What is ORM (Object Relational Mapping) Used for in Modern Applications ?

ORM is an abstraction that allows developers to work with databases using object-oriented concepts they use in their application code, getting rid of raw SQL queries. 

Its benefits in modern applications: 

1. Improved Productivity: Instead of manually writing raw SQL to insert, update or delete data, you can use high-level functions provided by the ORM, like .save() or .delete(), reducing repetitive coding, and improving code readability and maintainability, since developers can use object-oriented syntax. 
2. Database Independence: Switching from one database system to another is less complicated. 
3. Data Integrity and Validation: Most ORM frameworks provide built-in mechanisms for ensuring data integrity, and automatic validation of data before it gets saved to the database. 
4. Security: ORMs often help guard against SQL injection attacks, as they automatically sanitize inputs when generating SQL queries, making it harder for malicious input to be executed directly on the database. 
5. Managing Relationships: ORMs provide built-in support for managing relationships between entities (like one-to-many or many-to-many). For example, if you have two entities—User and Post—with a one-to-many relationship (one user can have many posts), an ORM framework will handle these relationships automatically, allowing you to access all posts belonging to a user without needing to manually write complex joins. 

Popular ORM frameworks: 

• Django ORM (Python) 
• Entity Framework (C#/.NET) 
• Hibernate (Java) 
• Sequelize (JavaScript/Node.js) 
• ActiveRecord (Ruby on Rails) 

Good to Note 

While ORM simplifies many tasks, it’s not always the best solution for every case. In some situations, raw SQL queries or a more hybrid approach might be needed for performance reasons, complex queries, or fine-grained control over the database. But overall, ORM is a powerful tool that saves time and helps maintain cleaner, more maintainable code.