DB to NDB Client Library Migration

No Datastore changes needed

In case you wondered, despite the different APIs, NDB and the old ext.db package write exactly the same data to the Datastore. That means you don’t have to do any conversion to your datastore, and you can happily mix and match NDB and ext.db code, as long as the schema you use is equivalent. You can even convert between ext.db and NDB keys using ndb.Key.from_old_key() and key.to_old_key().

General differences

  • NDB is picky about types. E.g. in db, when a key is required, you can also pass an entity or a string. In NDB you must pass a key.

  • NDB is picky about lists. E.g. in db, db.put() takes either an entity or a list of entities. In NDB, you use entity.put() to put a single entity, but ndb.put_multi(<list>) to put a list of entities.

  • NDB prefers methods over functions. E.g. instead of db.get(key), and db.put(entity), NDB uses key.get() and entity.put().

  • NDB doesn't like offering two APIs that do the same thing. (On the other hand it does sometimes offer two APIs that do slightly different things.)

Side-by-side API call comparison

The tables below show similarities and differences between ndb and the old ext.db module. See the Official NDB Docs for an introduction to and reference for NDB.

Model class

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
class MyModel(db.Model):
  foo = db.StringProperty()
 
class MyModel(ndb.Model):
  foo = ndb.StringProperty()
 
@classmethod
def kind(cls):
  return 'Foo'
 
@classmethod
def _get_kind(cls):
  return 'Foo'
 
MyModel.kind()
 
MyModel._get_kind()
 
MyModel.properties()
model_instance.properties()
 
MyModel._properties  # No () !!
model_entity._properties
 
MyExpando.dynamic_properties()
 
MyExpando._properties  # No () !!

Entities

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
MyModel(key_name='my_key')
 
MyModel(id='my_key')
 
MyModel(key_name='my_key',
  parent=model_instance)
 
MyModel(id='my_key',
  parent=model_instance.key)
 
key = model_instance.key()
 
key = model_instance.key  # No () !!
 
model_instance = MyModel(
  foo='foo',
  bar='bar',
  baz='baz')
 
model_instance = MyModel(
  foo='foo',
  bar='bar',
  baz='baz')
 
model_instance.foo = 'foo'
model_instance.bar = 'bar'
model_instance.baz = 'baz'
 
model_instance.foo = 'foo'
model_instance.bar = 'bar'
model_instance.baz = 'baz'
# or a shortcut...
model_instance.populate(
  foo='foo',
  bar='bar',
  baz='baz')
 
model_instance.is_saved()

No direct equivalent; see Stack Overflow for a possible solution.

Get

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
MyModel.get_by_key_name('my_key')
 
MyModel.get_by_id('my_key')
 
MyModel.get_by_id(42)
 
MyModel.get_by_id(42)
 
db.get(key)
 
key.get()
 
MyModel.get(key)
 
key.get()
 
db.get(model_instance)
 
model_instance.key.get()
 
db.get(list_of_keys)
 
ndb.get_multi(list_of_keys)
 
db.get(list_of_instances)
 
ndb.get_multi([x.key for x in
               list_of_instances])
 
MyModel.get_or_insert('my_key',
  parent=model_instance,
  foo='bar')
 
MyModel.get_or_insert('my_key',
  parent=model_instance.key,
  foo='bar')

Put

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
db.put(model_instance)
 
model_instance.put()
 
db.put(list_of_model_instances)
 
ndb.put_multi(
  list_of_model_instances)

Delete

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
model_instance.delete()
 
model_instance.key.delete()
 
db.delete(model_instance)
 
model_instance.key.delete()
 
db.delete(key)
 
key.delete()
 
db.delete(list_of_model_instances)
 
ndb.delete_multi([m.key for m in
  list_of_model_instances])
 
db.delete(list_of_keys)
 
ndb.delete_multi(list_of_keys)

Properties

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
db.BlobProperty()
 
ndb.BlobProperty()
 
db.BooleanProperty()
 
ndb.BooleanProperty()
 
db.ByteStringProperty()
 
ndb.BlobProperty(indexed=True)
 
db.CategoryProperty()
 
ndb.StringProperty()
 
db.DateProperty()
 
ndb.DateProperty()
 
db.DateTimeProperty()
 
ndb.DateTimeProperty()
 
db.EmailProperty()
 
ndb.StringProperty()
 
db.FloatProperty()
 
ndb.FloatProperty()
 
db.GeoPtProperty()
 
ndb.GeoPtProperty()
 
db.IMProperty()

No equivalent.

 
db.IntegerProperty()
 
ndb.IntegerProperty()
 
db.LinkProperty()
 
ndb.StringProperty()

Has a max size of 500. For longer URLs, use ndb.TextProperty(). 

db.ListProperty(bool)
db.ListProperty(float)
db.ListProperty(int)
db.ListProperty(db.Key)
# etc.
 
ndb.BooleanProperty(repeated=True)
ndb.FloatProperty(repeated=True)
ndb.IntegerProperty(repeated=True)
ndb.KeyProperty(repeated=True)
# etc.
 
