
Dbeaver – Multi-platform database tool - vbv
https://dbeaver.io/
======
rsyring
I can't believe how hard it is to find a good database client tool that runs
on Linux. I spent hours on Sunday looking for something that worked as well as
pgadmin3. I don't prefer these Java tools that force you to manage JDBC
drivers and usually share dated and cluttered UIs. Plus, I can't stand having
to manage connections to each database instead of to each server. Let me
connect to the server and then select my dB.

My notes:

    
    
      - Lists
      - https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/PostgreSQL_Clients
      - https://wiki.postgresql.org/wiki/Community_Guide_to_PostgreSQL_GUI_Tools
      - Clients
      - Most clients are Java, which is a pain b/c
        - they require you to list the DB in the connection
        - JDBC drivers can not use a socket connection
        - UI isn’t great
      - Valentina Studio
        - Has free & pro ($199) versions
        - Was the easiest to get connected initially, but then found bug that showed it wasn’t using socket connection as expected.
      - Navicat
        - Linux version is a Wine app
      - RazorSQL ($100 / year)
        - Is a Java app
        - Not much different from SQL Workbench, just use that instead?
      - TeamSQL
        - Electron, AppImage
        - Wanted me to enter an email address just to use the software, became privacy concerned about how much stuff would get sent to their servers
      - DbVisualizer ($197, $69 renewal)
        - Java
        - Downloaded & tried it, typical java app
      - SQL Workbench/J (OSS)
        - Java
      - Datazenit
        - web based but still Java?
      - PgManage
        - too crude
      - JetBrains DataGrip ($199 / $159)
        - Java
      - PgAdmin3
        - has lots of errors when used with PostgreSQL 11
      - PgAdmin4
        - installed, couldn’t get past the splash screen which said it couldn’t find the application server
      - Sqlectron
        - Electron
        - Couldn’t get a DB connection to save
      - dbForge
        - Windows only
      - dbGlass
        - No longer developed
      - HeidiSQL
        - Windows only
      - DBeaver
        - OSS and enterprise version

~~~
pjmlp
> JDBC drivers can not use a socket connection

As someone that has done lots of Java development you have lost me there, as
JDBC drivers obviously do make use of network connections, usually TCP/IP
sockets.

~~~
miragium
they are probably referring to unix sockets. I used dbeaver already and got
stuck on this very problem.

~~~
pjmlp
Ah ok, I seldom see them being used though.

------
spricket
Dbeaver is the best FOSS database UI tool hands down. I've done a lot of
searching and haven't found anything close. Managed to convert my whole office
to it in a matter of months.

Favorite features:

Well integrated ER diagrams that let you quickly see parts of the db related
to current table, or the whole thing if you want.

SQL generation from structure or data edits. Great for cranking out DB
migrations like a boss.

Ability to maintain many database connections at once, and support for doing
stuff before/after connecting which we widely abuse to setup SSH and VPN
connections.

Very liberal database support. My original search for a tool like DBeaver was
from the need to connect to MySQL, Postgres, and SQL Server and not wanting to
use a bunch of different tools. DBeaver supports roughly anything Java
supports, which is everything.

Wide OS support. Good luck finding another tool that can connect to MS SQL
Server on MacOs that isn't garbage or money.

The icon is also adorable

The only downside is a bit of classic FOSS UI clunk. Not nearly as rediculous
as Eclipse or Blender or the like, but it takes a few days to get comfortable.

~~~
wink
Just installed it for the first time in a few years.

\- Again I wonder why it doesn't show the tables first, I have to go through
Schemas -> Public.

\- 480 MB of RES RAM, I'm connected to one smallish Postgres DB.

\- I can't even find "just show me the contents of the table, like 'SELECT *
FROM'.

I know, maybe it's tailored for Enterprise Database Architects, but this is my
smoke test for a DB GUIs:

"How long and how many clicks does it take so that it provides more value
than: 'psql; \dt+; SELECT * FROM X;'"

~~~
spricket
Maybe I've been jaded by SSMS and Mysql Management Studio heh. DBeaver
actually has a better UI than most DB tools I've used, even though that's
still not saying a lot.

Mouse over the buttons for an excessive amount of time and the tooltips will
tell ya what they do.

Double click a table and go to "data" tab to see contents.

Schemas ->public is just a side effect of supporting a lot of different
databases. Many support schemas

Ram is because default java heap size, you could probably change launch params
to get it much lower though.

On all counts other DB tools I've used are just as obtuse and burn tons of
resources. Most are written in Java or another high-level language because
it's nigh impossible to get DB drivers for a ton of different databases
working together in C. DBeaver is basically leveraging JDBC for what it was
designed for

~~~
wink
I don't know those 2, but I like Sequel Pro and pgadmin.

And yeah, I found "data" and maybe reading the manual would even let me
somehow get there quicker. Still, I don't remember ever working with Postgres
(or Oracle) in whatever role or project and not needing the "data" view 10
times as often as the schemas or other stuff :)

~~~
spricket
I agree completely. The UI is kinda hokey but I still love it because I've
seen so much worse. Try giving it a few weeks, as you need the more advanced
stuff you'll learn where the bodies are buried and it becomes semi pleasant to
use

------
neosavvy
How is no one talking about
[https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/](https://www.jetbrains.com/datagrip/)

These guys actually fix their bugs. It works on every database known to
humans, and also does nearly everything DBeaver appears to do.

~~~
wyqydsyq
The software is great but I would never buy it purely because of their
business model.

There is absolutely no reason DataGrip needs to be a subscription service.
There aren't any ongoing costs for customers to use it.

It should be a one-off purchase with optional support subscription, maybe
requiring re-purchase at major version increments, not this bullshit where you
need to maintain a subscription for a license on a binary program you already
paid for and installed.

Feels as dodgy as Adobe turning Photoshop into a subscription service

Fuck these business models and the sales idiots who try to apply them to every
single product

~~~
gregmac
I used to think like this too, but I've since changed my mind and understand
why they do this -- and it can even be beneficial for users. There's a few big
problems with the old model:

First, you have to define the difference between "major" and "minor" version.
Users expect major versions to have some significant improvements or new
features. What this means is as a developer, you have incentive not to release
minor features regularly, but instead batch them together so you can do a
"major" release.

Second, the sales team now dictates the release cycle. More major releases
means more money, but do it too frequently and the user base revolts. In many
companies sales dictates the releases, but now if development is late it's
messing with the company's cash flow and ability to continue to exist.

Third, the software can never be "done", because that means no more major
releases. As a result, unless there is a sustainable stream of new users, you
get feature and scope creep.

Subscriptions mean predictable revenue, and make the developer's incentive
align with users: keeping users happy. This means keeping the product stable,
making incremental improvements, and evolving with features that make sense.

Of course the beauty of the market is you should be able to find products sold
both ways, and you can choose.

~~~
ojosilva
I absolutely agree, subscriptions are the way to go for making your software
business sustainable and better scalable R&D investments to maintain growth.
Gitlab is an example of this in the dev tooling space.

I've bought Mailplane v3 for my Mac a few years back. The app did not get new
features, only patches. New features came out with v4, which required another
purchase. I didn't buy it because v3 is good enough, buying again is a
psychological wall. If it was a subscription I'd be happily paying them and
happily using the latest version.

~~~
wyqydsyq
Gitlab is a terrible example, they are charging for a SERVICE of providing
hosting and support for their higher tiers.

They are not charging a subscription for you to be allowed to download Gitlab
and self-host it.

------
orthecreedence
I use DBeaver all the time and love it.

MySQL, Postgres, SQLite, etc...all the tools I need in one app.

I generally try to avoid Eclipse-based projects because they can be very
bloated, but in this case it's easily justifiable.

~~~
zamazingo
Does it provide any linting or other code checks? I'm curious because I'm
looking for something that can teach me proper SQL coding style and practices
as I write it.

~~~
AlfeG
Yes. At least for Postgres autocomplete is very handy.

------
zoom6628
Been a user of DBeaver for years - across all my platforms. Its does most
things well enough that it has not been a problem to use across SQLite, MSSQL,
MySQL and various file based data. Easier to use than SQuirreL which used to
be my fav. All of these are java tools I think primarily because of starting
from JDBC for which there seems to be a driver for just about everything on
the planet.

So DBeaver scratches my itch of needing same tool across platforms, across
databases.

------
mewm
I like to try out new tools likes this, but whilst on my mac, and I generally
use Sequel Pro for my databases (I use mysql and mariadb drop-ins). I have my
database locally in a docker container, where I forward 3306 to 3300. Entering
host as 127.0.0.1 with correct credentials and port, it gives me this error:
"Could not connect: Access denied for user 'root'@'172.18.0.1'". This does not
happen with Sequel, but occurs with Dbeaver. It actually also happened trying
TablePlus which is a piece of software that a fellow commenter was mentioning.
I'm sure that it could be solved in my configs by allowing that particular IP,
which is the local IP of the virtual machine which is serving docker. However,
that is supposed to be completely transparent, thus I should be able to
connect through 127.0.0.1. As I haven't looked at the source code, it seems
like the host lookup logic is flawed, as it translates my `127.0.0.1` to
`172.18.0.1`. Why? Dunno. But this occurred in both Dbeaver and TablePlus.
Works in my terminal and in Sequel however.

~~~
lugg
This sounds like a docker network problem more than an issue with dbeaver.

Try binding MySQL to 0.0.0.0 (all interfaces) instead of 127.0.0.1 (loopback).
That said, 127.0.0.1 should be fine provided you connect through the service
name or the docker container IP), connecting via 127.0.0.1 doesn't make sense.
Then again, it's docker on Mac, so I don't really know.

Fwiw, also used sequel pro on Mac, moving to Linux dbeaver was the only thing
that came close.

Now I don't really mind either but dbeaver is a bit quirky overall.

~~~
mewm
I know I can solve that by allowing "everytuldhing" to connect, but that is
not my point. Hence my ""I'm sure that it could be solved in my configs by
allowing that particular IP"" comment. That it's `Docker on mac` is kinda
irrelevant, as it's still just a virtual machine with a somewhat static IP. My
point is, that when it comes to transparency on that level, this piece of
software does not acknowledge that, but Sequel Pro does. I'm not a particular
fan of Sequel Pro, but it just works in these types of case. I'm still
expecting, that software like this, would be able to handle this type of
"proxy mechanism", so from outside the docker container, I could still connect
through 127.0.0.1 to it, thus making the default config adequate. Not sure if
this is even makes sense, but I feel, that when connecting through a binding
docker port, it should still use the origin IP ie. 127.0.0.1

------
codetrotter
Woah, that ER diagram functionality reminds me of a tool that I tried a long
time ago but which I had since forgotten. Back then the tool in question had
too many issues and shortcomings, but they may have developed it sufficiently
now.

[https://pgmodeler.io/](https://pgmodeler.io/)

Being told about Dbeaver and reminded of pgModeler right now is great because
I am currently defining the tables for a project I am working on for a client,
and as the number of tables grow jumping back and forth between the files that
define each of them adds a still small but noticeable overhead. With a ER
diagram tool I might be able to speed up a little part of the definition work.

Edit: Hmm, pgModeler might still not be such a great tool
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17693582](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17693582)

------
deviantfero
This is a great tool and it makes my life so much easier, so much better than
pgadmin4

------
iron0013
I've been using DBeaver for years now, and it just keeps getting better and
better. I use SQL every day, and DBeaver is the best client I've found.

It's shocking to me, actually, how absolutely awful most SQL clients are. It
truly was an area that was ripe for "disruption".

------
40four
I stared using Dbeaver a couple months ago, after looking around for an
alternative to HeidiSQL on my Windows 10 laptop at work.

Used HeidiSQl for a long time but got fed up with issues with it freezing or
crashing, especially when switching DB connections.

Dbeaver has been fantastic! Has some feautures Heidi didn't have, very stable
& better looking UI. Thumbs up from me, definitely worth giving a try!

