# Gridline A modern, open-source, high-performance database GUI client for PostgreSQL and beyond. Built with Tauri 2.0, Rust, and React — lightweight by design, powerful by default. > **Inspired by DB Pro and Beekeeper Studio's best ideas. Freed from their paywalls.** No caps on tabs, connections, or saved queries. Deep PostgreSQL tooling (`pg_dump`, `pg_restore`, DB-to-DB sync) that commercial alternatives lock behind paywalls or leave to the CLI. --- ## Why Gridline? Most database GUI clients either lock essential productivity features behind paywalls or treat PostgreSQL administration as an afterthought. Gridline is different: | Capability | DB Pro (Free) | Beekeeper (Free) | Gridline | | :--- | :---: | :---: | :---: | | Open tabs | 3 | Unlimited | **Unlimited** | | Saved connections | 2 | Unlimited | **Unlimited** | | Saved queries | 5 | Unlimited | **Unlimited** | | Data export (CSV, JSON, SQL) | ❌ (paid only) | Basic only | **JSON, CSV, SQL, Markdown** | | Data import (CSV, JSON) | ❌ (paid only) | ✅ | 🟡 *Upcoming* | | pg_dump / pg_restore GUI | ❌ | ❌ (paid only) | **First-class UI** | | DB-to-DB sync | ❌ | ❌ | **Built-in pipe sync** | | Object explorer depth | Tables, views | Tables, views | **Functions, Triggers, Enums, Sequences, Extensions** | | ER diagram / schema visualizer | ❌ (planned) | ❌ (paid only) | **✅ Interactive React Flow** | | Inline cell editing | ✅ | ✅ | 🟡 *Upcoming* | | SSH tunneling | 🟡 (likely paid) | ✅ | 🟡 *Config UI done* | | OS credential vault | ✅ | ✅ | **Keychain / Secret Service** | | Workspace / folder hierarchy | ❌ | ❌ | **Multi-level tree + tags** | | Changes queue (stage & commit) | ❌ | ❌ | **✅ Queue → Commit All** | | Query history | ✅ (auto-saved) | ✅ | 🟡 *Upcoming* | | AI assistant | ✅ (BYO key) | ❌ (paid only) | ❌ | | Open source | ❌ | ✅ (GPLv3) | **✅ (MIT)** | | Desktop shell | Native webview | Electron (~250MB) | **Tauri 2.0 (~40MB)** | > 🟡 = In progress or planned. **Bold** = Gridline's strongest differentiators. --- ## Screenshots
Saved connections home screen
Home Screen — organized folders, tags, and quick search 		Data grid with FK preview
Data Grid — virtualized rows, column controls, and FK preview
Interactive ER diagram
Schema Visualizer — interactive ER diagram with cardinality legend 		Enum detail view
Object Explorer — deep PostgreSQL objects like enums, functions, and triggers
--- ## Features ### Connection & Workspace Management - **URI Parser** — paste `postgres://`, `mysql://`, `sqlite://`, or `redis://` connection strings and have all fields auto-populated - **Workspace Tree** — multi-level hierarchy: `Workspace → Folder → Connection`, with color-coded tags (red = Production, green = Local) - **Credential Security** — passwords stored in the OS keychain (macOS Keychain / Linux Secret Service / Windows Credential Manager), never as plaintext - **Production Safeguards** — read-only locks and high-visibility warnings on connections tagged `Production` ### PostgreSQL Object Explorer Full tree-view navigation of all native PostgreSQL schema objects: - **Tables & Views** — columns, types, defaults, nullability, primary/foreign keys with popover preview - **Functions & Procedures** — source code with syntax highlighting and line numbers, argument signatures, return types, overload support - **Triggers & Rules** — event bindings with inline definition inspection, color-coded enabled/disabled status - **Sequences & Enums** — current values, increments, cycle flags; enum labels in bordered list view - **Extensions** — installed extensions with version, schema, and comment - **Schema Visualizer (ER Diagram)** — interactive React Flow graph with dagre auto-layout, crow's foot notation (1:1, 1:N, N:M), color-coded