6 ms·

Show HN: Selectable – mobile-friendly Postgres client

94 points by yen223 2y ago

yen223 2y ago
I've built Selectable - a freemium Postgres client for Android devices. It's currently available for open testing, links below. The key feature is the SQL query editor. The query editor was designed to be mobile-friendly. With autocomplete and a touch-friendly way to select parts of a SQL query, writing SQL statements with the query editor can - in some cases - be faster than typing the same query on a desktop. The app supports the usual SQL client things: - Browsing schemas, tables, and columns - Running custom SQL statements - Viewing results as a list, or as a table. - Exporting results to CSV - Saving queries (You can save one query in the free version) The project is in very early stages, and is still missing a lot of features - notably the ability to insert, update, delete, or perform DDL via the query editor. The app currently only supports Postgres, and is currently only available on Android. Please give it a spin, and let me know if you have any feedback or feature requests. Website: https://getselectable.com/ https://getselectable.com/ Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.weiyen.selectable https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.weiyen.sel...
- jayknight 2y ago
  I'm not sure I'll ever need this, but it looks really neat.
- dandigangi 2y ago
  Full honesty - I really have a hard time seeing the need for things like this on mobile.
  - danirod 2y ago
    I suppose having quick access to a database in case of emergency without having to rush to a computer, similar to how some people treat having SSH clients on their phones.
  - yen223 2y ago
    This is a very fair point. I'm not trying to replace desktops with mobile here. I think database administration is still going to be easier with a big monitor and a keyboard, and that's not going to change. Rather I'm trying to open up database administration to people who don't have desktops, or who are more comfortable working on their phones.
    - MrLeap 2y ago
      You might be a little ahead of the times, but I think you're keyed into something with this.
    - nkrisc 2y ago
      Or sometimes a phone is what you have and you need access. Looks like very nice UI model, it’s not an easy problem to solve. Also one of the few times a portrait YT video is wholly appropriate.
  - rtcoms 2y ago
    People can mirror mobile screen to TV/Monitor and still use it. With the tri-fold mobiles and Samsung Dex like feature coming, that day may not be far when mobile become the single work machine.
  - ray_v 2y ago
    I could see myself using it from time to time ... I'm _just_ nerdy enough to even do it in public!
  - glazskunrukitis 2y ago
    I, as an indie hacker/developer, have had countless times where I need to access db from mobile. I have even logged in via terminal to get to psql. Sadly this specific app doesn't seem very polished or useful.
    - yen223 2y ago
      Hi, developer of the app here. If you don't mind me asking, what is the biggest thing missing from the app that keeps it from being useful?
- ilrwbwrkhv 2y ago
  Really slick! Will try it out today.
- iudqnolq 2y ago
  I like it. A few suggestions; - When in the table explorer it's odd that the primary action - viewing a table - is behind a dropdown menu. maybe clicking the table name opens the browse rows screen and clicking a column opens with a select prefilled. - Please default to a limit 500 or something like Jetbrains to prevent me making stupid mistakes.
  - yen223 2y ago
    Both very good suggestions, thanks.
  - yen223 2y ago
    I've deployed a release that addresses point #1. Thanks for the feedback!
neveroddoreven 2y ago
I was just thinking about how a mobile client for an RDB would be cool to try for tracking workouts. There are plenty of CRUD apps for this but there is always some feature missing, whereas here you could customize to your delight. I wonder what other apps are just RDB wrappers that could almost be substituted with something like this. Thanks for sharing!
d_watt 2y ago
Interesting project, I could see a use case for emerging markets where people don't have laptops. Maybe also include a local PG like https://supabase.com/blog/postgres-wasm https://supabase.com/blog/postgres-wasm for being able to play around with PG educationally with no required remote server? For professional use cases, maybe if you're on call and need to access the DB over your phone (though I hope I'm never in that spot). Having documentation around network model - do you relay queries through your own backend - and the security model for data and credentials. Do you support any secure connection methods, like SSH tunnel, or does the PG need to be facing the public internet?
- zie 2y ago
  Postgres has secure connection methods, including client and server TLS cert authentication. You could also hide it behind tailscale/nebula or some other VPN thing.
  - aborsy 2y ago
    I’m curious how secure is TLS client authentication if the database is exposed to the internet?
    - zie 2y ago
