# Knex.js vs MikroORM

| Attribute | Knex.js | MikroORM |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 66.2 (71% (medium)) | 65.7 (79% (high)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 0 | 100 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 94,868 | 914 |
| adoption.github_stars | 20,342 | 9,184 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 5,289,407 | 743,810 |
| deployment.options | - | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` |
| description.long | An open-source Node.js package supporting nine SQL databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, and Oracle. Provides type-safe query building with TypeScript support, schema migrations, transaction handling with savepoints, connection pooling, and both promise and callback-based interfaces. | An object-relational mapping library for Node.js that uses proven patterns (Data Mapper, Unit of Work, Identity Map) to provide type-safe database access with minimal boilerplate. Supports multiple SQL and NoSQL databases with features including schema versioning, entity lifecycle hooks, and flexible data loading strategies. |
| features.capabilities | `{"raw_sql":true,"multi_db":true,"languages":"JavaScript, TypeScript","relations":true,"migrations":true,"studio_gui":false,"schema_first":true,"type_safe_queries":true,"connection_pooling":true}` | `{"raw_sql":true,"multi_db":true,"languages":"TypeScript, JavaScript (Node.js)","relations":true,"migrations":true,"schema_first":true,"type_safe_queries":true}` |
| integrations.count | - | 1 |
| integrations.list | - | `[{"name":"Kysely"}]` |
| language.primary | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| license.spdx | MIT | MIT |
| platform.support | - | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","sourceUrl":"https://knexjs.org","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:34:17.530Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://mikro-orm.io","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T08:37:11.055Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | - | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| release.cadence_days | 28 | 4 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.3.0","date":"2026-06-26T14:55:58Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.10","date":"2026-05-02T12:14:38Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.9","date":"2026-04-03T20:25:30Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.8","date":"2026-03-30T18:29:09Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.7","date":"2026-03-30T18:28:52Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.6","date":"2026-03-25T02:06:50Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.3","date":"2026-03-22T22:38:07Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.1","date":"2026-03-22T21:08:27Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.2.0","date":"2026-03-22T17:37:15Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.1.0","date":"2023-12-07T23:17:57Z","type":"stable","version":"3.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.0.1","date":"2023-10-06T12:23:40Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/3.0.0","date":"2023-10-06T06:56:38Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.5.1","date":"2023-07-12T21:26:26Z","type":"stable","version":"2.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.5.0","date":"2023-07-08T21:04:46Z","type":"stable","version":"2.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.4.2","date":"2023-03-29T11:15:20Z","type":"stable","version":"2.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.4.1","date":"2023-03-29T11:11:39Z","type":"stable","version":"2.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.4.0","date":"2023-01-06T15:45:16Z","type":"stable","version":"2.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.3.0","date":"2022-09-01T21:17:24Z","type":"stable","version":"2.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.2.0","date":"2022-07-18T21:26:26Z","type":"stable","version":"2.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/knex/knex/releases/tag/2.1.0","date":"2022-05-26T09:04:03Z","type":"stable","version":"2.1.0"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.13","date":"2026-08-20T13:23:52Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.12","date":"2026-08-17T11:22:27Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.11","date":"2026-08-06T10:31:32Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.10","date":"2026-08-04T09:53:13Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.9","date":"2026-07-30T19:49:55Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.8","date":"2026-07-28T15:16:42Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.7","date":"2026-07-17T14:00:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v6.6.16","date":"2026-07-17T13:55:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.6.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.6","date":"2026-07-13T13:17:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.5","date":"2026-06-26T14:48:34Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v6.6.15","date":"2026-06-17T08:40:22Z","type":"stable","version":"v6.6.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.4","date":"2026-06-06T13:54:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.3","date":"2026-05-31T11:06:00Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.2","date":"2026-05-29T13:18:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.1","date":"2026-05-22T12:00:36Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.1.0","date":"2026-05-20T07:43:25Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.0.17","date":"2026-05-17T17:12:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.0.16","date":"2026-05-14T09:51:16Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.0.15","date":"2026-05-09T09:41:48Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/mikro-orm/mikro-orm/releases/tag/v7.0.14","date":"2026-05-04T09:59:54Z","type":"stable","version":"v7.0.14"}]` |
| security.scorecard | 5.7 | 5.9 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=knex&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` | `{"count":2,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=npm&package_name=%40mikro-orm%2Fcore&per_page=100","last_12m":2,"max_severity":"CRITICAL"}` |

## Capabilities (ORM & Database Tools)

| Capability | Knex.js | MikroORM |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Type-safe queries | ✓ | ✓ |
| Schema migrations | ✓ | ✓ |
| Relations / joins API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Languages | JavaScript, TypeScript | TypeScript, JavaScript (Node.js) |
| **Modelling** |  |  |
| Schema-first modelling | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Flexibility** |  |  |
| Raw SQL escape hatch | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Portability** |  |  |
| Multiple database backends | ✓ | ✓ |
| **Ops** |  |  |
| Connection pooling | ✓ | - |
| **DX** |  |  |
| Data browser / studio | ✗ | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:27:15.045Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*