db.PhoneNumberProperty()
 
ndb.StringProperty()
 
db.PostalAddressProperty()
 
ndb.StringProperty()
 
db.RatingProperty()
 
ndb.IntegerProperty()
 
db.ReferenceProperty(AnotherModel)
model_instance.prop
MyModel.prop \
  .get_value_for_datastore \
  (model_instance)
 
ndb.KeyProperty(kind=AnotherModel)
model_instance.prop.get()
model_instance.prop
 
# Using the backreference set
other = model_instance.prop
other.prop_set.fetch(N)
 
# No direct equivalent; emulation:
other = model_instance.prop.get()
MyModel.query(
  MyModel.prop == other.key).fetch(N)
 
db.SelfReferenceProperty()
 
ndb.KeyProperty(kind='ThisModelClass')
 
db.StringProperty()
 
ndb.StringProperty()
 
db.StringProperty(multiline=True)

Not supported; strings are always allowed to contain \n.

 
db.StringListProperty()
 
ndb.StringProperty(repeated=True)
 
db.TextProperty()
 
ndb.TextProperty()
 
db.TimeProperty()
 
ndb.TimeProperty()
 
db.UserProperty()
 
ndb.UserProperty()
 
blobstore.BlobReferenceProperty()
 
ndb.BlobKeyProperty()

Building a Key

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
key = db.Key(encoded_key)
 
key = ndb.Key(urlsafe=encoded_key)
 
key = db.Key.from_path(
  'MyKind', 'some_id',
  'MyKind', 'some_id')
 
key = ndb.Key(
  'MyKind', 'some_id',
  'MyKind', 'some_id')
 
key = db.Key.from_path(
  MyModel, 'some_id',
  parent=model_instance,
  namespace='my_namespace')
 
key = ndb.Key(
  MyModel, 'some_id',
  parent=model_instance.key,
  namespace='my_namespace')

Key operations

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
key.id_or_name()
 
key.id()
 
key.id()
 
key.integer_id()
 
key.name()
 
key.string_id()
 
key.has_id_or_name()
 
key.id() is None
# or...
model_instance.has_complete_key()
 
key.app(), key.namespace(),
key.parent(), key.kind()

Same.

 
str(key)
 
key.urlsafe()
 
key.to_path()
 
key.flat()
 
db.allocate_ids(MyModel, size)
 
S, E = MyModel.allocate_ids(size)
 
db.allocate_id_range(MyModel,X,Y)
 
S, E = MyModel.allocate_ids(max=Y)
assert S <= X

Transactions

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
db.run_in_transaction(function)
 
ndb.transaction(function)
 
db.run_in_transaction(
  function, *args, **kwds)
 
ndb.transaction(
  lambda: function(*args, **kwds))
 
db.run_in_transaction_custom_retries(n, function)
 
ndb.transaction(function, retries=n)
 
opts = \
  db.create_transaction_options(xg=True)
db.run_in_transaction_options(opts, fun)
 
ndb.transaction(fun, xg=True)

Queries

google.appengine.ext.db ndb.model 
q = MyModel.all()
 
q = MyModel.query()
 
for result in q.run(): ...
 
for result in q.iter(): ...
 
q = MyModel.all() \
  .filter('foo =', 'bar') \
  .filter('baz >=', 'ding')
 
q = MyModel.query(
  MyModel.foo == 'bar',
  MyModel.baz >= 'ding')
 
q = MyModel.all()
q.filter('foo =', 'bar')
q.filter('baz >=', 'ding')
q.order('-foo')
results = q.fetch(10)
 
q = MyModel.query()
q = q.filter(MyModel.foo == 'bar')
q = q.filter(MyModel.baz >= 'ding')
q = q.order(-MyModel.foo)
results = q.fetch(10)
 
q.filter('__key__', k)
# k is a db.Key instance
 
q = q.filter(MyModel._key == k)
# k is an ndb.Key instance
 
a.filter('__key__ >=', k)
# k is a db.Key instance
 
q = q.filter(MyModel._key >= k)
# k is an ndb.Key instance
 
class MyExpando(Expando): pass
q = MyExpando.all()
q.filter('foo =', 'bar')
 
class MyExpando(Expando): pass
q = MyExpando.query(
 ndb.GenericProperty('foo') == 'bar')
 
class Foo(Model): ...
class Bar(Model):
  foo = ReferenceProperty(Foo)
myfoo = <some Foo instance>
for bar in myfoo.bar_set(): ...
 
class Foo(Model): ...
class Bar(Model):
  foo = KeyProperty(kind=Foo)
myfoo = <some Foo instance>
for bar in \
  Bar.query(Bar.foo == myfoo.key): ...
 
q = MyModel.all()
q.ancestor(ancestor_key)
 
q =
  MyModel.query(ancestor=ancestor_key)
 
q = MyModel.all(keys_only=True)
r = q.fetch(N)
 
r = MyModel.query() \
    .fetch(N, keys_only=True)
# Alternatively:
q = MyModel.query(
      default_options=QueryOptions(
                      keys_only=True))
r = q.fetch(N)
 
q = MyModel.gql(...)
 
# same thing

Cursors

q = MyModel.all()
a = q.fetch(20)
cur = q.cursor()
 
q = MyModel.query()
a, cur, more = q.fetch_page(20)

In NDB, more is a bool indicating whether there are more entities at the cursor.

 
q.with_cursor(cur)
b = q.fetch(20)
 
b, cur, more = \
  q.fetch_page(20, start_cursor=cur)
 
q.with_cursor(end_cursor=cur)
b = q.fetch(20)
 
q.fetch(20, end_cursor=cur)