SQL to ORM Converter - Prisma, Sequelize, TypeORM, SQLAlchemy, Django

How to Use This Converter

This tool takes standard SQL CREATE TABLE statements and converts them into model definitions for five popular ORMs: Prisma, Sequelize, TypeORM, SQLAlchemy, and Django ORM. Paste or type your SQL schema into the input area, click Convert, then toggle between the ORM tabs to see each translation. The converter handles column types, primary keys, auto-increment fields, NOT NULL and UNIQUE constraints, DEFAULT values, and foreign key REFERENCES.

Use the Examples dropdown to load pre-built schemas demonstrating common patterns like user tables, foreign key relationships, and multi-table schemas. You can convert multiple CREATE TABLE statements at once by separating them with semicolons.

What Is an ORM?

An Object-Relational Mapper (ORM) is a programming technique that lets you interact with a relational database using your programming language's native objects instead of writing raw SQL. Instead of writing SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = 1, you write something like User.findById(1) in JavaScript or User.objects.get(id=1) in Python. The ORM translates these method calls into SQL queries, executes them against the database, and returns the results as language-native objects.

ORMs solve several problems simultaneously. They provide type safety so your IDE can autocomplete field names and catch errors at compile time. They prevent SQL injection by automatically parameterizing all queries. They offer database portability so you can switch between PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite without rewriting queries. And they handle schema migrations so database changes are version-controlled alongside your application code.

The trade-off is that ORMs add abstraction overhead. Complex queries (multi-table joins, window functions, CTEs) are often harder to express through an ORM than in raw SQL. Performance-critical code paths may need to bypass the ORM and use raw queries. Most experienced developers use a hybrid approach: ORM for standard CRUD operations and simple queries, raw SQL for complex analytics and performance-sensitive operations.

Prisma (Node.js / TypeScript)

Prisma is the most popular ORM in the Node.js and TypeScript ecosystem. Unlike traditional ORMs that define models in application code, Prisma uses its own schema language (the .prisma file) to define your data model, then auto-generates a fully type-safe client. This means your IDE knows every field, relation, and query method at compile time, catching errors before they reach production.

Prisma's schema uses a declarative syntax: model User { id Int @id @default(autoincrement()) }. The @id attribute marks primary keys, @default() sets defaults, @unique enforces uniqueness, and @relation() defines foreign keys. After defining your schema, run prisma generate to create the client and prisma migrate to apply changes to your database. Prisma supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, CockroachDB, and SQL Server.

Sequelize (Node.js)

Sequelize is a mature, battle-tested ORM for Node.js that has been in active development since 2011. It follows the traditional Active Record pattern where models are defined in JavaScript using Model.init() with a configuration object describing each column's type, constraints, and validation rules. Sequelize supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and Microsoft SQL Server.

Sequelize models use DataTypes to specify column types: DataTypes.STRING(255) for VARCHAR, DataTypes.INTEGER for INT, DataTypes.DATE for TIMESTAMP. Options like primaryKey, autoIncrement, allowNull, unique, and defaultValue map directly to SQL constraints. Sequelize also provides a powerful migration system, eager and lazy loading for associations, transactions, and raw query support when needed.

TypeORM (TypeScript)

TypeORM leverages TypeScript decorators to define entities directly as classes. The @Entity() decorator marks a class as a database table, @PrimaryGeneratedColumn() creates an auto-incrementing primary key, and @Column() defines regular columns with their type and constraints. This decorator-based approach keeps the schema definition close to your TypeScript types, making refactoring safer.

TypeORM supports both the Active Record and Data Mapper patterns, giving you flexibility in how you structure your application. It works with PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, CockroachDB, Oracle, and SQL Server. TypeORM's query builder provides a fluent API for constructing complex queries, and its migration system can auto-generate migrations by comparing your entity definitions to the current database schema.

