Django ORM vs SQLAlchemy: Which One Should You Use?

When creating a web program based on Python, choosing the right tool to manage databases (ORM) is very important. Two of the famous Python ORMs are Django ORM and SQLAlchemy. Both provide powerful capabilities to interact with databases, but they follow different needs and improvement philosophies.

In this text, we compare Django ORM and SQLAlchemy based on different factors such as ease of use, flexibility, operationality and scalability, in order to help you best one to do your project.

What is Django ORM?

Django ORM is an abstract database layer in Django, which allows developers to use python code instead of row SQL to interact with databases. This tool makes database operation easy and provides a high-level API to complete queries and manage data. If you are interested in learning Django ORM and integrating this amazing tool in your project, our team suggests you to join the Mastering Django ORM for Databases Course!

Django ORM key features

1. Complete integration with Django: this is provided internally with Django, and it’s a default choice in Django projects.
2. Automatic immigration management: Django ORM uses an automatic immigration system to manage changes in database construction.
3. API QuerySet: this feature provides the ability to filter, sort and run complicated queries.
4. High level abstract: this feature decreases the necessity of row SQL queries and at the same time provides the ability to run customized queries.
5. Supporting multiple databases: you can configure this tool to work with multiple databases at the same time.

What is SQLAlchemy?

SQLAlchemy is a powerful and flexible tool to work with SQL and databases in python. Against Django ORM, this tool is not dependent on any web framework, and it gives developers complete control over database interactions.

SQLAlchemy key features:

1. Declarative ORM and SQL Core Expression Language: this tool lets developers choose between high-level ORM models and low-level SQL Expression.
2. Exact control: this tool provides high flexibility in database construction design, relationships and queries.
3. Support of Asynchronous: this tool works well with frameworks like FastAPI.
4. Support for multiple databases: this tool is compatible with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite and other databases.
5. Transparency instead of abstraction: it lets developers have complete control over SQL operations.

Comparison of key differences between Django ORM and SQLAlchemy

Ease of use is one of the differences that we want to speak about. Django ORM is suitable for beginners and Django developers. It has high abstraction and provides a simple API. Learning SQLAlchemy is a bit hard but provides more flexibility and control.

Flexibility is another difference between Django ORM and SQLAlchemy. If your project follows Django patterns, Django ORM is better for you. SQLAlchemy provides more freedom in database designing, optimizing queries and customization.

Operation is another important factor you should consider. Django ORM is suitable for standard operation, but because of the high abstraction level, it is slower for complicated queries, while SQLAlchemy is more optimized and has higher operationality, especially for complicated and scalable programs.

When you choose between Django ORM and SQLAlchemy, you should consider scalability. Django ORM is suitable for small to average-sized projects, but in complicated transactions it faces some limitations. On the other hand, SQLAlchemy is a better choice for big programs with the need for operation optimization.

Support for row SQL is available in Django ORM, but it emphasizes on the use of layer ORM. SQLAlchemy has more capability for writing and running row SQL.

In which projects is Django ORM better, in which one, SQLAlchemy, is best?

In the table below, we compare SQLAlchemy and Django ORM in projects.

When to use Django ORM?

There are some situations where it’s better to choose Django ORM because:

1. If you are developing a Django project, and you want to have complete integration.
2. If you are looking for a simple and usable ORM to interact with databases,
3. If you need automatic immigration management.
4. If your project is small to average and it includes standard database operations,

When is SQLAlchemy suitable for you?

If you need exact control over queries and database construction, or you are creating a big and complicated project which needs high operation and query optimization, choose SQLAlchemy. Also, if you need support for asynchronous applications for frameworks such as FastAPI and you want to use a flexible and framework-independent ORM, SQLAlchemy is best for you.

Conclusion

Both Django ORM and SQLAlchemy are powerful, but they are designed for different applications. If you are working on a Django project, Django ORM is the simplest and best choice for you. But if optimization, flexibility and more control are needed, SQLAlchemy is a better option. By understanding the differences between these two tools, you can make a good decision based on your project’s needs and choose a suitable strategy to manage the database.