SQL++11 ORM In a Nutshell

So, you’ve been wrestling with SQL queries in your C++ code, manually handling connections, preparing statements, and juggling result sets like a circus act. Enter sqlpp11, the C++ ORM (Object-Relational Mapping) library that makes SQL in C++ less painful and a lot more fun (well, as fun as SQL can get).

In this guide, we’re going to break down sqlpp11, how it works, and why you might want to use it.

What is sqlpp11?

sqlpp11 is a type-safe SQL query library for C++11 and beyond. It’s not exactly a full-blown ORM like Hibernate in Java or Entity Framework in C#. Instead, it provides an intuitive way to construct SQL queries using C++ syntax while maintaining type safety.

The main perks:

• No more string-based SQL queries – You can write queries in C++ and let the compiler check them for you.
• Supports multiple backends – Works with MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and more.
• Header-only – No need to link against a library; just include and go.
• Composable Queries – Queries can be built step by step in a clean, functional style.

Installing sqlpp11

Before we start writing queries, we need to install sqlpp11.

1. Install Dependencies

You’ll need:

• A C++11-compatible compiler (GCC, Clang, MSVC, etc.)
• CMake for building
• Database-specific connectors (e.g., sqlpp11-connector-mysql for MySQL)

For example, installing it with MySQL support might look like this:

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sudo apt-get install libmysqlclient-dev

2. Install sqlpp11

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git clone https://github.com/rbock/sqlpp11.git
cd sqlpp11
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

You’ll also need a database-specific connector, such as sqlpp11-connector-mysql:

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git clone https://github.com/rbock/sqlpp11-connector-mysql.git
cd sqlpp11-connector-mysql
mkdir build && cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

Writing Queries with sqlpp11

Let’s jump into some code and see how sqlpp11 helps us avoid SQL injection disasters and runtime query errors.

Setting Up a Database Connection

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#include <sqlpp11/sqlpp11.h>
#include <sqlpp11/mysql/mysql.h>
#include "my_database.h" // This is your table definition

int main() {
    sqlpp::mysql::connection_config config;
    config.user = "root";
    config.password = "password";
    config.database = "test_db";

    sqlpp::mysql::connection db(config);
    std::cout << "Connected to MySQL!" << std::endl;
    return 0;
}

Defining a Table

Instead of writing raw SQL table definitions, sqlpp11 uses C++ structs:

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#include <sqlpp11/sqlpp11.h>
#include <sqlpp11/table.h>

namespace my_database {
    struct Users : sqlpp::table_t<Users,
        sqlpp::column_t<int, sqlpp::primary_key, sqlpp::auto_increment, sqlpp::not_null>,
        sqlpp::column_t<std::string, sqlpp::not_null>> {
        struct _alias_t { static constexpr const char _literal[] = "users"; };
    };
}

Inserting Data

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my_database::Users users;
db(insert_into(users).set(users.name = "Alice"));

Querying Data

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for (const auto& row : db(select(all_of(users)).from(users).where(users.id == 1))) {
    std::cout << "User: " << row.name << std::endl;
}

Updating Data

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db(update(users).set(users.name = "Bob").where(users.id == 1));

Deleting Data

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db(remove_from(users).where(users.id == 1));

Comparing sqlpp11 with Other ORMs

Key Ideas

References

• sqlpp11 GitHub Repository
• sqlpp11 MySQL Connector
• C++ ORM Comparison