Rust ORM comparison
Rent vs SeaORM
SeaORM is an async Rust ORM built on SQLx. Entities are usually generated from an existing database, mutations go through an ActiveModel, and migrations are written in Rust with its query builder.
Rent starts from a schema document instead of a database, generates a fluent builder per model, plans SQL migrations from the schema diff, and adds row policies, tenancy, and typed extension packages. Both are async on Tokio.
Side by side
| Aspect | Rent (Rust) | SeaORM (Rust) |
|---|---|---|
| Schema source | One central RSL document is the source of truth. The Rust client and the database catalog are both derived from it. | Entity files generated from the database by sea-orm-cli, or written by hand. |
| Client | Generated builders per model with compact predicates, relationships, eager loading, and cursors. | Entity and ActiveModel types with a query builder. |
| Migrations | Rent diffs the RSL schema against the live catalog, classifies every operation as safe, review, or destructive, writes append-only SQL, and seals it with checksums in rent.sum. | Migrations written in Rust with SeaQuery and run by the migration crate. |
| Authorization | Row policies, tenant scoping, hooks, and interceptors are part of the generated client and apply to reads, writes, and relationship endpoints. | None built in. |
| PostgreSQL extensions | Typed packages for pgvector, PostGIS, pgmq, pg_cron, pg_net, TimescaleDB, pg_search, pg_trgm, citext, pgcrypto, uuid-ossp, pg_jsonschema, pg_partman, and pgAudit, declared in the schema and checked before migration. | Extensions through custom types and raw SQL. |
| Databases | PostgreSQL first, with MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite on the same generated client. | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite. |
Choose Rent when
- You want the schema to drive both the client and the migrations.
- You want migrations as reviewed SQL with safety classification.
- You need policies, tenancy, or typed PostgreSQL extensions.
Choose SeaORM when
- You are starting from an existing database and want entities generated from it.
- You prefer writing migrations in Rust rather than SQL.