      What are you talking about? public key cryptography is well understood and used everywhere: HTTPS, SSH, Signal, etc. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography In postgres specifically: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/ssl-tcp.html https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/ssl-tcp.html and https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/runtime-config-connection.html https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/runtime-config-connection... You can enforce TLSv1.3 on all network connections using `ssl_min_protocol_version`(postgres.conf) and `hostssl`(in pg_hba.conf) This puts you ahead of most web servers which often still allow TLSv1.1. You can make Postgres secure or not, your call. Just like with everything else.
      - aborsy 2y ago
danirod 2y ago
What connection methods does it currently support? Can it do SSH tunneling?
- yen223 2y ago
  Not at the moment. SSH tunneling is on the roadmap
l5870uoo9y 2y ago
The omnipresence of Postgres is impressive.
elorm 2y ago
I've had to quickly access a dB from through the Termius mobile app one time, and it wasn't an experience I'd like to repeat, unless it's a really dire situation. Fancy seeing a full-blown mobile Postgres editor. I can definitely see a few use cases but I'm curious whether your average Db admin or data engineer will be interested in using a tool like this.
samaysharma 2y ago
I've seen a few Postgres clients pop-up on HN recently. A recent example is: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41563100 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41563100 Also, several Postgres providers now also provide a SQL editor / runner and table visualizer in their UI. What do Postgres users here think is the biggest missing thing in current clients? Are they too heavyweight? Too generic and don't support advanced Postgres features? Don't look modern enough? Not mobile friendly? Or is it something else?
- yen223 2y ago
  I think people just really like Postgres, and like building tooling for it. Postgres is particularly easy to work with, thanks to its extensive documentation and its code being open-source.
henryzhou 2y ago
why do you need to query this on mobile?
fellowniusmonk 2y ago
It's always great to see new mobile apps that are text first/structured text interfaces/ide's on mobile, UI considerations in the space are still woefully underexplored.
- yen223 2y ago
  If there are any Lisp/Emacs people reading this, I think structural editing can work really well on touch devices.
counterpartyrsk 2y ago
Not all things are meant to be done on a phone, right?
- yen223 2y ago
  We should let the phone users decide this
oldprogrammer2 2y ago
This looks great. There have certainly been times in my life where all I had was my phone, and I needed to check on a few things. I could see having an app like this handy "just in case" (assuming secure connectivity, of course). Good luck!
krick 2y ago
That's very neat. I don't get it from the preview, though: can I JUST TYPE the query, w/o all these silly menues? One saved query is super restrictive though, basically means either pay, or don't even bother to install.
- yen223 2y ago
  Yes, there's an option in the hamburger menu to edit queries manually, and that will allow you to type in (or paste in) the query by hand. Re. the saved query restriction - I am planning to work on this app in the long term, which unfortunately means I have to monetise the app in order to sustain development work. I believe restricting saved queries and saved connections is a good compromise to allow casual users to try out all the features the app has to offer, without imposing a time limit.
fouc 2y ago
I really dig this, I was even thinking it'd be possible to have some "smart suggestions" that could let people focus more on the logic/pattern of the overall problem they're trying to solve instead of having to assemble every single SQL command individually. i.e. maybe there could be a searchable list of common sql solutions and then somehow adjust that to suit the actual problem (hopefully without ending up a cluttered mess of sql)
- yen223 2y ago
  If I had a dollar for every time I had to look up how to group events by day in a way that doesn't leave gaps... This is a good idea, thanks for the feedback!
cusspvz 2y ago
Now you can delete production from anywhere
captainbenises 2y ago
Feature request: Add an AI query tool - you could do it on-device with something like functionary ggml and llama cpp with a few functions: getSchemaForTables(...) getTableStats() runQuery('...') Then you could do a query like: "show me all customers who regularly post between midnight and 1am"
- yen223 2y ago
  I haven't ruled out building AI-powered queries into the app, but I am firm about doing it in a way that respects data security (i.e. no shipping database schemas or data to ChatGPT without explicit user consent). From my understanding, usable on-device LLM models tend to be gigabytes-large, which makes it difficult to roll out to everyone. Apple Intelligence might make this feasible, will need to do more research on this when I do the iOS port. Making AI an optional add-on might be doable. Thanks for the feedback!
victorbjorklund 2y ago
iOS Version please. Looks great.
- quanweilena 2y ago
  +1
afiori 2y ago
I always read the domains in the format getsomething.com as with the grammatical structure of "get wrecked". So in my king there is a brief spark of "why does this site want to make me selectable?"

