bookshelf/bookshelf
Bookshelf
Bookshelf is a JavaScript ORM for Node.js that provides a structured way to define and interact with database models. It centers on a model-driven approach where developers register models, define their relations, and manage data persistence through a consistent interface.
The library distinguishes itself through its comprehensive handling of model relationships and data transformations. It supports defining one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many, and polymorphic associations, with the ability to eager load related models in a single query to avoid performance pitfalls. Bookshelf also automates common data tasks such as converting between snake_case database columns and camelCase model properties, generating UUIDs for new records, parsing and stringifying JSON columns, and applying custom value transformations on assignment.
For data lifecycle management, Bookshelf offers soft deletion to preserve records for recovery, cascade deletion of related models, row-level locking during transactional fetches, and event hooks that fire on create, update, and delete operations. It wraps multiple database operations in transactions that commit or roll back as a single unit, and includes a plugin system for extending functionality. Debug logging of SQL statements is available for development, and password hashing with bcrypt can be integrated directly into model lifecycle hooks.
Features
- Database Transactions - Wraps multiple queries in a transaction that commits on success or rolls back on failure.
- Model Registries - Registers models by name so they can be referenced as strings in relations and retrieved later.
- Eager Loading - Fetches related models in a single query to prevent N+1 query problems.
- Polymorphic Relations - Defines one-to-one, one-to-many, many-to-many, and polymorphic database associations.
- Case-Conversion Mappings - Automatically translates between snake_case database columns and camelCase model properties.
- Data Format Transformations - Parses and formats attribute values when reading from or writing to the database for data normalization.
- Cascade Deletions - Automatically removes associated records when a parent model is destroyed.
- Property Value Transformers - Applies custom processor functions to transform values whenever assigned to a model property.
- Soft Deletion - Marks records as deleted instead of removing them permanently, preserving data for recovery or auditing.
- Database Column Serialization - Handles serialization and deserialization of JSON data stored in database columns without manual hooks.
- Bcrypt Implementations - Integrates bcrypt password hashing directly into model lifecycle hooks for secure credential storage.
- Computed Properties - Defines computed properties on models that behave like regular attributes without database persistence.
- Plugin Loaders - Ships a plugin system that loads third-party or custom extensions by name, function, or array.
- Direct Database Debugging - Logs all SQL statements executed by the ORM when debug mode is enabled.
- Model - Automatically assigns a unique identifier to each model instance on creation.
- Model Lifecycle Hooks - Hooks into lifecycle events on models to execute custom logic when records are created, updated, or deleted.
- Databases - Backbone.js-style ORM for SQL databases.
- Object Relational Mappers - ORM for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite.
Star history
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