Bring IRIS to the JavaScript ORM World

1️⃣ Description of the Idea

Add official support or adapters for popular Node.js ORMs (TypeORM, Prisma, MikroORM, Sequelize) to InterSystems IRIS. Instead of building a new ORM from scratch, this idea focuses on enabling IRIS as a supported database backend in one or more of these widely used frameworks.

The integration could take the form of:

• A database driver adapter or plugin

• A community-supported connector officially endorsed and documented

• Contributions to the ORM codebases to introduce IRIS dialect/driver support

2️⃣ Who is the Target Audience?

• JavaScript and TypeScript backend developers using Node.js

• Teams using frameworks like NestJS, Next.js, Express, or Serverless

• Organizations wanting to use InterSystems IRIS as a high-performance backend while retaining their existing toolchains

• SaaS startups and product teams that rely on modern full-stack development workflows

3️⃣ What Problem Does It Solve?

InterSystems IRIS currently lacks direct support in major Node.js ORM frameworks, which:

• Prevents teams from easily adopting IRIS in modern JS/TS applications

• Forces developers to write custom SQL or use lower-level drivers (ODBC, JDBC, REST), increasing complexity and technical debt

• Limits IRIS's adoption in the rapidly growing JavaScript/TypeScript backend space

This idea bridges that gap and unlocks a smooth path for modern developers to adopt IRIS without abandoning their existing stack or practices.

4️⃣ How Does This Impact the Efficiency, Stability, Reliability, etc.?

• Developer Efficiency: Less boilerplate, faster onboarding, and easier prototyping

• Ecosystem Compatibility: Opens IRIS to vast ecosystems like NestJS, GraphQL, or Serverless Frameworks

• Code Maintainability: Using mature, tested ORMs with community support reduces long-term risk

• Reliability: ORM features like validation, migrations, and transactions enhance application robustness

• Adoption Growth: Makes IRIS more attractive to new developers and companies working in modern stacks

5️⃣ Use Case / Scenario

A fintech company is building a scalable backend with NestJS and Prisma for rapid development and clean data modeling. They want to migrate from PostgreSQL to InterSystems IRIS to benefit from its performance and concurrency advantages.

Without IRIS support in Prisma, they face a full rewrite of their data access layer.

With this idea implemented, the company can:

• Switch Prisma’s provider to an IRIS adapter

• Retain their existing data models and queries

• Gain performance improvements and scalability of IRIS

• Avoid rewriting business logic or database abstraction code