DBLens — Database Explorer for VS Code

Browse tables, run queries, generate SQL with AI, and visualize your schema — all directly inside Visual Studio Code. Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, and SQLite.

What's New in v0.2.0

• AI-Powered SQL Generation — Describe what you want in plain English, get SQL instantly
• Dual AI Providers — Free GitHub Copilot (50 msgs/month) + OpenAI API key (unlimited, ~$0.01/query)
• Interactive ER Diagram — Visualize your entire database schema with relationships
• SSL Support — Connect to cloud databases (AWS RDS, Azure, etc.)
• Redesigned UI — Cleaner, modern interface across all panels

Features

AI SQL Generation

• Type plain English like "show top 10 customers by revenue" and get SQL
• Copilot tab (free) — Uses VS Code's built-in GitHub Copilot
• OpenAI tab (unlimited) — Bring your own API key for unlimited queries
• Real-time streaming — watch SQL appear character by character
• AI explains what the query does alongside the generated SQL
• Schema-aware — AI knows your tables, columns, and types

Interactive ER Diagram

• Visualize all tables and their relationships
• Click a table to highlight its connections
• Drag tables to rearrange the layout
• Pan, zoom, and navigate with the minimap
• Search for tables by name
• Export as PNG or SVG
• Related table tags for quick navigation between connected tables

Sidebar Connection Explorer

• Add, edit, and remove database connections from the activity bar
• Browse tables and columns in a tree view
• Green indicator for active connections
• Right-click context menus for quick actions

Connection Form

• Visual form to configure connections
• Quick Connect — paste a postgresql:// or mysql:// URI and fields auto-fill
• SSL toggle — Enable for cloud databases (AWS RDS, Azure, etc.)
• Test Connection button to verify before saving
• Browse button for SQLite file selection
• Auto-connects after saving
• Passwords stored securely in OS keychain

Table Data Viewer

• Paginated table grid with sorting by any column
• Filter rows with a WHERE clause
• Click any cell to copy its value
• Color-coded data types (numbers, booleans, nulls)
• Export table data to CSV

SQL Editor

• Full SQL editor with line numbers
• Connection dropdown to switch databases
• Run queries with the green Run Query button or Ctrl+Enter
• Resizable split pane — editor on top, results below
• SQL autocomplete for table names, column names, and keywords
• Query history tab to re-run previous queries
• Export query results to CSV

Quick Query Runner

• Run SQL from any .sql file — select text or run the whole file
• Ctrl+Enter keyboard shortcut in SQL files
• Results appear in a dedicated panel

Getting Started

1. Install the extension from the VS Code Marketplace
2. Click the DBLens icon in the activity bar (database icon)
3. Click the + button to add a connection
4. Fill in your database details or paste a connection string
5. Enable SSL if connecting to a cloud database
6. Click Save & Connect

Using AI SQL Generation

1. Open the SQL Editor (click "Open Query Editor" in Quick Actions)
2. Select a connection from the dropdown
3. Type your question in the AI bar (e.g., "show all orders from last week")
4. Click Generate Response
5. Review the generated SQL, then click Run Query

Free option: Works automatically if you have GitHub Copilot installed (50 msgs/month free).

Unlimited option: Click the OpenAI tab, paste your API key, and get unlimited AI queries for ~$0.01 each. Your key is stored locally — never sent to our servers. Verify our source code on GitHub.

Viewing ER Diagrams

1. Right-click a connected database in the sidebar
2. Select Show ER Diagram
3. Click any table to see its relationships
4. Click the related table tags to jump between connected tables

Supported Databases

Commands

All commands are available via the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P):

Extension Settings

Keyboard Shortcuts

Requirements

• VS Code 1.90.0 or later
• Network access to your database server (PostgreSQL/MySQL)
• SQLite database file on disk
• For AI (optional): GitHub Copilot extension OR an OpenAI API key

Privacy & Security

• Passwords are stored in VS Code's built-in SecretStorage (OS keychain)
• OpenAI API keys are stored in VS Code settings (local machine only)
• Connection details are stored in VS Code global state
• No telemetry, no external servers — all queries run directly against your database
• AI queries go directly from your machine to Copilot/OpenAI — we never see your data
• Fully open source — verify the code yourself

Known Issues

• SQLite uses an in-memory engine (sql.js) — very large databases may be slow to load
• ERD with 100+ tables may lag on initial load — subsequent interactions are smooth
• GitHub Copilot free tier is limited to 50 AI messages/month

License

MIT