robust transaction support. Cons include a steeper learning curve and less TypeScript support compared to Prisma.

What is the video creator's opinion on Sequelize?

The creator sees Sequelize as having a large community and good database compatibility, but criticizes its verbose syntax and lack of TypeScript support.

Why might the popularity of a technology be a deciding factor for some developers?

Popularity can be a deciding factor because it often means a larger community, more resources, and more readily available help when encountering bugs or issues.

What does the video suggest for developers who are unsure about which ORM to use for their next project?

The video suggests sticking around to learn about the pros and cons of each ORM and specific use cases to make an informed decision.

What are some alternative ORMs mentioned in the video, and why are they not the main focus?

Alternative ORMs like Mongoose, micro-ORM, and Objection.js are mentioned, but they are not the main focus because they are less popular or serve different purposes, such as Mongoose being an ODM for MongoDB.

What is the video creator's personal choice for an ORM if starting a new project, and why?

The creator's personal choice is Prisma, due to its TypeScript support, clean syntax, and positive experiences using it over the past two years.

How does the video suggest developers make their decision on which ORM to use?

The video suggests making a decision based on the developer's current needs, knowledge, and the future of web development, using insights from the video and other resources.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to JavaScript ORMs

The video script introduces a comparison of three popular Object-Relational Mappers (ORMs) in the JavaScript ecosystem: Prisma, Sequelize, and TypeORM. The speaker invites viewers to watch previous tutorials on these ORMs if they are unfamiliar with them. An ORM is explained as a tool that translates database logic into JavaScript code, simplifying database interactions. The video promises to discuss the pros and cons of each ORM and to explore specific use cases where one might be preferred over the others. The speaker also encourages viewers to like and subscribe to support the channel and increase its reach.

05:02

🚀 Prisma: Modern and TypeScript-Friendly ORM

The script delves into Prisma, highlighting its modern and lightweight nature with built-in TypeScript support. It praises Prisma's clean and intuitive syntax, as well as the safety provided by TypeScript's generated types. The speaker lists the advantages of Prisma, such as its robust TypeScript support, excellent developer experience with features like Prisma Studio, and its growing popularity and community support. However, the newness of Prisma is also mentioned as a potential drawback, as it may not have as many resources and long-term stability as more established ORMs like TypeORM or Sequelize.

10:03

🔄 TypeORM: Flexible and Feature-Rich ORM

The script discusses TypeORM, emphasizing its flexibility to work with various architectural patterns and robust transaction support. It mentions the wide range of database support and the learning curve, which can be steeper than Sequelize and Prisma, especially for more advanced features. TypeORM's TypeScript support is criticized for not being as comprehensive as Prisma's. The speaker suggests that TypeORM might be the most challenging to learn among the three ORMs but offers a powerful set of features for those willing to invest the time.

👴 Sequelize: The Veteran Node.js ORM

Sequelize is presented as a veteran in the field, being one of the first ORMs the speaker encountered. It is described as a promise-based ORM with a traditional API for database operations. The script acknowledges Sequelize's extensive database compatibility and a large community, attributes that have made it a go-to choice for many developers. However, the verbosity of Sequelize's syntax and its lack of TypeScript support are noted as significant drawbacks, especially in the current landscape where TypeScript is increasingly popular.

🤔 Choosing the Right ORM for Your Project

The script concludes with the speaker's personal insights on when to use each ORM. TypeORM is recommended for projects with a shorter lifespan or where the developer is already familiar with it. Prisma is the top choice for projects expected to grow and evolve, especially with its strong TypeScript integration. The speaker also addresses other ORMs not covered in the video, such as Mongoose (an ODM for MongoDB) and smaller community favorites like MikroORM and Objection.js, explaining why they were not the focus of the video. The speaker emphasizes the importance of making an informed decision based on the project's needs and the developer's familiarity with the technology.

Keywords

💡ORM (Object-Relational Mapper)

An ORM is a programming technique that allows developers to interact with databases using object-oriented programming languages. In the context of the video, ORMs are used to translate database logic into JavaScript code, simplifying database interactions and making them more intuitive for developers. The script discusses three popular ORMs in the JavaScript ecosystem, emphasizing their different features and use cases.

💡Prisma

Prisma is a modern and lightweight ORM that supports TypeScript out of the box. The video highlights Prisma's clean and intuitive syntax, as well as its strong TypeScript support, which is crucial for developers who prioritize type safety and maintainability in their applications. Prisma's popularity and community support are also mentioned, indicating its growing relevance in the JavaScript community.

