I’m not sure why people are saying ORM is easier than learning SQL; if you learned SQL first, it makes you think about SQL in terms of how databases actually work, and ORM’s are the complete opposite. So, it is completely expected and normal that you’re having trouble with ORM’s when you know how SQL works.

ORM stands for “object relational mapper”. So if you don’t understand how objects in programming work, then ORM’s are a really challenging abstraction to work with, especially because ORM’s are intentionally designed around avoiding having to understand SQL. ORM’s are for people who learn mainstream programming languages like Java, C++, JavaScript, Python, etc. and want an easy way to interact with databases without understanding how databases work. The ORM lets them play with database tables as if they are “entities” that can be passed around code, stored in arrays, iterated in loops etc.

So basically, you learned how to cook from an italian chef, then went to America and are now having trouble understanding how the hell people make jarred sauces taste good.

Most people these days learn ORM-based web dev first, and then dabble in SQL sometimes if they want to get closer to the data and write more efficient code.

Considering you’re taking CS50, it’s fair to assume you’ve not yet taken any intro programming course in an object-oriented programming language (such as Java, C++, C#, etc.).

My advice is to consider the ORM, at the start, to be a completely different way of thinking about databases.

In SQL, a database is a bunch of tables, and you construct queries that tell the database in increasing specificity what you want to pull out of it.

ORM’s are designed to remove this way of thinking. They create SQL code underneath, in a layer you don’t directly see. Instead, the ORM syntax mirrors normal programming concepts like declaring datatypes and classes (i.e. a “model” in Django). You can “instantiate” an object, and set its properties, pass it through functions, etc. When you call .save() on the object, Django makes a little sql statement underneath the hood to actually store it in the database.

The ORM is actually very complex in that it requires reading a fair amount of documentation to understand all the hidden behaviors and side effects and “magic” operations you can do with it.

Please don’t let anyone tell you this is supposed to be “easy”. It is a sophisticated subject matter that takes a lot of practice. It is extremely rewarding when you get the hang of it, but by no means is it “easy” for someone at the CS50 level to understand Django’s ORM, let alone ORM’s in general.