dorm

dorm is a minimal wrapper around Django that allows you to use its ORM independently—no need for the full Django framework. Quickly integrate Django's robust ORM into non-Django projects with a simple settings.py file.

Note: This project is under active development. Use with caution.

Why dorm?

The Django ORM is rich with features like automatic schema migrations and effortless joins. Other python ORMs, like SQLAlchemy, often felt less intuitive in comparison.

The idea for dorm emerged from a desire to use Django's ORM without unnecessary overhead like manage.py, views.py, or complex settings. With dorm, you get the power of Django ORM, simplified for standalone use.

Note: Since dorm is a lightweight wrapper around Django, all of Django's features remain accessible if you choose to use them. dorm ensures you can leverage Django's ORM with minimal setup and footprint.

Installation

pip install dorm-project "django>=5.1.0,<5.2.0" 
# Install Django to a specific version to ensure compatibility and avoid potential issues.  

Quick Start

1. Add a settings.py file

Automatically (recommended) add using dorm init command:

cd <proj-root>
dorm init 

OR

Manually add settings.py file, ensure INSTALLED_APPS and DATABASES values are set:

# <proj-root>/settings.py
from pathlib import Path

BASE_DIR = Path(__file__).parent.resolve()

INSTALLED_APPS = []
DATABASES = {
    "default": {
        "ENGINE": "django.db.backends.sqlite3",
        "NAME": BASE_DIR / "db.sqlite3",
    }
}

2. Setup dorm

Call the dorm.setup() method in your project's entry point (e.g., main.py, app.py, or the script that starts your application) to initialize the Django ORM and set up the necessary database connections. This step is essential for using the ORM independently of the full Django framework.

If you're interacting with the project via the dorm CLI (e.g., running migrations or using the shell or any custom Django management command), dorm.setup() is automatically called for you.

Note: Ensure that models are imported after calling dorm.setup() to avoid any initialization issues.

Note: Ensure you call dorm or your entrypoint from the project root (where the settings.py is). If you want to call from somewhere else, then explicitly pass settings_dir to dorm.setup(settings_dir=...)

Here's how you might set it up in your entry point:

# entrypoint - main.py, script.py, project.__init__.py etc
import dorm

def main():
    dorm.setup()

    # You can start importing and using your models from here...


if __name__ == "__main__":
    main() 

3. Define models

Create a models.py in a package and add Django models:

mkdir -p blog
touch blog/models.py

Example model:

# blog/models.py
from django.db import models

class Post(models.Model):
    title = models.CharField(max_length=100)
    slug = models.SlugField(unique=True)
    body = models.TextField()

4. Register your app

Add your package to INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py:

# <proj-root>/settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    "blog",
]

5. Run migrations

Use dorm CLI to manage migrations (or any django management command - like shell, test, dbshell, etc:

dorm makemigrations
dorm migrate

6. Use the ORM

Access your models in an interactive shell:

dorm shell

Example:

>>> from blog.models import Post
>>> post = Post(title="Hello", slug="hello-world", body="This is dorm!")
>>> post.save()
>>> Post.objects.all()

7. Write unittest using the ORM

Example:

# blog/tests.py
from django.test import TestCase

from blog.models import Post

class TestPostModel(TestCase):
    def test_creating_object(self):
        post = Post()
        post.title = "Fake title"
        post.slug = "fake-title"
        post.post = "fake body"
        post.save()

Run test with Django test runner via dorm CLI:

dorm test

Future Plans

• Features to make dorm feasible with other web framework - with proper connection pooling and transactional requests. full
• Allow users to access admin site