💡TypeORM

TypeORM is an ORM that is praised in the video for its flexibility, allowing developers to use it with both active record and data mapper patterns. It supports a wide variety of databases and has robust transaction support. However, the learning curve for TypeORM might be steeper compared to other ORMs, and its TypeScript support is not as comprehensive as Prisma's.

💡Sequelize

Sequelize is an ORM that works with Node.js and supports traditional promise-based API requests for database operations. It is considered one of the oldest and most established ORMs, with a large community and extensive compatibility with various databases. Despite its verbosity and lack of TypeScript support, Sequelize is recommended for projects that are already using it or for developers who require specific features related to Sequelize.

💡TypeScript

TypeScript is a statically-typed superset of JavaScript that adds type safety and other features to the language. The video emphasizes the importance of TypeScript in modern web development, suggesting that it should be used in most applications due to its benefits in terms of code quality and maintainability. Prisma's strong TypeScript support is highlighted as a significant advantage.

💡Developer Experience

Developer experience refers to the ease and efficiency with which developers can work using a particular tool or technology. The video mentions Prisma's developer experience as a positive aspect, citing features like Prisma Studio, which provides a visual interface for database management, enhancing the overall development process.

💡Community

A strong community is vital for the support and growth of any technology. The video discusses the importance of a large community for ORMs like Prisma and Sequelize, as it provides access to a wealth of knowledge, solutions to common problems, and a network of developers who can offer assistance.

💡Active Record Pattern

The active record pattern is a design approach where an object in the application represents a row in a database table, encapsulating both the data and the behavior for database interactions. TypeORM is highlighted as being flexible enough to be used with this pattern, offering developers a choice in how they structure their database interactions.

💡Data Mapper Pattern

The data mapper pattern is another design approach for database interactions, where an independent mapper class is responsible for transferring data between the application and the database. TypeORM's support for this pattern is mentioned in the video, showcasing its adaptability to different architectural preferences.

💡Mongoose

Mongoose is a popular ODM (Object-Document Mapper) for MongoDB, which is a non-relational database. While not an ORM, Mongoose is mentioned in the video as an alternative for developers working with MongoDB. However, the video's primary focus is on relational databases and the specific ORMs that cater to them.

Highlights

Introduction to comparing the three most popular ORMs in the JavaScript ecosystem.

Explanation of what an ORM is and its function in translating database logic into JavaScript code.

Invitation to check previous tutorials on the ORMs mentioned if interested.

The importance of TypeScript support in modern ORMs and its prevalence in applications.

Prisma's modern and lightweight nature with built-in TypeScript support.

Prisma's clean and intuitive syntax and its safety due to TypeScript generated types.

Developer experience with Prisma, including Prisma Studio and visual database interface.

Growth and notoriety of Prisma in the developer community.

The potential downside of Prisma's relative newness compared to other ORMs.

TypeORM's flexibility in supporting various database types and architectural patterns.

TypeORM's robust support for transactions and its wide database compatibility.

The learning curve associated with TypeORM and its advanced features.

TypeORM's TypeScript support compared to Prisma and the importance of developer experience.

Sequelize as the oldest ORM mentioned, known for its extensive database compatibility and large community.

Sequelize's verbose syntax and lack of TypeScript support as potential drawbacks.

Recommendations on when to use each ORM based on project needs and future-proofing.

Personal preference for Prisma due to its TypeScript support and developer experience.

Advice on choosing the right ORM based on community support, project requirements, and personal familiarity.

Mention of other ORMs like Mongoose and their differences from the main three discussed.

Final recommendation and personal choice for starting a new project with Prisma.

Encouragement for viewers to make informed decisions based on the information provided in the video.

Transcripts

hello guys how's it going welcome back

to my channel and in today's episode

we're going to be comparing the three

most popular arms in the JavaScript

ecosystem now we're going to be

specifically talking about

um Prisma sqlise and typeform which I

know many of you might have heard of it

in the past I've made tutorials on the

three of them in my YouTube channel so

if you want to check those out first you

can go ahead and do so but for those who

don't know an arm is an object

relational mapper which basically

um allows us to translate database logic

into a simple JavaScript code so in this

video we're going to be looking at pros

and cons for each of the three different

orms and also more importantly discuss

specific use cases in which you might

want to use one of them over the other

so if you're about to start working on

your next big project and you're unsure

about which arm you want to use stick

around for the video and I'll tell you

in the end and before we get into the

video if you could leave a like And

subscribe I would massively appreciate

it because it will help push my videos

to more people and I would be eternally

grateful if you could do so so with that

in mind let's get into the video

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okay let's start right off the bat with

