Ecto (Elixir)
Hacker ApprovedRanked 2 of 8 SQL query builders by recommenders
Elixir database library that follows SQL closely, makes queries explicit and avoids hidden magic. Main caveat: defining large schemas is repetitive compared with Django.
Elixir database library that follows SQL closely, makes queries explicit and avoids hidden magic. Main caveat: defining large schemas is repetitive compared with Django.
22 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 17
- criticize it
- 5
- approval share
- 77%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 17 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Follows SQL closely for query building
“Ecto is closely follows SQL logic and allows to translate weird sql queries into code directly.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Erlang/OTP 29.0” “it has a pretty good query building type solution”
Comment from 20 Mar 2026 in “Java Is Fast. Your Code Might Not Be” “it just makes sql so ergonomic”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “What ORMs have taught me: just learn SQL (2014)” Standard database layer in Elixir
“which many Elixir libraries (such as Phoenix and Ecto) uses to great effect”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “Elixir v1.20 released: now a gradually typed language” “Erlang/Elixir abstracts most db use-cases with ecto”
Comment from 7 Nov 2025 in “From web developer to database developer in 10 years” “Phoenix and Ecto, really.”
Comment from 3 Jun 2026 in “Elixir v1.20 released: now a gradually typed language” Less magic than other ORMs
“i would say it has less magic than django”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Notes on Starting to Use Django” “as little magic as possible”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “What ORMs have taught me: just learn SQL (2014)” Clean schema and migration workflow
“i really prefer writing out schemas and migrations like in elixir/ecto”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Notes on Starting to Use Django” “i use elixir/ecto. just write a migration!”
Comment from 27 Jul 2026 in “Some more things about Django I've been enjoying”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Repetitive to define large schemas
“it was super repetitive to define make large database strucutres compared to Django”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Notes on Starting to Use Django” “it was super repetitive to define make large database strucutres”
Comment from 28 Jan 2026 in “Notes on Starting to Use Django” Shared schema reuse criticized
“using the same schemas everywhere is a sign of immaturity as a developer”
Comment from 4 Jun 2026 in “Elixir v1.20 released: now a gradually typed language” “it encourages composition in situations where duplication is the right choice”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “What ORMs have taught me: just learn SQL (2014)”
Other SQL query builders people recommend
The four most recommended other SQL query builders, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 8 SQL query builders, rankedWhat people said
23 of the 25 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the agent got stuck at something and then it started writing elixir within the repl and doing something related to ecto”
“i use elixir/ecto. just write a migration!”
“it encourages composition in situations where duplication is the right choice”
“it just makes sql so ergonomic”
“It's well-designed and I've never had a problem with it.”
“That's a problem with ecto and not ORMs.”
“has a decent balance and is nice to use though Elixir doesn't have objects”
“That avoids accidental and n+1 problems because you can plan your queries more.”
“as little magic as possible”
“In my opinion Elixir Ecto is ORM done right”
“using the same schemas everywhere is a sign of immaturity as a developer”
“Phoenix and Ecto, really.”
“which many Elixir libraries (such as Phoenix and Ecto) uses to great effect”
“Ecto is closely follows SQL logic and allows to translate weird sql queries into code directly.”
“it has a pretty good query building type solution”
“that handles all of this for you”
“Its not like you have some lens into the overall chain of all the migrations together.”
“it was super repetitive to define make large database strucutres compared to Django”
“i would say it has less magic than django”
“i really prefer writing out schemas and migrations like in elixir/ecto”
“it was super repetitive to define make large database strucutres”
“I've never once run into the ecto issues mentioned”
“Erlang/Elixir abstracts most db use-cases with ecto”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.