📌 Is __tablename__ Compulsory in SQLAlchemy? Can We Change It?
No, __tablename__ is not compulsory, but it is highly recommended in SQLAlchemy when using the ORM (Object-Relational Mapping).
✅ What Does __tablename__ Do?
When you define a model in SQLAlchemy like this:
class User(Base):
__tablename__ = "users" # ✅ Defines the table name
id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True, index=True)
email = Column(String, unique=True, index=True, nullable=False)
hashed_password = Column(String, nullable=False)
- The
__tablename__sets the name of the table in the database. - Without it, SQLAlchemy will automatically generate a table name based on the class name.
✅ What Happens If We Don’t Use __tablename__?
If you don’t define __tablename__, SQLAlchemy will autogenerate a name based on the class.
Example Without __tablename__:
class User(Base):
id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True, index=True)
email = Column(String, unique=True, index=True, nullable=False)
hashed_password = Column(String, nullable=False)
💡 Generated Table Name: "user" (lowercase version of the class name)
✅ Can We Change __tablename__?
Yes! You can change it to any valid table name.
Example with a Custom Table Name:
class User(Base):
__tablename__ = "my_custom_users_table" # ✅ Custom table name
id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True, index=True)
email = Column(String, unique=True, index=True, nullable=False)
hashed_password = Column(String, nullable=False)
💡 Now the table name will be: my_custom_users_table
✅ When Should We Use __tablename__?
| Scenario | Should You Use __tablename__? |
|---|---|
| You want full control over table names | ✅ Yes |
| You follow strict database naming rules | ✅ Yes |
| You are fine with autogenerated names | ❌ No (optional) |
✅ Final Answer:
__tablename__is not required, but recommended.- You can change the table name to anything valid.
- If you don’t define it, SQLAlchemy will use the lowercase class name as the table name.
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