~~~
pedrocx486
Nice to see someone that used HeidiSQL. I'm on the same boat. It feels like an
abandoned project. I guess it's finally time to install DBeaver and say
goodbye to Heidi.

~~~
creUsNa
>feels like an abandoned project

HeidiSQL feels like a finished product to me. Really no complaints at all and
if you actually take a look at the commits, you'll see that the SINGLE
developer puts in a whole lot of effort.

[https://github.com/HeidiSQL/HeidiSQL/commits/master](https://github.com/HeidiSQL/HeidiSQL/commits/master)

The guy is great and calling the project abandoned is really not fair.

------
creUsNa
If only it didn't have such a PTSD-inducing, eclipse-based UI.

HeidiSQL (with WINE) is still by far the best SQL client for me, because the
UI is simple yet efficient and very clean.

------
JimmyL
I've had better experiences with DataGrip, but if I wasn't at a place that
would pay for proper tools, DBeaver is an OK substitute. Neither, though, have
the big thing I want in an analytical SQL workspace:

Simple charts

A whole lot of my work ends up with a three- or four-column table with one
column of buckets, and the other being counts of how many things ended up in
that bucket. I'd love a view where I could render that into a line or bar
chart as a sanity check, and have it update in real-time as I change my query.
Instead, I end up having to constantly copy/paste into Excel and do it there.

Yes, I should be using a proper BI or visualization tool for real reports. But
sometimes I just need a quick line chart to show that yes, that one count is
going in the right direction.

~~~
sixdimensional
Have a look at Metabase. It's open source, web based and runs from a single
JAR. Not the same as a full fledged management tool of course, but I like it
for simple queries and charts and the price!

DbVisualizer also has built in charts that are simple but... not free/open
source.

~~~
sixdimensional
Or if you don't mind the web based approach, Apache Zeppelin too.

------
inetknght
I've used DBeaver at work on Linux to connect to Microsoft SQL servers and
also to some PostgreSQL servers.

It's not _perfect_ but it's not bad. My experience was annoying (at best) to
get drivers to work; particular the tsql ones (since Microsoft didn't provide
Linux drivers at the time -- I don't know if that's been rectified). Once
they're working though, everything else is fairly intuitive.

It's been a couple years since I moved to a different team and no longer need
to connect to databases (and can't anymore... yay security). But I've
considered using DBeaver at home for personal use.

------
013a
I've used TablePlus before (Mac+Windows); its really good, and pretty
affordable at a $60 one time charge.

[https://tableplus.io/](https://tableplus.io/)

~~~
dotdi
TablePlus is very nice and it supports NoSQL databases like Cassandra,
CockroachDB, and Redis. It's Electron-based, so it is relatively heavyweight,
but I like it a lot.

~~~
huyphams
It is not Electron, it's native. The reason it's heavy because it contains the
database drivers, some of them is hundreds of MBs (Oracle > 200MB).

~~~
dotdi
Pardon me - I've checked and you are right. The look&feel really threw me off
here, and I could've sworn it's browser-based.

------
zmmmmm
I like DBeaver but I've been having some problems with how it handles timeout
of connections. I often end up sitting with it unusable for up to 2 minutes
because it can't seem to understand that a connection is dead, despite me
setting all the available options to use a shorter timeout. I'm sure this is
partly due to my specific network conditions but it nearly destroys its
usability while other tools (eg: SquirrelSQL) just don't seem to have the same
problem.