Prisma which is the arm that seems like

everyone's talking about nowadays well

Prisma is a modern and lightweight arm

which supports typescript out of the box

its syntax in my opinion is very clean

and intuitive and it's typescript it's

generated typescript types makes it

extremely safe to use in any application

this segues into the first pro that

Prisma has which is the fact that is has

really good support for typescript if

you've watched my video on why you

should always be using typescript no

matter what use case you would

understand that typescript is extremely

important in any kind of application

nowadays the only excuse for not using

typescript in my opinion is either if

you're making YouTube tutorials where

people might not know typescript and

might be more familiar with JavaScript

or if you are a beginner learning

JavaScript because it's totally

understandable and it's how I learned as

well but if you're anywhere near

intermediate to Advanced and you've been

working for a while now you should be

working with typescript because it is

necessary in any application now not

only does Prisma have really good

support for typescript but it also has a

fantastic developer experience where

they provide a lot of different software

and features such as prism studio and

even a visual interface for your own

database now I personally never used

Prisma studio so I can't really vouch

for that but I've heard about it and

I've seen people using it and it looks

kind of cool but um it's definitely an

addition that you have to take into

account now the final positive thing I

want to talk about related to Prisma is

the fact that nowadays it's been gaining

a lot of notoriety like people have been

using Prisma in their own stack stacks

and it's been gaining a lot of traction

because of how typescript has also

increased in its use in the past year

and a half I would say I'm not the kind

of developer that just likes to follow

Trends because I think that

it's not that the best way to do it

especially in an industry where

everything changes so quickly this is

clearly evident by the fact that it took

a while for me to even make any videos

on next JS because I really took my time

to learn it to perfect it to understand

uh how to work with it and um to then do

it because I didn't want to just make a

video on it because it was a trend but

at the same time you have to choose

technologies that are popular because

when you run into any bug when you run

into any problem having a big Community

online a lot of questions on stack

Overflow a lot of data on charger PT

that you can ask for to solve your bug

that's that's necessary because if

you're using a like a an unknown library

or Orem out there and you run into a

problem that no one has ever run into in

the internet how are you going to solve

it you're gonna have a lot of trouble so

I think the popularity of Prisma

nowadays is definitely something that

should be taken into account now that

can also be seen as a con in my opinion

because Prisma is actually newer

compared compared to typeform or sqlize

I believe it was released in 2016. so

maybe it might be gaining a lot of

traction and a lot of people talking

about it now but at the same time there

hasn't been enough time of a huge amount

of people working on it to have as many

resources similar to type form and

sqlites what I'm saying is if you're

going to be building a project that is

for the future maybe think about using

something that you might see being

projected to be more popular in the

future like Prisma now what about type

porn this one I really like to talk

about because if you've seen my video in

typeworm you know that I really loved it

I believe typeworm is the most flexible

type of arm in that it can be used in

both active records and data mapper

patterns now again I want to emphasize

that maybe a big deciding factor for you

maybe the syntax and I really enjoy type

firm's syntax but one of the major Pros

for this specific arm is that first it

supports a very wide variety of

databases out there it is very flexible

on the architectural pattern you you

prefer to use and if you're working for

with transactions it has a very robust

support for them now although I do like

the syntax I do think that the learning

curve can be a little bit harder than uh

sqlize and

um Prisma it starts to specifically get

hard when you get into a little bit more

advanced stuff so I would say that that

should be taken into account it's not

impossible to learn none of this is

impossible to learn all of them are very

similar in a lot of ways but I was just

pointing this out in case you're just

looking for something quick to use and

you want to learn something easy I would

actually say the easiest one to use is

probably sqlize but I'll get into that

later but typeform is the hardest one in

my opinion and obviously the major

negative with typeform is the fact that

although it does have support for

typescript it's not even close enough to

what Prisma provides because Prisma was

built with typescript in mind I I'm not

sure if typeworm was but at least with

the developer experience with the syntax

notation I know Prince is fully

completely supported supporting

typescript and the type poem I don't see

the same type of support so that's

definitely something you should take

into account now finally we arrived at

SQL lights and sqlies uh let me know if

I'm wrong I'm not don't call me on this

I think it's the oldest one because the

reason why I think that is because it's

the first one that I've heard about so

in my view I see it as the oldest one

because back when I started coding uh at

least using arms not coding in general

but when I started using arms and

looking to to choose one uh C plus was

the biggest one it was what everyone was

using or it seemed like it at the time

so there's definitely a lot that I can

talk about with SQL is because I used it

with so many courses and videos and and

projects that I've done in the past so

this is definitely something that I can

talk a lot about now in its core uh

sqlace is just a promised based Orem

that works in node.js and it's it

supports the traditional promised based

