Open DB Client
A lightweight, self-built VS Code database client with unlimited connections —
no license, no paywall. Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL/MariaDB, SQLite, and Redis.
Built as a from-scratch replacement for paywalled database extensions. It stands on
mature, pure-JS drivers (pg, mysql2, ioredis) plus WASM sql.js, so there is
no native build step and nothing to rebuild after a VS Code update.
Run it (development)
npm install
npm run compile
Then open this folder in VS Code and press F5 ("Run Extension"). A second VS Code
window opens with the extension loaded. Click the database icon in the activity bar.
Scripts
Everyday commands and when to reach for each:
| Command |
When to run it |
npm run compile |
One-off TypeScript build to out/ (used by tests). |
npm run watch |
Leave running while developing — rebuilds dist/ on save. |
npm run bundle |
Produce the shipped dist/extension.js (esbuild). |
npm run typecheck |
Type-check only (tsc --noEmit), no output — run before committing. |
npm run lint |
Report Biome lint problems in src/ and test/ (read-only). |
npm run format |
Auto-format src/ and test/ in place (whitespace, quotes, etc.). |
npm run check |
Biome lint + format + import-sort, applying every safe fix. Run this to clean a file up before committing. |
npm test |
Compile, then run the node:test suite in test/. |
You rarely run the linters by hand. A Husky
pre-commit hook runs lint-staged on
every commit, which applies biome check --write to just the files you staged — so
formatting and safe lint fixes happen automatically. Use npm run check/npm run lint
when you want to sweep the whole project or see problems before staging. The hook is
installed automatically by the prepare script on npm install.
Use it
- Click ＋ Add Connection in the panel title bar.
- Pick an engine, fill host/port/user/password (or a file path for SQLite).
- Expand the connection to browse schemas → tables (or keys, for Redis).
- Click a table to preview the top 200 rows; right-click a connection → New Query
to run arbitrary SQL (or Redis commands like
GET foo).
Add as many connections as you want. Passwords are stored in VS Code SecretStorage;
connection metadata in globalState.
Search a long table list
On a schema (PostgreSQL) or database (MySQL) node, click the 🔍 Search Tables icon
(or right-click → Search Tables). A search box opens and the table/view list narrows
live as you type. A pinned Filter: … · N matches row sits on top — click it to clear
the filter. (Redis databases have the equivalent Search Keys action, which filters
server-side.)
Install the built extension into your VS Code
You don't need to uninstall the old version first — --force overwrites it in place.
npm run package # builds open-database-client-<version>.vsix in the repo root
./scripts/install-local.sh # installs that .vsix with --force
Then reload the window: Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P → "Developer: Reload Window".
install-local.sh targets the VSIX matching the current package.json version
automatically, so after a npm run release:* (which bumps the version and builds the
.vsix) you can go straight to ./scripts/install-local.sh. It needs the code CLI on
your PATH — if it's missing, run "Shell Command: Install 'code' command in PATH" from
the Command Palette once (the script prints this hint if code isn't found).
Tip: for day-to-day development you don't need a .vsix at all — just press F5
to launch the Extension Development Host against your live dist/. Build and install a
VSIX only when you want to dogfood the actual shipped package.
Status & roadmap
See docs/BLUEPRINT_DBCLIENT.md and
docs/task.md. Browse, query, and edit work for all four engines
today, including SQLite write-back (modifying statements persist to the .db file).
Versioning
This project follows Semantic Versioning. Notable changes for each
release are recorded in CHANGELOG.md, which VS Code also surfaces on the
extension's Changelog tab.
Architecture
One Driver interface, one file per engine (src/drivers/). The tree, query panel,
and commands never import a DB library directly — add an engine by adding one driver.