94 points by yen223 2y ago

I've built Selectable - a freemium Postgres client for Android devices. It's currently available for open testing, links below. The key feature is the SQL query editor. The query editor was designed to be mobile-friendly. With autocomplete and a touch-friendly way to select parts of a SQL query, writing SQL statements with the query editor can - in some cases - be faster than typing the same query on a desktop. The app supports the usual SQL client things: - Browsing schemas, tables, and columns - Running custom SQL statements - Viewing results as a list, or as a table. - Exporting results to CSV - Saving queries (You can save one query in the free version) The project is in very early stages, and is still missing a lot of features - notably the ability to insert, update, delete, or perform DDL via the query editor. The app currently only supports Postgres, and is currently only available on Android. Please give it a spin, and let me know if you have any feedback or feature requests. Website: https://getselectable.com/ https://getselectable.com/ Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.weiyen.selectable https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.weiyen.sel...

jayknight 2y ago
I'm not sure I'll ever need this, but it looks really neat.
dandigangi 2y ago
Full honesty - I really have a hard time seeing the need for things like this on mobile.
- danirod 2y ago
  I suppose having quick access to a database in case of emergency without having to rush to a computer, similar to how some people treat having SSH clients on their phones.
- yen223 2y ago
  This is a very fair point. I'm not trying to replace desktops with mobile here. I think database administration is still going to be easier with a big monitor and a keyboard, and that's not going to change. Rather I'm trying to open up database administration to people who don't have desktops, or who are more comfortable working on their phones.
  - MrLeap 2y ago
    You might be a little ahead of the times, but I think you're keyed into something with this.
  - nkrisc 2y ago
    Or sometimes a phone is what you have and you need access. Looks like very nice UI model, it’s not an easy problem to solve. Also one of the few times a portrait YT video is wholly appropriate.
- rtcoms 2y ago
  People can mirror mobile screen to TV/Monitor and still use it. With the tri-fold mobiles and Samsung Dex like feature coming, that day may not be far when mobile become the single work machine.
- ray_v 2y ago
  I could see myself using it from time to time ... I'm _just_ nerdy enough to even do it in public!
- glazskunrukitis 2y ago
  I, as an indie hacker/developer, have had countless times where I need to access db from mobile. I have even logged in via terminal to get to psql. Sadly this specific app doesn't seem very polished or useful.
  - yen223 2y ago
    Hi, developer of the app here. If you don't mind me asking, what is the biggest thing missing from the app that keeps it from being useful?
ilrwbwrkhv 2y ago
Really slick! Will try it out today.
iudqnolq 2y ago
I like it. A few suggestions; - When in the table explorer it's odd that the primary action - viewing a table - is behind a dropdown menu. maybe clicking the table name opens the browse rows screen and clicking a column opens with a select prefilled. - Please default to a limit 500 or something like Jetbrains to prevent me making stupid mistakes.
- yen223 2y ago
  Both very good suggestions, thanks.
- yen223 2y ago
  I've deployed a release that addresses point #1. Thanks for the feedback!

neveroddoreven 2y ago

I was just thinking about how a mobile client for an RDB would be cool to try for tracking workouts. There are plenty of CRUD apps for this but there is always some feature missing, whereas here you could customize to your delight. I wonder what other apps are just RDB wrappers that could almost be substituted with something like this. Thanks for sharing!

d_watt 2y ago

Interesting project, I could see a use case for emerging markets where people don't have laptops. Maybe also include a local PG like https://supabase.com/blog/postgres-wasm https://supabase.com/blog/postgres-wasm for being able to play around with PG educationally with no required remote server? For professional use cases, maybe if you're on call and need to access the DB over your phone (though I hope I'm never in that spot). Having documentation around network model - do you relay queries through your own backend - and the security model for data and credentials. Do you support any secure connection methods, like SSH tunnel, or does the PG need to be facing the public internet?

