Show HN: Sqlit – A lazygit-style TUI for SQL databases

10 comments

·December 15, 2025

I work mostly in the terminal but found myself constantly switching to bloated GUIs like SSMS only for the simple task of browsing tables and run queries. And I didn't find Existing SQL TUIs intuitive, having to read documentation to learn keybindings and CLI flags to connect. Given I had recently switched to linux, I found myself using vs code's sql database extension. Something was awfully wrong.

I wanted something like lazygit for databases – run it, connect, and query and frankly just make it enjoyable to access data.

  Sqlit is a keyboard-driven SQL TUI with:

  - Context-based keybindings (always visible)
  - Neovim-like interface with normal and insert mode for query editing
  - Browse databases, tables, views, stored procedures
  - Adapters for SQL Server, SQLite, PostgreSQL, Turso & more
  - SSH tunneling support
  - Themes (Tokyo Night, Nord, Gruvbox etc.)

  Inspired by lazygit, neovim and lazysql. Built with Python/Textual.

Feedback welcome – especially on which adapters to prioritize next. My vision of sqlit is to make a tool that makes it easy to connect and query data, and to do that, and that thing only, really well.

https://github.com/Maxteabag/sqlit

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debarshri

One of the feedback i have heard from people using SSMS is that it has all the admin operations available in the UI as compared to doing it yourself. Lot of admins i deal with day to day do not want to use the terminal or sqlcmd.

I'm wondering if thats true.

baq

Admins don’t ever close the tool, it’s always open on some RDP. Devs have different usage patterns.

SSMS is super duper nice if you’re an admin or a power SQL server user/dev. Nothing I’ve seen in Postgres world is comparable.

debarshri

What you are describing is access via a PAM. Via RDP is one way to accessing it.

yoavm

Looks great, congrats! Also check out https://github.com/achristmascarl/rainfrog which seems to have similar goals, though is Postgres only.

kej

It looks like rainfrog has branched out from just postgres, but still doesn't cover the range that sqlit does.

no_news_is

Very nice, works well.

It seems you put some menu items behind what I'll call "[space] mode," where you you have to press the spacebar first to open the command menu, then use the command.

This is not reflected properly in the help text shown when you press ? and that was a source of confusion for me.

Especially since I managed to activate the fullscreen mode for one pane AND turn it off, but then couldn't figure out how I did it; and also, I did not find the space-Q option to Quit at first.)

Edit to add, I prefer installing with pipx.

These commands worked for me, to get Postgresql and MariaDB database plugins:

  pipx install sqlit-tui
  cd ~/.local/pipx/venvs/sqlit-tui
  source bin/activate
  bin/python3 -m pip install psycopg2
  sudo apt-get install -y libmariadb-dev  # On Debian
  bin/python3 -m pip install mariadb

I didn't try installing system-wide as per the GitHub instructions, I don't know if that would have worked just as well with pipx or not.

zahlman

> These commands worked for me, to get Postgresql and MariaDB database plugins:

I haven't tried this, but I'm familiar with pipx. It provides a higher-level interface, so something like this should work:

  pipx install sqlit-tui
  sudo apt-get install -y libmariadb-dev
  pipx inject sqlit-tui psycopg2 mariadb

Ref.: https://pipx.pypa.io/stable/#inject-a-package

> I don't know if that would have worked just as well with pipx or not.

I don't actually see anything in the GitHub instructions about system-wide installation? But yes, since version 1.5 (https://pipx.pypa.io/stable/changelog/#150-2024-03-29) Pipx can do a `--global` install that by default puts the managed venv in /opt and executable symlink in /usr/local/bin.

slimebot80

This looks lovely.... does it support remote D1?

alsetmusic

Very attractive design.

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