dbterm

dbterm

Open-source, keyboard-first terminal client for SQL workflows.

dbterm is a single binary that lets you connect, query, and operate across multiple databases without heavyweight desktop tooling.

Why dbterm

• Single binary install for Linux, macOS, and Windows.
• Keyboard-driven TUI with fast panel navigation.
• Supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Turso (LibSQL), and Cloudflare D1.
• Built-in service dashboard plus backup/import flows for PostgreSQL/MySQL.
• Low overhead runtime (roughly ~8-12 MB idle in typical use).

Highlights

Connection management + service controls in one terminal workflow.

SQL editing + result exploration with keyboard-first controls.

Quick install

Linux / macOS

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shreyam1008/dbterm/main/install.sh | bash

Windows (PowerShell)

powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shreyam1008/dbterm/main/install.ps1 | iex"

Documentation

• Website: https://shreyam1008.github.io/dbterm/
• Product guide: https://shreyam1008.github.io/dbterm/guide/
• Open-source handbook: https://shreyam1008.github.io/dbterm/open-source/
• Go package page: https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/shreyam1008/dbterm

Supported databases

CLI reference

Core shortcuts

Dump import (PostgreSQL/MySQL)

• Press Alt + I in workspace (active connection), or press I on Dashboard for a selected saved PostgreSQL/MySQL connection.
• PostgreSQL accepts both plain .sql and pg_dump custom archives (.dump, .backup, .pgdump); MySQL accepts .sql.
• dbterm runs the official client tools (psql / pg_restore for PostgreSQL, mysql for MySQL), streams output live, then shows success/failure.
• During import, press Esc or Ctrl + C to request a safe cancel.
• Required binaries in PATH: psql and pg_restore (PostgreSQL), and/or mysql (MySQL).
• One-time setup examples:
  • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install postgresql-client mysql-client
  • macOS (Homebrew): brew install libpq mysql-client
  • Windows (winget): winget install PostgreSQL.PostgreSQL and winget install Oracle.MySQL

Settings + keymap config

• Open settings with G from Dashboard or Alt + , / Alt + G in workspace.
• Settings are persisted to ~/.config/dbterm/settings.json.
• Key bindings are validated before save (duplicate/invalid mappings are blocked).
• Query history remains enabled per connection; saved-query snippet library is intentionally not included.

Performance footprint

dbterm is tuned for small binary/runtime overhead while staying feature-complete:

• Build strips debug and VCS metadata (-trimpath -buildvcs=false -ldflags="-s -w -buildid=").
• DB pool is intentionally small (max open=2, max idle=1) for lower idle memory.
• Read-query previews respect the active preview limit (default 100 rows).
• Result rendering is safety-capped by row count, cell count, and estimated display budget.
• Alt + 0 switches preview to the largest safe page for the current result shape.

Build locally

make build

Run tests:

make test

Build website:

cd site
npm install
npm run build

Release automation

GitHub Actions release workflow reads the first non-comment line in releases/versions.txt:

<version>|<release name>|<short description>

On push to main, it builds artifacts, publishes release assets/checksums, and updates install targets.

Acknowledgments

dbterm was initially inspired by pgterm by @nabsk911.

The project is now independently developed and has significantly expanded in scope and features.

Contributing

Read CONTRIBUTING.md for starter-friendly guidance on submitting issues and pull requests.

License

dbterm is MIT licensed.

• Canonical license file: LICENSE
• Open-source + license references: https://shreyam1008.github.io/dbterm/open-source/
• Package docs: https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/shreyam1008/dbterm