zie 2y ago
Postgres has secure connection methods, including client and server TLS cert authentication. You could also hide it behind tailscale/nebula or some other VPN thing.
- aborsy 2y ago
  I’m curious how secure is TLS client authentication if the database is exposed to the internet?
  - zie 2y ago
    What are you talking about? public key cryptography is well understood and used everywhere: HTTPS, SSH, Signal, etc. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public-key_cryptography In postgres specifically: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/ssl-tcp.html https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/ssl-tcp.html and https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/runtime-config-connection.html https://www.postgresql.org/docs/16/runtime-config-connection... You can enforce TLSv1.3 on all network connections using `ssl_min_protocol_version`(postgres.conf) and `hostssl`(in pg_hba.conf) This puts you ahead of most web servers which often still allow TLSv1.1. You can make Postgres secure or not, your call. Just like with everything else.
    - aborsy 2y ago

danirod 2y ago

What connection methods does it currently support? Can it do SSH tunneling?

yen223 2y ago
Not at the moment. SSH tunneling is on the roadmap

l5870uoo9y 2y ago

The omnipresence of Postgres is impressive.

elorm 2y ago

I've had to quickly access a dB from through the Termius mobile app one time, and it wasn't an experience I'd like to repeat, unless it's a really dire situation. Fancy seeing a full-blown mobile Postgres editor. I can definitely see a few use cases but I'm curious whether your average Db admin or data engineer will be interested in using a tool like this.

samaysharma 2y ago

I've seen a few Postgres clients pop-up on HN recently. A recent example is: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41563100 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41563100 Also, several Postgres providers now also provide a SQL editor / runner and table visualizer in their UI. What do Postgres users here think is the biggest missing thing in current clients? Are they too heavyweight? Too generic and don't support advanced Postgres features? Don't look modern enough? Not mobile friendly? Or is it something else?

yen223 2y ago
I think people just really like Postgres, and like building tooling for it. Postgres is particularly easy to work with, thanks to its extensive documentation and its code being open-source.

henryzhou 2y ago

why do you need to query this on mobile?

fellowniusmonk 2y ago

It's always great to see new mobile apps that are text first/structured text interfaces/ide's on mobile, UI considerations in the space are still woefully underexplored.

yen223 2y ago
If there are any Lisp/Emacs people reading this, I think structural editing can work really well on touch devices.

counterpartyrsk 2y ago

Not all things are meant to be done on a phone, right?

yen223 2y ago
We should let the phone users decide this

oldprogrammer2 2y ago

This looks great. There have certainly been times in my life where all I had was my phone, and I needed to check on a few things. I could see having an app like this handy "just in case" (assuming secure connectivity, of course). Good luck!

krick 2y ago

That's very neat. I don't get it from the preview, though: can I JUST TYPE the query, w/o all these silly menues? One saved query is super restrictive though, basically means either pay, or don't even bother to install.

yen223 2y ago
Yes, there's an option in the hamburger menu to edit queries manually, and that will allow you to type in (or paste in) the query by hand. Re. the saved query restriction - I am planning to work on this app in the long term, which unfortunately means I have to monetise the app in order to sustain development work. I believe restricting saved queries and saved connections is a good compromise to allow casual users to try out all the features the app has to offer, without imposing a time limit.

fouc 2y ago

I really dig this, I was even thinking it'd be possible to have some "smart suggestions" that could let people focus more on the logic/pattern of the overall problem they're trying to solve instead of having to assemble every single SQL command individually. i.e. maybe there could be a searchable list of common sql solutions and then somehow adjust that to suit the actual problem (hopefully without ending up a cluttered mess of sql)

yen223 2y ago
If I had a dollar for every time I had to look up how to group events by day in a way that doesn't leave gaps... This is a good idea, thanks for the feedback!

cusspvz 2y ago

Now you can delete production from anywhere

captainbenises 2y ago

Feature request: Add an AI query tool - you could do it on-device with something like functionary ggml and llama cpp with a few functions: getSchemaForTables(...) getTableStats() runQuery('...') Then you could do a query like: "show me all customers who regularly post between midnight and 1am"

yen223 2y ago
I haven't ruled out building AI-powered queries into the app, but I am firm about doing it in a way that respects data security (i.e. no shipping database schemas or data to ChatGPT without explicit user consent). From my understanding, usable on-device LLM models tend to be gigabytes-large, which makes it difficult to roll out to everyone. Apple Intelligence might make this feasible, will need to do more research on this when I do the iOS port. Making AI an optional add-on might be doable. Thanks for the feedback!

victorbjorklund 2y ago

iOS Version please. Looks great.

quanweilena 2y ago
+1

afiori 2y ago

I always read the domains in the format getsomething.com as with the grammatical structure of "get wrecked". So in my king there is a brief spark of "why does this site want to make me selectable?"