skyler

Posted on May 2

DBX: An Open-Source, 15 MB Database Client for 17+ Databases (Built with Tauri)

#opensource #database #rust #webdev

Why I Built DBX

I've used many database clients — DataGrip requires a subscription, DBeaver is slow to start, TablePlus locks features behind a paywall, and most Electron-based tools ship 200+ MB installers.

I wanted something open-source, fast, and lightweight that just works. So I built DBX with Tauri (Rust + Vue) — the installer is only ~15 MB because it uses the system's native webview instead of bundling Chromium.

What It Does

DBX connects to 17+ databases with a single app:

SQL	NoSQL	Analytical
MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, SQL Server, Oracle	Redis, MongoDB	DuckDB, ClickHouse
TiDB, OceanBase, openGauss, Doris, StarRocks

Key Features

🤖 AI SQL Assistant

Connect your Claude or OpenAI API key, then ask questions in natural language. DBX knows your schema — tables, columns, indexes, foreign keys — so it generates accurate SQL.

Generate SQL from natural language
Explain, optimize, and fix broken queries
One-click "Fix with AI" when a query fails

📊 ER Relationship Diagrams

Right-click any database or table to generate relationship diagrams. Two modes:

Table structure view — column types, primary/foreign keys
Chen-style ER diagram — entities, attributes, cardinalities

Both support zoom/drag and SVG export.

📁 Drag & Drop File Preview

Drop a Parquet, CSV, or JSON file into DBX and instantly preview the data — powered by an embedded DuckDB engine. No import step needed.

✏️ Inline Data Editing

Edit data directly in the grid. Changes are color-coded (green = new, amber = edited, red = deleted) and batched into a single save operation.

🔐 Security First

Passwords stored in system keychain (macOS Keychain / Windows Credential Manager)
DROP/DELETE/TRUNCATE/ALTER require confirmation
SSH tunnel support (key + password auth)

Other Highlights

Query editor — CodeMirror 6, autocomplete, syntax highlighting, SQL formatting
Redis browser — key search, all data types (String, Hash, List, Set, ZSet, Stream)
MongoDB browser — document CRUD with pagination
Database export — DDL + INSERT data to SQL file
Dark mode, i18n (English & Chinese), auto-update

Tech Stack

Layer	Technology
Framework	Tauri 2.0
Backend	Rust (sqlx, reqwest, keyring)
Frontend	Vue 3 + TypeScript
Editor	CodeMirror 6
UI	shadcn-vue + Tailwind CSS
File preview	DuckDB (WASM)

The Rust backend handles all database connections, SSH tunnels, and credential storage. The frontend communicates via Tauri's IPC — no HTTP server, no localhost ports.

Install

macOS (Homebrew):

brew install --cask t8y2/tap/dbx

Windows (Scoop):

scoop bucket add dbx https://github.com/t8y2/scoop-bucket
scoop install dbx

Or download from GitHub Releases.

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