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Show HN: Sqlit – A lazygit-style TUI for SQL databases

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190 points MaxTeabag | 1 comments | 15 Dec 25 15:47 UTC | HN request time: 0.222s | source

I work mostly in the terminal but found myself constantly switching to bloated GUIs like SSMS only for the simple task of browsing tables and run queries. And I didn't find Existing SQL TUIs intuitive, having to read documentation to learn keybindings and CLI flags to connect. Given I had recently switched to linux, I found myself using vs code's sql database extension. Something was awfully wrong.

I wanted something like lazygit for databases – run it, connect, and query and frankly just make it enjoyable to access data.

  Sqlit is a keyboard-driven SQL TUI with:

  - Context-based keybindings (always visible)
  - Neovim-like interface with normal and insert mode for query editing
  - Browse databases, tables, views, stored procedures
  - Adapters for SQL Server, SQLite, PostgreSQL, Turso & more
  - SSH tunneling support
  - Themes (Tokyo Night, Nord, Gruvbox etc.)

  Inspired by lazygit, neovim and lazysql. Built with Python/Textual.
Feedback welcome – especially on which adapters to prioritize next. My vision of sqlit is to make a tool that makes it easy to connect and query data, and to do that, and that thing only, really well.

https://github.com/Maxteabag/sqlit

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no_news_is ◴[16 Dec 25 03:18 UTC] No.46284349[source]▶
Very nice, works well.

It seems you put some menu items behind what I'll call "[space] mode," where you you have to press the spacebar first to open the command menu, then use the command.

This is not reflected properly in the help text shown when you press ? and that was a source of confusion for me.

Especially since I managed to activate the fullscreen mode for one pane AND turn it off, but then couldn't figure out how I did it; and also, I did not find the space-Q option to Quit at first.)

Edit to add, I prefer installing with pipx.

These commands worked for me, to get Postgresql and MariaDB database plugins:

  pipx install sqlit-tui
  cd ~/.local/pipx/venvs/sqlit-tui
  source bin/activate
  bin/python3 -m pip install psycopg2
  sudo apt-get install -y libmariadb-dev  # On Debian
  bin/python3 -m pip install mariadb
I didn't try installing system-wide as per the GitHub instructions, I don't know if that would have worked just as well with pipx or not.
replies(3): >>46294750 #>>46299920 #>>46304556 #
1. MaxTeabag ◴[17 Dec 25 19:47 UTC] No.46304556[source]▶
Great UX feedback, that's going to be sorted out in the next release.

Also the pipx comment made me decide to put much more thought into how sqlit helps with package installation on runtime, and I'm going to suggest pipx by default and it's also going to give the correct commands for every popular package manager.

Thanks!