ORM vs Core Database Driver

Greetings, in this article we will briefly talk about the comparison of ORM and database drivers and which one you should perfer in which situation.

ORM Pros and Cons

Pros

• Schemas/Entites are clearly defined.
• Relatively easy to understand and develop
• You can write basic Queries with built-in query-builders
• You don't bother too much with database operations

Cons

• Low performance
• As it is a pattern applied on top of the engine, it may restrict some advanced operations
• Extra dependencies and possible size growth for the project (the item may sound trivial but will be important when using docker and etc.)

Database Driver Pros and Cons

Pros

• High performance
• Takes up minimal space
• Trouble-free guarantee and full documentation as it was developed by the database company

Cons

• May require expertiese with queries and databases
• Schemas are not clearly defined or have no effect on the database

When, Which?

If you are developing a simple demo, developing a blog, or if time and performance (included build time and performance) is not important to you; your choice should be ORM.

If time and performance (included build time and performance) is your thing, if you're a database expert; your choice should be Core Database Driver.

Here is an article measuring the differences between mongodb and mongoose, there is a really big performance difference.

If you're lazy, there's a table like this at the end of the article.

Whay do you think about this subject?