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Show HN: Base, an SQLite database editor for macOS

• mastermage 1y ago
  Wait doesnt DBeaver work on MacOS aswell?
• lukasb 1y ago
  Needed this for developing my Tauri app, been working great.
• ZPrimed 1y ago
  if I purchase, am I required to scream "ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US !!" ?
  • __bb 1y ago
    It's not required, but you can if you want :)
• nodesocket 1y ago
  This looks great, installing now. I've been using DBeaver, but it's not optimized for SQLite. Common issue with DBeaver is having to refresh the global connection to see changes. EDIT: Very minor nitpick but noticed I changed my icon to dark, but not taking effect. Still using light icon.
  • bdcravens 1y ago
    What you just described sounds like the kind of marketing I feel is missing from the site: if you're already using a multi-db tool, what's compelling about this product?
    • __bb 1y ago
      That's a good point and something I'd not considered. I'd say the main benefit is that it's tailored only to SQLite's features. You don't have to tweak a UI tailored for remote connections to work with local files. You don't need to have extra sections dedicated to user management or stored procedures which are inactive. I guess I'm saying that in this case less is more!
• janten 1y ago
  Happy Base user for almost ten years now. Hands down the best SQLite editor on macOS.
  • __bb 1y ago
    Thank you for the support! It means a lot.
• al_borland 1y ago
  I was looking for something like this a few months ago and was having trouble surfacing anything. This looks nice. My work is pretty conservative on allowing me to use something like this, but I will definitely be noting it down for my next personal project where this would be helpful.
• pietz 1y ago
  How have I never heard of this before? Been looking for a sleek, minimal SQLite client for more than a year now.
• TheJoeMan 1y ago
  May I ask what you are using on the backend for verifying the web purchases? Is it a key, or online activation once downloaded?
  • __bb 1y ago
    I use Paddle (https://paddle.com/ https://paddle.com/) as merchant of record because I don't want to deal with the paperwork of doing more myself. In practical terms, it's a key emailed after purchase.
• packetlost 1y ago
  What does this offer over sqlitebrowser? https://sqlitebrowser.org/ https://sqlitebrowser.org/
  • jen20 1y ago
    A nicer user interface. Personally I use datagrip but I want to encourage real native Mac software so will likely buy this anyway.
  • Gelob 1y ago
    wondering the same thing
  • colesantiago 1y ago
    sqlitebrowser is 100% open source, cross platform and free. I don't think Base is at all and only supports macOS
  • p_ing 1y ago
    Prettier UI?
  • WhitneyLand 1y ago
    Base is nicely done, I’ve found it worthwhile over other options.
  • vsl 1y ago
    Polish and decent UI...
    • packetlost 1y ago
      I find the sqlitebrowser UI to be perfectly fine. It's not pretty, but it's a tool so who cares.
      • dewey 1y ago
        People care about the tools they are using a lot and spend a great deal of time on finding the perfect knife, the perfect editor, the perfect scissors.
• deleted 1y ago
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• TheRealPomax 1y ago
  Why is it MacOS only though? Surely this can cross-compile for Linux and Windows perfectly fine?
  • deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  • jen20 1y ago
    Probably because it’s written using native Mac UI instead of half-assed with electron.
  • hoistbypetard 1y ago
    Because it a GUI that uses Mac-specific UI libraries that aren't available on Linux and Windows? While the database stuff works on Linux and Windows, building UIs for the 3 platforms is very different, unless you use some cross platform wrapper layer. Which isn't the purpose of this one. You might want sqlitebrowser[1] if you're looking for something like that. [1]:https://sqlitebrowser.org https://sqlitebrowser.org
    • crossroadsguy 1y ago
      One of the first apps I install whenever I set mac https://github.com/sqlitebrowser/sqlitebrowser https://github.com/sqlitebrowser/sqlitebrowser
      • hoistbypetard 1y ago
        It's decidedly in my default load for my Linux desktops. And I don't dislike it on Mac, either. The only reason I ever came to try Base is because I use Setapp for a few other things and Base is included.
