typeorm vs knex vs sequelize vs db-migrate
Node.js Database Libraries Comparison
3 Years
typeormknexsequelizedb-migrateSimilar Packages:
What's Node.js Database Libraries?

Node.js database libraries facilitate interaction with databases in a structured and efficient manner. They provide abstractions for database operations, allowing developers to perform CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations without writing raw SQL queries. These libraries often support various database systems, enabling developers to choose the best fit for their applications. Additionally, they offer features like migrations, query building, and ORM capabilities, streamlining the development process and improving maintainability.

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typeorm2,592,473
35,75320.7 MB2,49018 days agoMIT
knex2,444,880
19,998874 kB1,0132 years agoMIT
sequelize2,388,986
30,1552.91 MB9845 months agoMIT
db-migrate91,639
2,346118 kB1252 years agoMIT
Feature Comparison: typeorm vs knex vs sequelize vs db-migrate

Migration Support

  • typeorm:

    TypeORM offers comprehensive migration support, enabling you to create and run migrations easily. It also allows you to generate migration files automatically based on your entity changes, streamlining the migration process.

  • knex:

    Knex provides built-in support for migrations, allowing you to define and run migrations to keep your database schema in sync with your application. It offers a straightforward API for creating and rolling back migrations.

  • sequelize:

    Sequelize includes a migration tool that helps manage changes to your database schema. It allows you to create migration files and run them to update your database structure in a controlled way.

  • db-migrate:

    db-migrate is specifically designed for managing database schema migrations. It allows you to create, manage, and apply migrations in a structured manner, ensuring that your database schema evolves alongside your application code.

Query Building

  • typeorm:

    TypeORM supports both query builder and ORM functionalities. It allows you to build complex queries using its fluent API while also providing a rich set of features for working with entities and relationships.

  • knex:

    Knex is known for its powerful and flexible query builder that allows developers to construct complex SQL queries programmatically. It supports various SQL dialects and provides a fluent API for building queries.

  • sequelize:

    Sequelize provides a high-level abstraction for building queries using its ORM capabilities. It allows you to define models and relationships, and then query them using a simple and intuitive API, making it easy to interact with your database.

  • db-migrate:

    db-migrate focuses on schema migrations rather than query building, so it does not provide a query builder. It is primarily used for managing database structure changes.

Learning Curve

  • typeorm:

    TypeORM can be complex to learn, especially for those new to TypeScript or ORM concepts. However, its comprehensive documentation and TypeScript support can help ease the learning process for developers familiar with these technologies.

  • knex:

    Knex has a moderate learning curve. While its query builder is intuitive, developers may need to familiarize themselves with its syntax and methods to fully leverage its capabilities.

  • sequelize:

    Sequelize has a steeper learning curve due to its extensive features and ORM concepts. Developers need to understand models, associations, and the underlying SQL to use it effectively, but it provides a lot of power once mastered.

  • db-migrate:

    db-migrate has a relatively low learning curve, especially for those familiar with database concepts. Its focused functionality on migrations makes it straightforward to understand and use effectively.

Extensibility

  • typeorm:

    TypeORM is designed to be extensible, supporting custom repositories and decorators. This allows developers to create reusable components and enhance the functionality of their entities and queries.

  • knex:

    Knex is highly extensible, allowing developers to create custom query builders and extend its functionality through plugins. This flexibility makes it suitable for a wide range of applications.

  • sequelize:

    Sequelize offers extensibility through hooks and custom methods, enabling developers to add custom logic to their models and queries. This allows for greater customization and integration with application logic.

  • db-migrate:

    db-migrate is extensible through plugins, allowing developers to customize its functionality to suit specific project needs. However, it is primarily focused on migration management.

Performance

  • typeorm:

    TypeORM is designed for performance, especially with its support for lazy loading and caching. However, like Sequelize, it can introduce overhead, so careful query design is essential for optimal performance.

  • knex:

    Knex is optimized for performance, allowing developers to write efficient queries while providing features like connection pooling and raw SQL execution for performance-critical operations.

  • sequelize:

    Sequelize can introduce some overhead due to its ORM nature, but it provides optimizations like eager loading and caching to improve performance. Developers need to be mindful of how they structure their queries to avoid performance pitfalls.

  • db-migrate:

    db-migrate's performance is primarily tied to the efficiency of the migration scripts you write. It does not directly impact runtime performance since it focuses on schema changes rather than query execution.

How to Choose: typeorm vs knex vs sequelize vs db-migrate
  • typeorm:

    Choose typeorm if you are working with TypeScript and need a powerful ORM that supports both Active Record and Data Mapper patterns, along with features like migrations, caching, and eager/lazy loading, making it suitable for large-scale applications.