SQLAlchemy (Python)

SQLAlchemy is the gold standard ORM for Python, used extensively in production at companies of all sizes. It provides two distinct APIs: the Core layer for SQL expression construction and the ORM layer for object-relational mapping built on top of Core. This architecture means you can drop down to raw SQL expressions when the ORM abstraction doesn't fit, without leaving the SQLAlchemy ecosystem.

SQLAlchemy models inherit from a declarative base class and define columns using the Column() constructor with type classes like Integer, String(255), DateTime, and Boolean. Constraints are passed as keyword arguments: primary_key=True, nullable=False, unique=True. SQLAlchemy supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Oracle, and SQL Server, and its relationship system handles one-to-many, many-to-many, and self-referential relationships with lazy or eager loading.

Django ORM (Python)

Django's ORM is built into the Django web framework and follows a "batteries included" philosophy. Models are Python classes that inherit from models.Model, with each field defined as a class attribute using field types like models.CharField(max_length=255), models.IntegerField(), models.DateTimeField(), and models.ForeignKey(). Django automatically creates an auto-incrementing id primary key unless you specify one explicitly.

Django's ORM is tightly integrated with the rest of the framework: the admin interface auto-generates CRUD forms from your models, the migration system detects model changes and generates migration files, and the QuerySet API provides a powerful, chainable interface for building queries. While Django ORM is less flexible than SQLAlchemy for standalone use (it's designed for Django projects), its developer experience within Django is unmatched for rapid web application development.

SQL Type Mapping Reference

SQL data types map differently across ORMs. Here are the most common mappings this converter handles:

• INTEGER / INT / SERIAL maps to Int (Prisma), DataTypes.INTEGER (Sequelize), 'int' (TypeORM), Integer (SQLAlchemy), IntegerField or AutoField (Django)
• VARCHAR(n) maps to String (Prisma), DataTypes.STRING(n) (Sequelize), 'varchar' with length (TypeORM), String(n) (SQLAlchemy), CharField with max_length (Django)
• TEXT maps to String (Prisma), DataTypes.TEXT (Sequelize), 'text' (TypeORM), Text (SQLAlchemy), TextField (Django)
• BOOLEAN maps to Boolean (Prisma), DataTypes.BOOLEAN (Sequelize), 'boolean' (TypeORM), Boolean (SQLAlchemy), BooleanField (Django)
• TIMESTAMP / DATETIME maps to DateTime (Prisma), DataTypes.DATE (Sequelize), 'timestamp' (TypeORM), DateTime (SQLAlchemy), DateTimeField (Django)
• DECIMAL / NUMERIC maps to Decimal (Prisma), DataTypes.DECIMAL (Sequelize), 'decimal' (TypeORM), Numeric (SQLAlchemy), DecimalField (Django)
• JSON / JSONB maps to Json (Prisma), DataTypes.JSON/JSONB (Sequelize), 'json'/'jsonb' (TypeORM), JSON (SQLAlchemy), JSONField (Django)

Choosing the Right ORM

If you're building a TypeScript API and want the best type safety and developer experience, choose Prisma. Its auto-generated client and schema-first approach catch errors at build time. If you need a mature Node.js ORM with extensive community plugins and don't use TypeScript heavily, Sequelize is a reliable choice. For TypeScript projects that prefer decorator-based entity definitions and need both Active Record and Data Mapper support, TypeORM offers the most flexibility.

In the Python world, SQLAlchemy is the best choice for standalone applications, microservices, or any project where you need fine-grained control over queries and database interactions. Django ORM is the clear winner when you're already using Django for your web application, thanks to its seamless integration with migrations, admin, forms, and the rest of the framework.

Related Tools

Format your SQL before converting with the SQL Formatter. Convert SQL queries to NoSQL equivalents with the SQL to NoSQL Converter. Generate TypeScript types from JSON with the JSON to TypeScript Generator. Compare original and converted code with the Diff Checker. Generate mock data to test your ORM models with the Mock Data Generator.