Introduction to SeaORM Pro

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• README.md
• sea-orm-pro/Cargo.toml
• pro_admin/config.toml
• pro_admin/dashboard.toml
• sea-orm-pro/src/parser.rs
• examples/axum_example/api/src/lib.rs
• src/tasks/seed.rs
• pro_admin/composite_tables/sales_order.toml

SeaORM Pro is a full-stack framework and admin panel solution designed to rapidly deploy administrative interfaces for Rust applications. It leverages SeaORM for database interactions and integrates with the Loco.rs framework to provide a pre-built backend, while the frontend is based on Ant Design Pro. The system allows developers to launch professional admin panels without requiring extensive frontend development skills.

Sources: README.md:1-10, pro_admin/dashboard.toml:11-14, pro_admin_frontend/README.md:1-3

System Architecture

The project is structured as a workspace containing a helper library (sea-orm-pro), a backend service, and configuration modules. The backend serves as the bridge between the database (supporting SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL) and the administrative frontend.

Core Components

Component	Description
sea-orm-pro	A helper library providing configuration parsing and data structures for the admin panel.
Admin Frontend	A pre-compiled asset set based on Ant Design Pro, served by the backend.
Loco.rs Backend	The server-side framework managing routing, authentication, and database migrations.
Configuration	TOML-based files defining the dashboard layout, raw tables, and composite views.

Sources: sea-orm-pro/Cargo.toml:1-25, Cargo.toml:1-10, README.md:50-60, pro_admin_frontend/README.md:1-5

Data Flow Overview

The following diagram illustrates how configuration files are parsed and served to the frontend via the API layer.

The ConfigParser reads .toml files from a specific directory (typically pro_admin) and converts them into a JsonCfg structure used by the frontend to render the UI dynamically.

Sources: sea-orm-pro/src/parser.rs:14-50, examples/axum_example/api/src/lib.rs:252-257

Configuration and Customization

SeaORM Pro utilizes a file-based configuration system located in the pro_admin directory to define the visual and functional aspects of the admin panel.

Site and Theme Configuration

General settings such as the panel title, logo, and login banner are managed in config.toml.

Field	Description	Source
site.theme.title	The display title of the admin panel.	pro_admin/config.toml:3
site.theme.logo	Path to the favicon or logo icon.	pro_admin/config.toml:5
site.navbar.graphql_playground	Boolean toggle for the GraphQL interface button.	pro_admin/config.toml:10

Dashboard Layout

The dashboard is defined in dashboard.toml using info cards and charts organized into rows and columns.

[[row.col]]
span = 12
title = "New Customers By Month"

[row.col.chart]
chart = "new_customer_by_month"
kind = "line"
timescale = "month"

Sources: pro_admin/dashboard.toml:35-45

Composite Tables

Composite tables allow for complex views that link parent and child entities, defining which columns are visible and which CRUD operations are enabled.

Setup and Development Workflow

The development lifecycle involves database initialization, asset acquisition, and entity generation.

1. Database Initialization: Uses .env for DATABASE_URL and cargo run task seed_data to populate tables from CSV/TSV sources.
2. Frontend Assets: Assets are downloaded via a shell script: sh build_tools/download_frontend.sh.
3. Entity Generation: Custom entities are generated using sea-orm-cli with the --seaography flag to ensure GraphQL compatibility.

Sources: README.md:12-45, src/tasks/seed.rs:35-80

Database Connectivity

The project supports multiple backends via Cargo features:

• sqlx-sqlite (Default)
• sqlx-mysql
• sqlx-postgres

Sources: Cargo.toml:52-56, README.md:20-25

API and Integration

The backend provides several key endpoints for the admin panel's operation:

• GET /api/admin/config: Returns the parsed TOML configurations as JSON.
• POST /api/auth/login: Handles administrative authentication.
• POST /api/graphql: Main data entry point for CRUD operations using Seaography.

Sources: examples/axum_example/api/src/lib.rs:55-70, src/graphql/query_root.rs:33-45

GraphQL Integration

The system uses seaography to automatically derive GraphQL schemas from SeaORM entities. In demo modes, a Readonly extension is applied to the GraphQL factory to prevent mutations.

Sources: src/graphql/query_root.rs:50-80

Summary

SeaORM Pro provides a robust, configuration-driven approach to building administrative interfaces in Rust. By combining the power of SeaORM and Seaography with a standardized configuration format, it enables rapid development and deployment of full-featured admin panels with minimal boilerplate.

Sources: README.md:1-5, sea-orm-pro/README.md:1-5