------
mijoharas
All of my colleagues use postico (I'm the only Linux user at my company),
which seems quite nice. Can anyone who knows both tell me how this compares to
that?

~~~
postit
I’ve used postico, navicat(mac/Linux) and dbeaver.

Postico is very similar to Sequel Pro, simple but effective.

Navicat is the more feature complete option, but using wine on Linux is not
cool.

I’m very happy with dbeaver.

------
dyeje
I prefer TablePlus personally, DBeaver just feels clunky in comparison.

~~~
thecrumb
No Linux support :(

------
zepearl
I love DBeaver.

Long time ago I started searching for a DB-client similar to "TOAD", but on
Linux and targeting only my following key requirements: 1) write & execute
single SQLs on a "page" which has multiple SQLs without having to use any
terminator (";") between them, 2) ability to show the execution plan of the
SQL in which the cursor is positioned and 3) ability to connect to different
kinds of databases.

I ended up with nothing, and I actually even initially excluded DBeaver as
running on Java (personal thing - most Java apps I tried always had some kind
of bug which made it a no-go for me).

After a while I gave it a try and I ended up being extremely happy with it,
especially because I can use it with basically all databases that I am/was
using (I'm currently using it mostly with MariaDB & Clickhouse, but used it in
the past as well with DB2, Kudu, PostgreSQL).

------
thecrumb
Biggest benefit for me is DBeaver is cross platform so I can use the same tool
on Windows (work) and Linux (home).

------
systematical
Love DBeaver, been using it for years now. Engineer(s) is very responsive with
github bug reports too.

------
jadbox
Pgcli and PgModeler are usually by go-to these days. (Sometimes pgadmin4 if I
need to see stats)

------
escanda
I am missing bigger screenshots though, I tried opening them separate but they
are quite small.

~~~
yardshop
Bigger screenshots, even one very large one, can be seen from the links on the
Github page:
[https://github.com/dbeaver/dbeaver](https://github.com/dbeaver/dbeaver)

~~~
escanda
Thanks!

------
ekianjo
I use DBeaver to connect to Oracle SQL (among other things) and it works well
for this purpose. I tried other alternatives too but DBeaver felt the best
among them (layout, options, and general speed).

~~~
eyeball
Benthic software makes a really nice sql editor for oracle. “Golden”

[https://www.benthicsoftware.com](https://www.benthicsoftware.com)

Inexpensive and light weight.

~~~
ekianjo
Looks good, but Windows only :-/

------
fiatjaf
Just sharing the database management tool I use and love:
[https://github.com/martingms/vipsql](https://github.com/martingms/vipsql)

~~~
hucker
Thanks for the love! Please let me know if there are any features that you
feel are missing.

~~~
fiatjaf
I'll open an issue.

------
jesseb
This looks great. I currently use a few separate applications for working with
various databases, looking forward to giving this a shot instead.

------
edgarvaldes
I use Navicat, and I'm very pleased with it.

~~~
CWuestefeld
As we're starting to move away from MS SQL Server, I'm just starting to use
postgresql, and Navicat as a tool. But I'm really underwhelmed by Navicat's
features and performance. It doesn't seem like a well-thought-out whole, and
lacks a lot of obvious features (let's start with freakin' hotkeys for Run and
Run Selected).

I just discovered DBeaver today, and while it's not up to the standards of
SSMS (which is an amazing tool) with SQL Prompt, it so far beating the pants
off Navicat.

~~~
edgarvaldes
Run is CMD-R, and Run Selected is SHIFT-CMD-R. [0]

[0][https://www2.navicat.com/manual/online_manual/en/navicat/mac...](https://www2.navicat.com/manual/online_manual/en/navicat/mac_manual/KeyShortcut.html)

------
eyeball
My company's IT team won't allow install of non-approved tools. I'm stuck with
oracle sql developer. fml.

~~~
zmmmmm
Pretty sure if it's java based you can download it and run it entirely in user
space if that is OK. Of course, making an end run around IT policy isn't
always an advisable solution even if it does work.

