ORM

Sequelize30.4k★

If you write Node.js and need to talk to a SQL database without writing raw queries, Sequelize is the ORM (object-relational mapper) that's been doing this since 2011. Define your database tables as JavaScript models, and Sequelize handles the SQL — queries, joins, migrations, transactions — across Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, and SQL Server. It's the oldest and most feature-complete Node.js ORM. Associations, eager loading, raw queries when you need them, CLI for migrations and seeds. If you've used ActiveRecord (Rails) or Django's ORM, same concept. 30.4K stars, MIT, growing at +10/wk. Fully free. The catch: Sequelize is showing its age. The API is verbose compared to newer ORMs like Drizzle or Prisma. TypeScript support was bolted on, not built in — the types work but feel like an afterthought. Drizzle ORM gives you type-safe queries with a much lighter API. Prisma gives you a schema-first approach with auto-generated types. Both are better choices for new projects in 2026. Sequelize is the right choice if you're maintaining an existing codebase that already uses it.