    • TheRealPomax 1y ago
      Yeah, already using that on the daily, it's just annoying to see folks go "I made something (better) and it's Mac only purely because of my UI library choice".
• Alifatisk 1y ago
  Been looking for something like this, I also wish there was a way for multiple users to collaborate and interact with the same database. Think like MySql Workbench but for multiple users, that would be incredible
  • jen20 1y ago
    That is a limitation of SQLite no?
    • breadwinner 1y ago
      Yes and no. SQLite can handle a small number of users. It locks the entire database while writing to it, so it can't support a large number of concurrent users.
      • __bb 1y ago
        I realise you’ve hinted at it, but also think it’s worth explicitly pointing out that it’s more about the number of users writing than just user count. It can handle concurrent readers with little bother. For those who’ve not seen it already, there’s a good guide on when to use SQLite here: https://sqlite.org/whentouse.html https://sqlite.org/whentouse.html
      • dnet 1y ago
        While the default is indeed to lock the entire database, it has been an option for 15 years to avoid this: https://www.sqlite.org/wal.html https://www.sqlite.org/wal.html
    • Alifatisk 1y ago
      I am thinking of an application where multiple users can interactive with the workbench BUT the workbench performs its actions against the database as one user. That way, it could consolidate the connections into a single one
      • jen20 1y ago
• robinhood 1y ago
  Looks super nice. Congrats on the launch. Personally I use Harlequin, the TUI SQL tool, which works best for me. I don't really GUI for these kind of tools, but I can understand the value for some. Wishing you all the success with this new version.
  • __bb 1y ago
    Thank you, that's very kind. I've always like the idea of TUIs, but found it hard to get used to them.
• OfflineSergio 1y ago
  Does apple allow you to to sell both through App Store and direct through another payment echo system? I thought they are more strict than that. https://menial.co.uk/base/buy/ https://menial.co.uk/base/buy/
  • __bb 1y ago
    Yes, it's OK to do that, but not to cross the streams. You can't advertise direct purchases from the Mac App Store version.
  • deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
• criddell 1y ago
  > without it turning into a massive IDE-style app Is that another way of saying you don't want to make MS Access? I still use Access quite a bit and I think it's pretty great. It's too bad that nothing like that exists for modern databases.
  • __bb 1y ago
    Sort of, yes. But mostly that I don't want the app to become the "everything to everyone" style of editor. I want it to remain tightly focused on the features that SQLite provides. It's unlikely that I'll add a form builder or report generator to the app. I don't want it to grow until it can send email.
  • int_19h 1y ago
    I kinda wish someone would take SQLite and make something like Access on top of it. Many years ago, there was a project that tried to do just that using Tcl/Tk, which seems like a fine choice - Tcl is very simple and easy to understand even for on-programmers while its deficiencies aren't really important in this niche, and Tk is one of the easiest UI frameworks around to use. Unfortunately it petered out and I can't even remember the name anymore...
• markusw 1y ago
  I've just tried it out, looks nice! I've been using TablePlus a lot, but there are some SQLite-specific features I'd really like to have in an app: - Foreign keys enabled by default, so I don't have to remember to enable that in every session. - Support for loading extensions automatically. I'm using sqlite-vec for example. Right now, browsing virtual tables for that just doesn't show that much, and executing a query just results in "no such module: vec0" I'll keep an eye on the project. :-)
  • __bb 1y ago
    Thanks! Auto-enabling foreign keys absolutely should be an option. I'll make a note of it. I don't know about auto-loading extensions though. Will have a look. That might not mix well with the App Store rules and I'm reluctant to let the direct/app store versions drift apart in terms of features.
    • markusw 1y ago
      Thank you for answering. That's fair re. App Store rules. Feature flags FTW? :D I was happy to see that FTS5 was always enabled as a compile-time option.
• reaperducer 1y ago
  The goal of this app is to provide a comfortable native GUI for SQLite, without it turning into a massive IDE-style app. As an aside, feature bloat is a massive problem with macOS database tools. I'd happily pay for something basic, native, and pretty like Sequel Ace†, but all of the other options are Swiss Army knives for power users who need to tweak every little thing. I just want to do some queries. † I'd pay for Sequel Ace, too, if it didn't crash every time I close a tab.