~~~
sixdimensional
Yup, I am in the same boat and DBeaver works great just running standalone
even without admin rights.

------
blaisio
It's a little buggy but it does everything the paid tools do. The only thing I
really dislike is it requires Java.

------
systems
SSDT and their DACPAC deployments is very good I wish an open source tool will
one day try to offer something similar

------
emmelaich
Dbeaver is great.

If you like a cli tool,
[http://henplus.sourceforge.net/](http://henplus.sourceforge.net/) is ok and
easy to modify if you feel inclined.

It's written in Jython and used jdbc.

There is a version with line-editing around using jline.

------
vladsanchez
Doesn't work on the Mac right away. It exits with bunch of Java exceptions
ranging from JRE versioning issues to Eclipse exceptions I don't want to care
about. Piece of crap in my opinion. Thanks for the suggestion anyways. Next!

------
mariopt
I've been using in on macOS and it just works.

There are so many free tools for databases and I'm wondering : How do the devs
survive with free versions and/or open source?

Don't think donations will amount to any relevant amount.

------
enz
I used Dbeaver for years. Once with MS-SQL, which was quite unstable... But no
problem with MariaDB, SQLite and PostgreSQL.

Plus, the built-in support of SSH tunnels is a big plus for my use cases!

------
babaganoosh89
Cool, can anyone tell how it compares to Datagrip by jetbrains?

~~~
priitmaxx
Does datagrip support nosql?

~~~
paulie_a
No that I am aware of. But compass for mongo works pretty well. It's fairly
simple but to visualize the data and run some queries it's nice.

------
vorticalbox
After installing solusOS I was looking for a replacement for MySql workbench
and was suggested this and I have to say it works really well.

------
wkubiak
Always used it while ddveloping database connected apps in Eclipse. Never let
me down.

------
hoerzu
Anyone using it with exasol? What's your opinion on in memory databases?

------
guilhas
Sometimes I use it, but data related for sql server, still prefer HeidiSQL.

------
samaysharma
What's the most convenient tool you've found for Postgres?

------
rejap
Great tool and it supports msaccess files

------
electrotype
I use Dbeaver everyday. Thanks for it.

------
tuananh
while i kinda like dbeaver on windows. the experience of dbeaver on macOS is
terrible.

------
tedk-42
Great tool with a great name. Anyone who doesn't like it is an idiot :P

~~~
equasar
No need to insult whoever dislike your preferences.

------
rebelde
Needs Java. I saw it mentioned in the HeidiSQL thread and thought I would try
it. Never completed the installation. Not putting Java on my machine, nope.
Yes, I do understand the advantages of Java. Runs everywhere, which is nice.
I'm still not installing it.

~~~
jmiserez
The installer comes with it's own JRE just for DBeaver, so you don't have to
install Java systemwide for it to work.

And why the hate for Java? Most other languages have runtime libraries or VMs
too, does it really make a difference if that runtime code is baked into the
exe vs. stored in a separate folder?

~~~
rebelde
Maybe I don't know JRE vs Java well, but I really dislike the constant "update
Java now!" messages and the hassle that goes with it.

~~~
jmiserez
Ah yes, that's different. There's no need to install any of that stuff when
you pick the DBeaver installer that ships with a JRE. It basically just adds
another folder into the DBeaver directory.

------
bart3r
I would feel uncomfortable saying the word 'beaver' at work.

~~~
Jach
Why? Is it a bad word in some language?

~~~
topspin
Among some the term beaver is suggestive, or even offensive. Think Thelma &
Louise; "Damn! I hate that! I hate being called a beaver! Don't you?"

It's a particularly lowbrow bit of slang and not something that worried me
when I recently mentioned the name dbeaver in a professional context, although
I am aware of it. It pleases me that I spend my time among people that are
either ignorant of this matter or are happy to pretend they are.

~~~
paulie_a
I'm going to guess the cross over of Thelma and Louise fans and SQL database
users is probably fairly low.

