I built an open-source SQL workbench for DuckDB that runs in two modes:

1. Native mode as a replacement UI for `duckdb -ui` with full local DuckDB 2. Browser mode as a standalone DuckDB WASM app with zero install

Quick start

# Option A: Use with local DuckDB npx dbxlite-ui # then: export ui_remote_url="http://localhost:8080" && duckdb -unsigned -ui

You can also point DuckDB directly at the hosted UI without installing anything:

export ui_remote_url="https://sql.dbxlite.com" && duckdb -unsigned -ui

Or just use the browser-only version: https://sql.dbxlite.com

Why DuckDB’s built-in UI is solid. I wanted something that fit my workflow better with richer schema exploration, multiple themes, and a more capable results grid for visualizing complex and nested data structures.

Features - Query CSV, Parquet, Excel, JSON from local files or URLs - Monaco editor with autocomplete - Schema explorer optimized for nested data - Grid-based results view designed for complex data - Global search across schemas, tables, and columns - Browse, install, and manage DuckDB core and community extensions from the UI - Export results to Parquet, CSV, JSON - 10 color themes

In server mode you get full native DuckDB with extensions, filesystem access, and no memory limits. In WASM mode everything runs entirely in the browser and data never leaves your machine.

GitHub: https://github.com/hfmsio/dbxlite npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/dbxlite-ui

Feedback and ideas welcome.

Submissions

Show HN: An Alternative UI for DuckDB

Show HN: Dbxlite – Query 100M+ rows in a browser tab, no install