• gwbas1c 1y ago
  > Create and modify tables with ease using Base's visual table editor. No need to write complex CREATE or ALTER statements. I'm trying to understand who your target audience is? Normally, I think of SQLite as something that only a programmer would use. (And thus these kind of statements happen within an application.) What kind of use cases are you handling where someone is manually creating / changing a schema? > Import data from CSV and SQL dump files. Export your results to SQL, delimited text, JSON, and Excel formats. IE, who's using SQLite in this way, and what are they using it for?
  • jraph 1y ago
    You call do everything with the sqlite cli tool, but GUIs are very convenient to explore and play with the databases. I have regularly used sqlitebrowser. You can even get create table statements corresponding to tables you have drafted with it, and you can copy-paste these statements in your code. Or build and test a sql statement incrementally, and paste it in your code when you are happy. Or even to plain browse data, explore database from other tools, etc. There are a lot of occasions where such a tool can be convenient.
  • tracker1 1y ago
    Potentially about anyone who used Access without the forms interfaces... While I'm not the biggest fan, I know a lot of people who prefer a visual editor for table schema creation. They'll use SQL Management Studio, or whatever equivalent with other DBMS and edit that way instead of DB specific queries... For example, re-ordering fields is destructive in a lot of DBMS and the queries get painful, a visual editor eases this burden. As to importing/exporting data (csv, etc), You can't exactly run queries against a CSV generally (I mean you can with JET/ODBC, but still)... it's a chore. To another point, I often feel that sqlite is a great backup format for data, it's portable, you can query directly, etc. I kind of wished that Azure Data Studio (now discontinued) had directly supported loading CSV/TXT etc into an in-memory or temp db for queries and portability similar to mentioned between various data sources (sqlite, mssql, pgsql, etc).
    • RyanHamilton 1y ago
• thomasqbrady 1y ago
  I've been using Base for [checks... considers retirement] about 15 years!? It's ALWAYS been great, AND has improved over time.
  • DwnVoteHoneyPot 1y ago
    Useful comment because I always assume these "Show HN" products are minimally viable... whereas, it's good to know it's been battle tested for at least 15 years.
    • riazrizvi 1y ago
      I assume they must be new too. Nice to see a project that’s been around for a while get posted and reach number 1.
• wulfstan 1y ago
  I bought your app in 2010 and use it regularly. Thanks for making it!
  • __bb 1y ago
    Thank you for the support :)
• earthnail 1y ago
  It would be amazing if it could display UUIDs. SQlite doesn't support them natively, but many people store them as binary blobs. Jetbrains products realize that these binary values are UUIDs and let me edit them easily.
  • __bb 1y ago
    Thanks, I'll make a note of that. It's not a behaviour I've seen before.
    • _mlbt 1y ago
      I see that this software is available for direct sale, the Mac App Store, and through Set App. What is your revenue breakdown from each if you don’t mind sharing?
      • __bb 1y ago
        It's a bit too soon to tell reliably, since I've shipped v3 as a new app and it hasn't settled down yet. For v2 it used to be 60% App Store and the remainder direct/Setapp. So far for v3 it is approximately 60% direct, 25% App Store and 15% Setapp. This is a bit of a shift, but the numbers aren't really stable yet so it's hard to tell if it'll stay there.
        • thisislife2 1y ago
          Thanks for offering this app outside of the App Store too. Why don't you support older versions of macOS though? Does this app really rely on any new macOS APIs that it has to be built only for macOS 15+?
          • __bb 1y ago
            One of the things I found limiting in previous versions was supporting older versions of macOS. I’ve decided this time round to only try to support the latest and previous versions. Since the release of Tahoe is probably quite soon, I’m starting with just macOS 15 and will support that and macOS 26 to start.
• sneak 1y ago
  Thank you for offering a purchase option outside of the MAS. It sucks that Apple is trying to force everyone to identify themselves to install apps and some of us prefer not having an Apple ID.
• benhurmarcel 1y ago
  Can somebody recommend a similar tool that works with DuckDB files?
