Pomm is an open source database access framework in PHP dedicated to the Postgresql™ database. It offers an alternative approach than ORM to using database in web applications developments.
Imagine an ORM but upside down. That’s what Pomm is.
When ORM appeared in the PHP world, they brought with them a lot of good practices in addition of sticking to a purely object oriented model which, at the time, was missing in most of PHP projects.
ORM are widely used today because they ease the development of large applications. But they also come with pitfalls that lead to badly designed data structures, complex processes and more generally, performances issues.
Pomm came with a pragmatic approach setting the database at developers fingertips without the arduousness of an abstraction layer. It grants developers with unlimited access to SQL and database features while proposing a high level API.
Pomm2 also gives an easy access to the powerful features of Postgresql via a CLI tool that help developers inspect database structures and generate mapping classes. Using a modular distribution is the best way to comply with everyone’s way of doing the things.
PHP Magazine asked Grégoire Hubert, author of Pomm project about the project roadmap : “There is no clear roadmap for now, BUT there is a strong will to release a 2.1 (at least Foundation) release by the end of this year. This would include lot of small features demanded by users for too long”.
When asked about case studies and new features of Pomm, Gregoire told us “Since it was released (and even before that), Pomm has been used in production and done the job. The idea is not to add extra features but to propose more Model Managers than the only one proposed today. I am thinking about a manager dedicated to statistics and reports which is something SQL & PHP are frequently used at.”
Finally Pomm is Enterprise ready. It has a comprehensive documentation and modules to be used with Symfony™. Pomm2 complies with PSR-2, semver standards and proposes a controlled cycle of releases.
Some key features of Pomm includes :
- On the fly type conversion : UUID, geometric types HStore, arrays inet, JSON etc.
- Object oriented entities : Unlimited access to SQL, Iterators on results, Embedded entities
- Postgresql to the fingertips : LISTEN / NOTIFY support, Transactions and savepoints, Multiple inheritance
- Crafted with tools : Database introspection, Code generators, Condition builder.
More information at http://www.pomm-project.org/
