ORM 101

A comprehensive guide to Object-Relational Mapping using TypeScript, Prisma ORM, and PostgreSQL.

Overview

This series provides a practical, hands-on introduction to working with ORMs in modern backend development. Each article builds upon the previous one, taking you from fundamental concepts to production-ready implementations.

All examples are based on real projects and production code, avoiding fake scenarios in favor of genuine development experiences and personal project patterns.

What You'll Learn

• Part 1: Introduction to ORMs and Why They Matter

  • Understanding Object-Relational Mapping

  • When to use (and not use) ORMs

  • Benefits of type-safe database access

  • Why Prisma ORM for TypeScript projects

• Part 2: Setting Up Prisma with PostgreSQL

  • Project initialization and TypeScript configuration

  • PostgreSQL setup with Docker

  • Prisma Client generation

  • Creating your first migration

  • Database connection best practices

• Part 3: Schema Design, Relationships, and Migrations

  • Schema design principles

  • Modeling one-to-many, one-to-one, and many-to-many relationships

  • Self-referencing relationships

  • Migration strategies and best practices

  • Indexing for performance

• Part 4: CRUD Operations and Prisma Client Fundamentals

  • Create, Read, Update, Delete operations

  • Working with related data

  • Filtering and pagination

  • Transactions and data integrity

  • Error handling patterns

• Part 5: Advanced Querying, Aggregations, and Production Best Practices

  • Complex filtering and nested queries

  • Aggregations and grouping

  • Full-text search implementation

  • Raw SQL queries when needed

  • Connection pooling and performance optimization

  • Production deployment strategies

Technology Stack

• TypeScript: For type-safe application code

• Prisma ORM: Modern database toolkit for TypeScript/Node.js

• PostgreSQL: Production-grade relational database

• Docker: For local development environment

Prerequisites

Basic knowledge of:

• TypeScript/JavaScript

• Node.js fundamentals

• Database concepts

• Terminal/command line usage

Series Structure

Each part is designed to be:

• Practical: Real code examples from production projects

• Progressive: Building on previous concepts

• Production-focused: Patterns used in real applications

• Personal: Based on actual development experiences

Getting Started

Start with Part 1: Introduction to ORMs and Why They Matter to understand the fundamentals, then progress through each part in order.

About This Series

This series reflects personal knowledge and experience building backend systems with TypeScript, Prisma, and PostgreSQL. The examples are adapted from actual microservices and applications handling production traffic, not fictional scenarios.

The goal is to share practical patterns and lessons learned through real-world development, helping you build better database-backed applications.

Additional Resources

• Prisma Documentation

• PostgreSQL Documentation

• TypeScript Handbook

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This series is part of ongoing knowledge sharing based on production development experience.