  • weaksauce 1y ago
    not as slick as this tool but https://dbeaver.io/ https://dbeaver.io/ handles duckdb databases as well as a myriad of others.
  • nicoritschel 1y ago
    I am launching one very soon; it's similarly built in Swift & macOS only. Here's the web version I built almost a year ago you can play with in the meantime. https://sidequery.dev https://sidequery.dev
  • FelipeCortez 1y ago
    Ultorg doesn't handle schema modification but is my favorite tool for data inspection
  • speedgoose 1y ago
    TablePlus perhaps.
  • ahasani 1y ago
    not similar, but more like jupyter https://duckdb.org/docs/stable/core_extensions/ui https://duckdb.org/docs/stable/core_extensions/ui
  • wodenokoto 1y ago
    `duckdb —-ui` is quite powerful, although edits still have to happen through written queries.
• breadwinner 1y ago
  Those who prefer web-based interfaces can try Visual DB: https://visualdb.com/sqlite/ https://visualdb.com/sqlite/
  • naikrovek 1y ago
    Who in the world would prefer a web-based database tool which you must run locally over a normal web database tool which runs locally? The “thick” tool will always be more efficient than a browser-based tool. It will always be more native and integrate with the OS better. It will perform better (though that may not always be visible). Yes I am seriously asking. The web is the worst application platform ever created, despite being maybe the only true cross-platform platform.
    • breadwinner 1y ago
      Some people prefer native apps. Some people prefer web-based apps. Native apps are not automatically better -- there are web-based apps that work better than native apps. > The web is the worst application platform ever created That's an extreme position. Today no one is making native Windows apps because the web has defeated native apps on Windows.
      • naikrovek 1y ago
        It is absolutely not an extreme position. It is the only position available if any intense work happens in the UI. JavaScript is SLOW. WASM is SLOW compared to native code. the web has defeated native apps on windows because native apps on windows are dead all on their own. not because browser applications are better, because they aren't, but because Microsoft drove those applications into the ground with clear intent. I don't think people realize this, but browsers are SLOW. Not just a little, A LOT. Native code will always be faster, will help extend battery life, and are far simpler to write, to understand, and to support. On top of that, there are entire classes of security vulnerabilities that simply don't apply if you aren't a browser application. Browser applications ARE convenient, though. But we previously solved that on the desktop and people forgot about it, so now it apparently is IMPOSSIBLE to click a single link and have a running application locally, despite it being easily done in the recent past. That can never happen again, apparently. I don't expect the HN crowd to understand this. I expect the HN crowd to NOT understand this, as getting your silly startup funded requires that you not understand this simple concept. There aren't any startups making desktop applications. I do expect technical people to understand why browser applications are bad compared to equivalently-featured native applications. But it's a faux-pas to say so anyway, because it might impact how many people give you money in the future or how much they give. People gladly trade money in exchange for ignoring inconvenient problems all day long, and without a second thought, too. Somehow, I find that anathema, despite being in the position to accept such offers several times throughout my career. I am really starting to come around to the idea that everyone that works at Meta, Google, or at any startup writing a web application knowing that it is easier to write despite all of the horrible tradeoffs has weak moral fiber. I think those people are sellouts. I think those people know that they are creating tools that die when the company dies, require a continuous internet connection despite knowing that a constant internet connection is not feasible for a large portion of people, and create software that uses far more energy than it should despite knowing that native code is far more efficient. Being an engineer means you face the problems you have, and you do not make up problems in order to create a business opportunity. But people forget all about their scruples when money stares them in the face. The desktop environments that we have are constructs, and as such they can be made better. They can be remade. There can be a good cross platform environment that is easy to develop for, is relatively efficient, performant, consistent, and which allows for offline use if we just want to create that. But the money is too good if you want to ignore that problem, I guess.
• didip 1y ago
  It would be super duper cool if it can connect to DuckDB as well.
  • nicoritschel 1y ago
    I am launching a similar tool very soon; it's built in Swift & macOS only. Here's the web version I built almost a year ago you can play with in the meantime. https://sidequery.dev https://sidequery.dev
• Andi 1y ago
  I am missing an archive of old versions, so I can run it on Mac OS 10.14.
