---
title: "python - Concepts of backref and back_populate in SQLalchemy? ..."
description: "!https://stackoverflow.com/questions/51335298/concepts-of-backref-and-back-populate-in-sqlalchemy#answer-59920780"
date: 2024-03-06
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tags:
  - database
  - python
  - sqlalchemy
  - thought
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Today I came across some sqlalchemy models that created some relationships, some used `backref` 
 some used `back_populates`.   I was stumped why, I had never came accross `backref` before and I felt skill issues sinking in.

## backref is considered legacy

https://docs.sqlalchemy.org/en/14/orm/backref.html

As stated in the sqlalchemy docs, backref is a legacy feature.  Its shorthand to creating relationships between parent and child, but only adding it to the parent.  While this is simpler it introduces some invisible magic.