relationships, schema selector, zoom controls, collapsible columns (PK/FK/unique-only), cross-schema FK support for PostgreSQL + SQLite ### SQL Editor & Query Workbench - **Multi-Tab Workspace** — unlimited named tabs, close with Cmd/Ctrl+W, session persistence across restarts - **Changes Queue** — queue INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE changes; preview before committing all - **Smart Default Sort** — auto-detects `updated_at`, `created_at`, `_id` columns for logical initial sorting - *(Monaco Editor with SQL autocomplete, query history, and saved snippets — upcoming)* ### Data Grid & Schema Browser - **Virtualized Grid** — row-level virtualization via `@tanstack/react-virtual` handles 100k+ rows - **Column Management** — resize with drag handles (double-click to auto-fit), show/hide per column, multi-column sort - **Server-Side Filtering & Sorting** — filters and sorts pushed to SQL WHERE/ORDER BY - **Export** — JSON, CSV, SQL, Markdown via toolbar - **FK Preview** — click a foreign key cell to preview the referenced row - **JSON/JSONB Viewer** — popover with formatted/raw tabs and copy button - **Auto-Refresh** — configurable interval timer - *(Inline cell editing, visual filter builder, and data import — upcoming)* ### PostgreSQL Administrative Tools - **Visual Backup** — `pg_dump` wrapper with format selector (Plain SQL, Custom, Tar, Directory), file browser, schema filter, no-owner toggle, real-time progress bar - **Visual Restore** — `pg_restore` wrapper with file browser, format, clean toggle, destructive confirmation checkbox - **DB-to-DB Sync** — pipe `pg_dump` → `pg_restore` between two connections with source/target pickers, schema filter, flow indicator ### App Portability - **Export** — save all workspaces, folders, saved queries, tags, and non-sensitive metadata to a single JSON archive - **Import** — restore your exact workspace setup on any machine instantly --- ## Tech Stack | Layer | Technology | Role | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Desktop Shell** | [Tauri 2.0](https://tauri.app) | Native desktop container (~40MB RAM baseline) | | **Backend** | Rust + [tokio](https://tokio.rs) | Async runtime, connection pooling, CLI tool execution | | **Database Drivers** | [sqlx](https://github.com/launchbadge/sqlx) / [tokio-postgres](https://github.com/sfackler/rust-postgres) | Pure-Rust async PostgreSQL (MySQL, SQLite to follow) | | **CLI Integration** | `std::process::Command` | Wraps system `pg_dump` / `pg_restore` binaries | | **Frontend** | [React 19](https://react.dev) + [TypeScript](https://www.typescriptlang.org) | Component-based UI | | **Styling** | [Tailwind CSS](https://tailwindcss.com) | Utility-first, dark mode, glassmorphic design | | **State** | [Zustand](https://zustand.docs.pmnd.rs) / [Jotai](https://jotai.org) | Lightweight client-state for tabs, connections, queries | | **Code Editor** | *(planned)* [Monaco Editor](https://microsoft.github.io/monaco-editor/) | IDE-grade SQL editing with autocomplete (coming soon) | | **Data Grid** | [TanStack Virtual](https://tanstack.com/virtual) | Virtualized row rendering for 100k+ rows | | **Local DB** | SQLite via [rusqlite](https://github.com/rusqlite/rusqlite) | User settings, saved queries, workspace state | --- ## Development ### Prerequisites - [Rust](https://rustup.rs) (latest stable) - [Bun](https://bun.sh) (or Node.js + npm) - Tauri system dependencies ([see guide](https://tauri.app/start/prerequisites/)) - PostgreSQL client tools (`pg_dump`, `pg_restore`) for admin features ### Setup ```bash # Clone git clone https://github.com/adrianbonpin/gridline.git cd gridline # Install frontend dependencies bun install # Run in development mode (hot-reload) bun run tauri dev # Build for production bun run tauri build ``` ### Project Structure ``` gridline/ ├── src/ # React frontend │ ├── components/ # Reusable UI components │ ├── stores/ # Zustand/Jotai state stores │ ├── hooks/ # Custom React hooks │ ├── lib/ # Utilities, types, Tauri bindings │ ├── App.tsx # Root component │ └── main.tsx # Entry point ├── src-tauri/ # Rust backend │ ├── src/ │ │ ├── main.rs # Entry point │ │ ├── lib.rs # Tauri command registration │ │ ├── db/ # Database connection & pooling │ │ ├── commands/ # Tauri IPC command handlers │ │ └── models/ # Data structures & serde types │ ├── Cargo.toml │ └── tauri.conf.json ├── public/ # Static assets ├── package.json ├── tsconfig.json └── vite.config.ts ``` ### Architecture ``` ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Tauri Shell │ │ ┌─────────────────┐ ┌────────────────────────┐ │ │ │ React (WebView)│ │ Rust Backend │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ • Monaco Editor │◄──►│ • sqlx/tokio-postgres │ │ │ │ • Glide Grid │IPC│ • Connection pool │ │ │ │ • Tailwind UI │ │ • pg_dump/restore │ │ │ │ • Zustand state │ │ • SQLite (local) │ │ │ │ │ │ • OS Keychain │ │ │ └─────────────────┘ └────────────────────────┘ │ └──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ │ ▼ ┌─────────────────────┐ │ PostgreSQL / MySQL │ │ SQLite / Redis │ └─────────────────────┘ ``` --- ## Roadmap ### ✅ Completed - **Phase 1 — Core Shell** — Tauri 2.0 + React project, glassmorphic dark-first UI, Zustand state management, SQLite local persistence, OS keychain credentials - **Phase 2 — Connection Management** — Rust connection pool (`sqlx`/`tokio-postgres`), PostgreSQL + SQLite browse/query, URI parser with auto-population, SSH/SSL config UI, connection testing for all DB types - **Phase 3 — Schema Explorer** — Full PostgreSQL `pg_catalog`/`information_schema` introspection, object tree (Tables, Views, Functions, Triggers, Enums, Sequences, Extensions), per-type detail views, FK preview popover, JSON/JSONB viewer - **Phase 4 — Data Grid & Filters** — Virtualized grid (`@tanstack/react-virtual`, 100k+ rows), server-side sorting/filtering, column show/hide, column resize, export (JSON/CSV/SQL/Markdown), auto-refresh, pagination - **Phase 5 — Admin Tools** — `pg_dump`/`pg_restore` UI wrappers with real-time progress, DB-to-DB sync, backup/restore format selectors - **Phase 6 — Schema Visualizer** — Interactive ER diagram with React Flow + dagre, crow's foot notation, schema selector, legend, collapsible column views, PostgreSQL + SQLite support - **Home Screen & Organization** — Connection cards by folder, folders CRUD, tags CRUD with colors, global search (Cmd+K), import/export connections (JSON), bulk select/delete, DB type filter, demo SQLite database ### 🟡 In Progress / Upcoming - **SQL Editor** — Monaco Editor integration with schema-aware SQL autocomplete, query history, saved queries - **SSH/SSL Runtime** — SSH tunnel via `ssh2` crate, SSL/TLS config passed to `sqlx`/`tokio-postgres` - **Inline Cell Editing** — Edit cells directly in the data grid - **Data Import** — CSV, JSON import with column mapping ### 🔮 Future - **Multi-DB Support** — MySQL browsing, Redis key browser, full MySQL/SQLite/Redis parity with PostgreSQL - **Query Workbench** — Multiple result sets, query favorites/pinning, visual query builder - **Deeper PostgreSQL** — Indexes, constraints, materialized views, stored procedure view, user/role management - **Collaboration** — Team workspaces, shared connections, query sharing - **Notebook Reports** — SQL-backed markdown reports with embedded results --- ## License MIT — see [LICENSE](./LICENSE) for details. ---

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