You certainly don’t need a GUI to work with a Postgres-compliant database. For example, CockroachDB – a Postgres-compliant distributed SQL database – comes with a powerful SQL shell that you can run right from your console.
But what if you want something a little more visual?
Never fear! There are quite a few options for third-party graphic user interface (GUI) tools for CockroachDB. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ones.
A few quick notes
Before we dive into the tools, we should note that we’re only highlighting a few features for each client. Most of them have more to offer than just what we’ve listed below.
We’re also not listing every single GUI that’ll work with CockroachDB. Many Postgres and other database clients can be used to connect with CockroachDB; we’re just highlighting a few of the options we’ve seen our users choose.
Finally, note that of the tools listed below, only DBeaver is officially supported by Cockroach Labs. Our community has tested the other tools and they should work well, but if you encounter compatibility issues or have questions, you’ll need to contact the developer of the tool.
DBeaver
One-sentence summary: A fully-featured database GUI that’ll work with all your databases.
Cool features:
- Compatibility with tons of different database technologies (including CockroachDB, of course!)
- SQL editor and visual query builder
- Mock data generator
- Automated entity-relationship (ER) diagram generator
Tutorial: Visualize CockroachDB schemas with DBeaver
DBmarlin
One-sentence summary: Powerful performance visualization and monitoring with some great troubleshooting features, too.
Cool features:
- Attractive, easy-to-understand interface
- Real-time graphs and charts for monitoring performance
- Drill-down features to uncover the cause of performance problems
- Automated suggestions for database tuning and optimization
- Free if you’re just monitoring one database
Tutorial: Getting started with DBmarlin and CockroachDB
DataGrip
One-sentence summary: A multi-database IDE for SQL developers.
Cool features:
- Intuitive query console and schema navigation
- Smart SQL code completion
- On-the-fly bug detection and fixes
- Automated code refactoring features
Tutorial: Connecting to CockroachDB with DataGrip
Beekeeper Studio
One-sentence summary: A free GUI client with some cool features and community support.
Cool features:
- It’s free
- Saved queries, saved connections, pinned tables, and more to save you time
- SQL autocomplete for query writing
- Auto-detects user, host, port, database, etc. when you paste a CockroachDB URL
Tutorial: Beekeeper Studio User Guide
Pgweb
One-sentence summary: A simple and clean Postgres client.
Cool features:
- It’s free
- Simple and clean design
- Export tables, query results, etc. to various file types
- Zero dependencies
Tutorial: Setup instructions on Github
TablePlus
One-sentence summary: A database client that’s attractive, customizable, and fast.
Cool features:
- Attractive and customizable UI
- View and edit your tables like spreadsheets
- Smart query editor with some cool features like reformatting (
astoAS, etc.) - Design and edit database structure without writing SQL
Tutorial: Getting started with TablePlus
Postico
One-sentence summary: A simple Postgres client for Mac only.
Cool features:
- Design database structure without writing SQL
- Multiple ways to edit data without writing SQL
- Mac-native experience that works well on smaller screens
- Save common queries for future use
Tutorial: Postico user guide
Navicat
One-sentence summary: A fully-featured, cross-platform Postgres client.
Cool features:
- iOS app (in addition to Mac, Windows, and Linux) with some cloud tools
- Visual SQL query builder
- Data visualization with charts and graphs
- Premium version with even more features
Tutorial: Navicat User Manuals
More options to consider
This is just the tip of the iceberg, really. CData makes a JDBC driver for CockroachDB that allows you to plug it into lots of different tools, including DBVisualizer. For additional tools that’ll work with CockroachDB, check out our docs pages for:
