Lightweight terminal workflow for modern databases

dbterm

One binary, keyboard-first navigation, and practical operations tooling. Use dbterm when you want fast SQL work without heavy desktop stacks.

5
Database targets: PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Turso, and Cloudflare D1.
1
Unified terminal UI for connection management, querying, and result exploration.
0
Zero external runtime requirement for end users.

Interface highlights

From viewing multiple active connections and their services to quickly querying large tables.

Install with one command and start immediately. Copy buttons are included for fast onboarding.

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

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

Focused on speed, low resource use, and routine production diagnostics.

Run ad-hoc checks without leaving terminal workflows. Execute with Enter and inspect results instantly.

Move between Tables, Query, and Results panels quickly, with shortcuts for refresh, sort, and row details.

Open the services dashboard, trigger backup/import for PostgreSQL/MySQL, and reconnect from one interface.

dbterm keeps build and runtime footprint constrained for daily terminal use.

Release builds strip debug + VCS metadata for smaller artifacts.
Read queries follow the active preview limit to avoid loading excessive rows into memory.
Connection pool defaults are intentionally small for lower idle resource usage.
Use Alt + 0 only when you explicitly want full row loading.

Connection setup supports local, remote, and cloud-oriented SQL targets.

Database	Support level	Typical use case
PostgreSQL	Full query + backup + service controls	Great for local dev and remote prod checks
MySQL	Full query + backup + service controls	Native driver, no external runtimes
SQLite	Local file workflows and schema browsing	Pure Go driver, no CGO dependency
Turso (LibSQL)	Cloud SQLite-compatible querying	Connect with auth token-based DSN
Cloudflare D1	D1 API-backed SQL operations	Use account ID, database ID, and API token

Use these for daily operation, updates, and maintenance.

dbterm
dbterm --help
dbterm --version
dbterm --info
dbterm --update
dbterm --update X.Y.Z
dbterm --uninstall --yes
dbterm --uninstall --purge

Core controls you will use most often once connected. Full workflow reference is on the Guide page.

Shortcut	Action
`Enter`	Execute SQL query
`Shift + Enter`	New line in query editor
`Alt + Q / T / R`	Focus Query, Tables, or Results
`Alt + Y`	Open per-connection query history
`Alt + A / Alt + C`	Select all result rows / clear row selection
`Space (Results)`	Toggle current result row selection
`Alt + E`	Export selected rows to CSV (or all displayed if none selected)
`Alt + I`	Import SQL dump for active PostgreSQL/MySQL connection
`I (Dashboard)`	Import SQL dump into selected saved PostgreSQL/MySQL connection
`G (Dashboard) / Alt + ,`	Open keymap Settings page
`F5 / Ctrl + F5`	Refresh current table or full table list
`Alt + = / - / 0`	Adjust preview row limit (including all rows)
`Ctrl + = / -`	Zoom table columns wider / narrower
`+ / -`	Widen / narrow selected column
`Ctrl + 0`	Reset table zoom
`Alt + F / Alt + B`	Fullscreen results / backup modal
`Alt + H`	Open in-app help and SQL cheatsheets
`Ctrl + C`	Quit safely

Is dbterm truly open source?

Yes. dbterm is MIT licensed, source-first, and intended for community use, contributions, and forks.

Do I need Go, Java, Python, or Node installed?

No. Installers download a single platform binary. You can still use `go install` if you prefer that workflow.

Can I use dbterm on production databases?

Yes, but treat it like any database client: apply least-privilege credentials and test destructive queries in non-prod first.

Where should new users start?

Open the Guide page for connection setup, panel workflows, keybindings, CLI commands, and troubleshooting steps.

Start with the structured walkthrough for setup, panel behavior, services, backups, and troubleshooting.