Entity definition in NestJS - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Entity Definition in NestJS

📖 Scenario: You are building a simple NestJS application to manage a list of books in a library. Each book has a title, an author, and a year of publication.

🎯 Goal: Create a basic entity class called Book using TypeORM decorators to define the database table and columns.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a class named Book decorated with @Entity()

Add a primary column id with auto-generated number

Add a column title of type string

Add a column author of type string

Add a column year of type number

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Defining entities is essential for building backend applications that interact with databases, such as managing books in a library system.

💼 Career

Understanding entity definition is a key skill for backend developers working with NestJS and TypeORM in real-world projects.

1

Create the Book class with Entity decorator

Create a class called Book and decorate it with @Entity() from typeorm.

NestJS

import { Entity } from 'typeorm';

// Your code here

Hint

Use @Entity() above the class declaration to mark it as a database entity.

2

Add the primary key column id

Import PrimaryGeneratedColumn from typeorm and add a property id decorated with @PrimaryGeneratedColumn() of type number inside the Book class.

NestJS

import { Entity, PrimaryGeneratedColumn } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class Book {
  // Your code here
}

Hint

The id property should have @PrimaryGeneratedColumn() decorator and be of type number.

3

Add columns for title, author, and year

Import Column from typeorm. Add three properties inside the Book class: title and author as strings, and year as a number. Decorate each with @Column().

NestJS

import { Entity, PrimaryGeneratedColumn, Column } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class Book {
  @PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
  id: number;

  // Your code here
}

Hint

Use @Column() decorator for each property and specify the correct types.

4

Export the Book entity class

Make sure the Book class is exported using export class Book so it can be used in other parts of the application.

NestJS

import { Entity, PrimaryGeneratedColumn, Column } from 'typeorm';

// Your code here

Hint

Check that the class declaration starts with export class Book.

Practice

1. What is the purpose of the @Entity() decorator in a NestJS application using TypeORM?

easy

A. It marks a class as a database table representation.

B. It defines a method to fetch data from the database.

C. It creates a new database connection.

D. It styles the output of a component.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the role of @Entity()

   The @Entity() decorator tells NestJS and TypeORM that the class represents a database table.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other decorators

   Other decorators like @Column() define table columns, but @Entity() marks the whole class as a table.

3. Final Answer:

   It marks a class as a database table representation. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   @Entity() = Table marker [OK]

Hint: Remember: @Entity() means 'this class is a table' [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing @Entity() with database connection setup
• Thinking @Entity() defines methods or styles
• Mixing up @Entity() with @Column()

2. Which of the following is the correct way to define a string column named title in a NestJS entity using TypeORM?

easy

A. @Column({ type: 'number' }) title: string;

B. @Column('boolean') title: string;

C. @Column() title: string;

D. @Column({ length: 255 }) title: number;

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct @Column() usage for a string

   By default, @Column() without options assumes a string type in TypeORM.

2. Step 2: Check type consistency

   The property type should be string to match the column type.

3. Final Answer:

   @Column() title: string; -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Default @Column() = string column [OK]

Hint: Use @Column() alone for simple string columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Setting wrong type in @Column() options
• Mismatching property type and column type
• Using number type for string properties

3. Given the following entity code, what will be the type of the age column in the database?

import { Entity, Column, PrimaryGeneratedColumn } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class User {
  @PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
  id: number;

  @Column()
  name: string;

  @Column({ type: 'int' })
  age: number;
}

medium

A. INTEGER (number)

B. VARCHAR (string)

C. BOOLEAN

D. DATE

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the @Column() decorator on age

   The decorator specifies { type: 'int' }, which means an integer column in the database.

2. Step 2: Match the property type

   The property age is a number, matching the integer database type.

3. Final Answer:

   INTEGER (number) -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   { type: 'int' } means integer column [OK]

Hint: Look for { type: 'int' } to identify integer columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming default string type without checking options
• Confusing int with boolean or date
• Ignoring the explicit type option in @Column()

4. Identify the error in the following entity definition:

import { Entity, Column, PrimaryGeneratedColumn } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class Product {
  @PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
  id: number;

  @Column({ type: 'varchar', length: 100 })
  name: number;
}

medium

A. Missing @Entity() decorator

B. Property type number does not match column type varchar

C. Primary key column missing

D. Incorrect import statement

Solution

1. Step 1: Check property and column type consistency

   The name property is typed as number but the column type is varchar, which expects a string.

2. Step 2: Confirm other parts are correct

   @Entity() is present, primary key is defined, and imports are correct.

3. Final Answer:

   Property type number does not match column type varchar -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Property type must match column type [OK]

Hint: Match property type with @Column() type options [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong property type for string columns
• Forgetting to add @Entity()
• Missing primary key decorator

5. You want to define an entity Order with an auto-generated primary key id, a string customerName limited to 150 characters, and an optional numeric discount that can be null. Which is the correct entity definition?

hard

A. import { Entity, Column, PrimaryGeneratedColumn } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class Order {
@PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
id: number;

@Column({ length: 150 })
customerName: string;

@Column({ type: 'int', nullable: false })
discount: number;
}

B. import { Entity, Column, PrimaryGeneratedColumn } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class Order {
@PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
id: string;

@Column({ length: 150 })
customerName: string;

@Column({ type: 'float' })
discount: number;
}

C. import { Entity, Column, PrimaryGeneratedColumn } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class Order {
@PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
id: number;

@Column({ type: 'varchar', length: 150 })
customerName: number;

@Column({ type: 'float', nullable: true })
discount: number;
}

D. import { Entity, Column, PrimaryGeneratedColumn } from 'typeorm';

@Entity()
export class Order {
@PrimaryGeneratedColumn()
id: number;

@Column({ length: 150 })
customerName: string;

@Column({ type: 'float', nullable: true })
discount?: number;
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Verify primary key definition

   @PrimaryGeneratedColumn() on id: number creates an auto-incrementing integer primary key. A string type would be incorrect without additional configuration like UUID.

2. Step 2: Check customerName

   @Column({ length: 150 }) with string type creates a VARCHAR(150) column. A number type mismatches.

3. Step 3: Confirm discount

   @Column({ type: 'float', nullable: true }) with optional discount?: number allows null values. Missing nullable: true, wrong type like 'int', or non-optional fails.

4. Final Answer:

   The entity with number id, string customerName({length:150}), optional nullable float discount -> Option D

5. Quick Check:

   Match types, nullable, and optional properties carefully [OK]

Hint: Use nullable: true and optional property for nullable columns [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Mismatching property types and column types
• Forgetting to mark nullable columns as optional
• Using wrong primary key type