  • knex:

    Choose knex if you prefer a SQL query builder that provides a flexible and powerful interface for building complex queries while still allowing you to write raw SQL when necessary. It is suitable for projects that require fine-grained control over SQL execution.

  • sequelize:

    Choose sequelize if you want a full-featured ORM that abstracts database interactions and provides a rich set of features like associations, validations, and hooks, making it ideal for applications that require complex data relationships and business logic.

  • db-migrate:

    Choose db-migrate if you need a dedicated migration tool that supports multiple databases and focuses on schema management, allowing you to version control your database schema easily.

README for typeorm

TypeORM is an ORM that can run in Node.js, Browser, Cordova, Ionic, React Native, NativeScript, Expo, and Electron platforms and can be used with TypeScript and JavaScript (ES2021). Its goal is to always support the latest JavaScript features and provide additional features that help you to develop any kind of application that uses databases - from small applications with a few tables to large-scale enterprise applications with multiple databases.

TypeORM supports more databases than any other JS/TS ORM: Google Spanner, Microsoft SqlServer, MySQL/MariaDB, MongoDB, Oracle, Postgres, SAP HANA and SQLite, as well we derived databases and different drivers.

TypeORM supports both Active Record and Data Mapper patterns, unlike all other JavaScript ORMs currently in existence, which means you can write high-quality, loosely coupled, scalable, maintainable applications in the most productive way.

TypeORM is highly influenced by other ORMs, such as Hibernate, Doctrine and Entity Framework.

Features

  • Supports both DataMapper and ActiveRecord (your choice).
  • Entities and columns.
  • Database-specific column types.
  • Entity manager.
  • Repositories and custom repositories.
  • Clean object-relational model.
  • Associations (relations).
  • Eager and lazy relations.
  • Unidirectional, bidirectional, and self-referenced relations.
  • Supports multiple inheritance patterns.
  • Cascades.
  • Indices.
  • Transactions.
  • Migrations and automatic migrations generation.
  • Connection pooling.
  • Replication.
  • Using multiple database instances.
  • Working with multiple database types.
  • Cross-database and cross-schema queries.
  • Elegant-syntax, flexible and powerful QueryBuilder.
  • Left and inner joins.
  • Proper pagination for queries using joins.
  • Query caching.
  • Streaming raw results.
  • Logging.
  • Listeners and subscribers (hooks).
  • Supports closure table pattern.
  • Schema declaration in models or separate configuration files.
  • Supports MySQL / MariaDB / Postgres / CockroachDB / SQLite / Microsoft SQL Server / Oracle / SAP Hana / sql.js.
  • Supports MongoDB NoSQL database.
  • Works in Node.js / Browser / Ionic / Cordova / React Native / NativeScript / Expo / Electron platforms.
  • TypeScript and JavaScript support.
  • ESM and CommonJS support.
  • Produced code is performant, flexible, clean, and maintainable.
  • Follows all possible best practices.
  • CLI.

And more...

With TypeORM, your models look like this:

import { Entity, PrimaryGeneratedColumn, Column } from "typeorm"

@Entity()
export class User {
    @PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
    id: number

    @Column()
    firstName: string

    @Column()
    lastName: string

    @Column()
    age: number
}

And your domain logic looks like this:

const userRepository = MyDataSource.getRepository(User)

const user = new User()
user.firstName = "Timber"
user.lastName = "Saw"
user.age = 25
await userRepository.save(user)

const allUsers = await userRepository.find()
const firstUser = await userRepository.findOneBy({
    id: 1,
}) // find by id
const timber = await userRepository.findOneBy({
    firstName: "Timber",
    lastName: "Saw",
}) // find by firstName and lastName

await userRepository.remove(timber)

Alternatively, if you prefer to use the ActiveRecord implementation, you can use it as well:

import { Entity, PrimaryGeneratedColumn, Column, BaseEntity } from "typeorm"

@Entity()
export class User extends BaseEntity {
    @PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
    id: number

    @Column()
    firstName: string

    @Column()
    lastName: string

    @Column()
    age: number
}

And your domain logic will look this way:

const user = new User()
user.firstName = "Timber"
user.lastName = "Saw"
user.age = 25
await user.save()

const allUsers = await User.find()
const firstUser = await User.findOneBy({
    id: 1,
})
const timber = await User.findOneBy({
    firstName: "Timber",
    lastName: "Saw",
})

await timber.remove()

Samples

Take a look at the samples in sample for examples of usage.

There are a few repositories that you can clone and start with:

Extensions

There are several extensions that simplify working with TypeORM and integrating it with other modules:

Contributing

Learn about contribution here and how to set up your development environment here.

This project exists thanks to all the people who contribute:

Sponsors

Open source is hard and time-consuming. If you want to invest in TypeORM's future, you can become a sponsor and allow our core team to spend more time on TypeORM's improvements and new features. Become a sponsor

Gold Sponsors

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