ORM (Object-Relational Mapping)

An ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) is a library that maps database tables to objects in your code. Instead of writing SQL strings, you use functions and type-safe queries in TypeScript or JavaScript. The ORM translates your code into SQL, executes it, and returns typed results.

Popular ORMs in the JavaScript/TypeScript ecosystem include Drizzle (used in this curriculum), Prisma, and Kysely. Drizzle is especially well-suited for vibe coding because its query syntax is close to SQL, it generates TypeScript types from your schema, and it works well with AI code generation.

ORMs prevent a whole class of bugs: SQL injection (the ORM parameterizes queries automatically), type mismatches (the compiler catches wrong column names), and boilerplate (no manual result mapping). The trade-off is that very complex queries sometimes need raw SQL.