Burrow DB Client (VS Code)
A 100% free database connection manager for VS Code.
Add MySQL/MariaDB connections, browse every schema and table in a
connection, and run SQL with the results in a dedicated panel — all inside the
editor. No artificial connection limits and no paid tier.
Why
Existing extensions either force a single database per connection (so a
multi-schema server needs one connection per schema) or cap the number of free
connections. A connection is a row in your own editor storage and a socket to
your own server — there is nothing to meter. This extension treats a connection
as the whole server, the way a PHPStorm/DBeaver data source does.
Features
- Connection manager panel. A connection list plus an add/edit form with a
Test Connection button. Credentials are stored in the OS keychain via VS
Code SecretStorage — never in
settings.json.
- Whole-server browsing. Leave the default schema blank and one connection
lists every schema → table → column. Cross-schema
JOINs work.
- Monaco SQL editor + results panel. The syntax-highlighted SQL editor
opens in the editor area (one per connection); run with
Ctrl/Cmd+Enter.
Results render in a SQL Results tab in the bottom panel, next to Terminal
/ Ports — the last query wins the shared panel. The grid is sortable and
resizable, and results export to CSV / JSON (preview, copy, or save).
- Run a selection or a batch.
Ctrl/Cmd+Enter runs the selected text
if there is a selection, otherwise the whole editor. Multiple ;-separated
statements run sequentially and stop on the first error (reporting which
statement failed); a batch shows an execution summary rather than a grid, so
it's ideal for DDL/DML scripts.
- Table preview. Click a table in the tree to preview its rows.
- SSH tunnelling. Connect through a bastion / jump host: toggle Connect
through an SSH tunnel and supply the SSH host/user + a private-key file
(path) and optional passphrase. The MySQL host/port are then interpreted as
seen from the SSH host. The key stays on disk (only its path is stored); the
passphrase goes in SecretStorage.
- SSL / TLS. Choose a TLS mode per connection: Require (encrypt without
verifying the certificate — matches the automatic TLS other clients use, and
is the fix for servers like Amazon RDS that mandate secure transport) or
Verify CA (verify against a CA bundle referenced by path).
Requirements
- VS Code 1.90.0 or newer.
- A reachable MySQL or MariaDB server (directly, or via an SSH host).
Usage
- Open the Burrow DB Client view in the Activity Bar.
- Click ＋ (Add Connection) or the gear (Manage Connections) to open the
manager panel. Fill in host, port, user, and password; leave Default schema
blank to browse the whole server. Click Test Connection to verify, then
Save.
- To connect through a jump host, enable Connect through an SSH tunnel and
provide the SSH host/user, private-key path, and passphrase (if any).
- Expand the connection in the tree to browse schemas → tables → columns, or
click a table to preview its rows.
- Use Open SQL Console on a connection (or a schema) to open the editor,
write SQL, and run it with
Ctrl/Cmd+Enter. If you select text, only the
selection runs; several ;-separated statements run as a batch (stopping on
the first error). Results appear in the SQL Results panel. You can also
run the active .sql file / selection via the Run Active SQL File /
Selection command.
Commands
| Command |
Description |
| Burrow DB Client: Add Connection |
Open the manager to create a new connection. |
| Burrow DB Client: Manage Connections |
Open the connection manager panel. |
| Burrow DB Client: Edit Connection |
Edit the selected connection. |
| Burrow DB Client: Delete Connection |
Delete the selected connection. |
| Burrow DB Client: Refresh |
Reload the connection tree. |
| Burrow DB Client: Open SQL Console |
Open a SQL editor bound to a connection (or schema). |
| Burrow DB Client: Run Active SQL File / Selection |
Run the active .sql editor (or selection) against a connection. |
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
burrowDbClient.queryRowLimit |
500 |
LIMIT applied when previewing a table from the tree (0 disables). |
burrowDbClient.connectTimeout |
10000 |
Connection / SSH handshake timeout in ms. |
Security model
All database and SSH access runs on the extension host (Node), using mysql2
and ssh2. The webviews (SQL editor and results grid) are sandboxed: they
render UI and send "run this SQL" messages, but never see credentials or a live
connection — only serialisable result rows. Connection passwords and SSH key
passphrases live in SecretStorage; SSH private keys are referenced by path and
never copied into extension storage.
Feedback & contributing
Burrow DB Client is free and actively developed, and your feedback genuinely
shapes it — especially in these early releases. If something is broken,
confusing, or missing, please say so:
- 🐛 Report a bug or 💡 request a feature on the
issue tracker.
A good bug report includes: what you did, what you expected, what happened,
your VS Code version, and the MySQL/MariaDB server version (and whether you
were connecting over SSH).
- ⭐ Rate & review on the Marketplace if it's useful to you — it helps other
developers find it.
- 🔧 Pull requests welcome. The repo is on
GitHub; open an
issue first for anything substantial so we can agree the approach.
Please don't include real credentials, connection strings, or private keys
in an issue — redact hosts and secrets before pasting logs or screenshots.
Roadmap
Planned: query history, row editing, and ER diagrams.
License
MIT