API requests for handling any kind of

database operations now that two main

benefits that I would say for sqlize and

to this day I still think they are

important to take into account although

I don't use sqliers anymore the two main

benefits is the fact that it definitely

has one of the biggest variety of

database compatibility out there similar

to typeform and also the community it's

I believe it is the biggest Community

out there and because it is one of the

oldest ones and it was massive back when

I started

um so I never had any trouble like

fixing anything when I've had trouble uh

with bugs on something like Prisma

because I couldn't I found it harder to

find someone who had the same bug as me

when it's with sqlize I didn't have any

trouble whatsoever now the syntax

annotation for sqlies really sucks in my

opinion it's very verbose a lot of times

to do simple query you have to write a

lot of things it's definitely not as

easy and as simple as something like

typeworm and Prisma so that's definitely

something you should take into account

and the worst one is the fact that it

doesn't really have any good support for

typescript ivy leaves sqlies to be a

very

um JavaScript based form uh because

that's what everyone used back then but

specifically for that I think it is

something that people have been steering

away from because of how big typescript

has become in the web developer

Community thing is it doesn't matter if

I tell you the pros and cons uh it's

still very confusing to know when

exactly you should use each of them now

that's up to you however I am going to

provide you my insight on when I would

believe it would be best for you to use

any of them so I would say that this is

how it's structured I would put Prisma

and typeform together but the way I

would look at it would be if I'm working

on something that I don't think will

take a long time

um or something that uh I won't be

working that much in the future or

something that will just last a specific

amount of time just a normal project and

I don't want to learn Prisma or I

already know Thai form I would choose

typeform now if it were working with

anything related to typescript that is

probably something that you want to

build upon and continue working in the

future I would choose Prisma so those

two is it really depends on whether or

not how you see the future of the web

developer industry and on the fact that

which of those you actually already know

if you already know Prisma stick to

Prisma if you're ready no type horm if

you're interested in that I would try to

learn a little bit of prism but I would

still stick with type 1 because Prisma

is one of my favorites now you might be

thinking what about sqlites well sqlize

I would say only use sqlize if you're

working on a project that already uses

sqlize and you're gonna be uh working

with it anyway so like in a company that

um that you sqlize and you have to learn

it to to work or if you want to use a

specific feature or specific library

that originates or is related to sqlize

specifically now in any other kind of

situation I would recommend typeworm and

Prisma for sure although I love sqlines

as well I would say those two are better

options I might be asking oh what about

so now I know you might be thinking as

well like oh you didn't really mention

uh

microarm or what about

um objection.js or what about mongoose

now those options are good but first of

all microarm and objection.js are not as

popular as Prisma type worm and sqlize

so that's why I think those are second

plane to to to the other options because

most people out there would probably

want to use the ones with the bigger

community so that's why I didn't really

gave too much too much attention for

those and if you're asking about

mongoose well that's not actually an arm

that's an actual odm it's a little bit

different so that's why I didn't because

specifically for mongodb so it's a

non-relational database but the options

that I gave although you do have support

for non-relational databases as well

they have way more support as well for

relational databases so that's why I

didn't mention Mongoose or anything

related to mongodb so finally after all

of this review which one would I

personally choose well if I were to

start a project right now I would have

to go with Prisma and it's obvious right

it's obvious I've been using Prisma for

over two years I believe

um and I've been enjoying ever since I

did step back and use typeform for one

project and I there was a period where I

was like oh yeah type form is amazing

it's way better than Prisma but then I

got back to Prisma it really depends on

what what what what you're using in the

moment right I personally love to code

on whatever I'm coding in the moment I

always think it's the best thing in the

world but then I switch it and I hate to

switch it up but then when I do I

realize that that other thing also has a

lot of features that I personally love

so that's why don't use my opinion as a

fact you know if you want to use

typeworm use typeworm if you want to use

prism I use Prisma if you want to use

sqlize that's just a wrong opinion no

I'm joking obviously but uh I'm saying

like

choose whatever you think is the best

option based on what you want by using

as much knowledge as you can gain from

this video or any other video out there

and then make your decision that's

that's my opinion this is it for today's

video I really hope you guys enjoyed

this video If you enjoyed it please

leave a like that below and comment what

you want to see next subscribe because

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um if you're interested to see my

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because uh you it will let you know

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out all the gear that I use in my

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background the camera the light that I'm

using it's all in the description a link

to Amazon if you're interested in buying

them and yeah that's that's basically it

I really hope you guys enjoyed it and I

see you guys next time

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