  • __bb 1y ago
    There’s an archive of older versions here: https://files.menial.co.uk/base/ https://files.menial.co.uk/base/
• reactordev 1y ago
  Nice. I used to use Sequel Pro back in the day. Now, I just use my IDE. I like these kinds of things though. Minimal purpose built tools.
• revskill 1y ago
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• RyJones 1y ago
  I saw the post on DF and bought it through the App Store. Nice tool! I have about 4TB of small-ish SQLite DBs and this is great for cracking them open and looking around.
• pickle-wizard 1y ago
  This is great, I've been needing a tool like this. I just bought a Pro license.
• skylurk 1y ago
  Looks great! I'm tickled that you revived a 10 year old account to post this. I am also thrilled to learn about cow magnets today :)
  • __bb 1y ago
    Thanks! While it has been quite the career change, I am absolutely up for discussing both dairy farming, software development and their overlap. That’s where Base came from!
• samdixon 1y ago
  So apparently this has been around for 15 years? I would have bought this years ago, but it never showed up on any of my searches... google, reddit, producthunt, alternativeto... feel like I just shifted into another dimension where this has apparently... always existed?
  • program 1y ago
    The name chosen probably didn't help here. “Base” is a very generic term.
    • LeoPanthera 1y ago
      It's also the name of the database application in LibreOffice, confusingly.
      • hoistbypetard 1y ago
        And its development got really quiet for a few years, I think.
    • rossant 1y ago
      That may well be the main reason, actually.
  • caro_kann 1y ago
    That's why marketing/distribution/sales is very important. As a developer most of us think if we build a good product everyone will start using it, which is very wrong in 99% of the cases.
  • noman-land 1y ago
    I feel the same way. I've searched for sqlite guis many times and this has never come up.
• sangsattawat 1y ago
  Nice. I wish I had this during my university years.
• tempodox 1y ago
  Why does it need Sequoia? That’s a no-go for me.
  • armadsen 1y ago
    Because targeting the latest release lets the developer use new APIs/features that are not available on older OSes making development more productive and pleasant. Of course, there’s a balance to be struck to support users, but macOS update uptake is usually pretty fast.
  • __bb 1y ago
    Because I don't have the capacity for maintaining compatibility between too many versions of macOS. For v3, I've stated the goal - not guarantee - of supporting the current and previous versions of macOS. Since Tahoe is likely to be released in the next month or so, I judged it better to start with Sequoia and keep it supported rather than start with Sonoma and risk needing to drop it shortly after launch.
  • theshrike79 1y ago
    Because you pay once and that's it. Now if you did that and used it on your 3 versions out of date macOS, then an update came that only worked on current-2, you'd be pissed. Mostly only software with subscriptions can afford to keep supporting multiple versions.
• daneel_w 1y ago
  Disappointed to see it's built with macOS 15.0 as minimum target.
• borg16 1y ago
  can someone tell me what are some common use cases of such a tool? may be i'm not the intended customer base, but am curious to know what others are using it for.
  • msephton 1y ago
    It's for manipulating SQLite databases with a GUI, rather than in a web page or at the command line. I previously used V2 of Base and the user interface was excellent, and this looks to be even better.
  • xmprt 1y ago
    It's not for everyone but I can think of 2 use cases immediately: 1. If you're a developer, then you're probably using sqlite to store data and having a GUI for checking/modifying the database is probably handy. 2. Most application by other developers (even massive companies) use sqlite to store data under the hood even if the file doesn't appear to be named `.sqlite`. So if you want to tweak certain settings that aren't exposed to the end user, then you can use this to do that in a more user friendly way rather than crack out a command line tool for sqlite changes.
  • __bb 1y ago
    To add to what xmprt and msephton have said, people have told me they use it for: - Storing results for scientific research - Local analysis of data exported from server-based databases - Experimenting with database designs before exporting SQL to codebases - Maintaining relational data where a website or app are not needed (eg. tutors keeping client records) - Recovering data from databases used by other products (eg. phone backups, discontinued apps)
• msephton 1y ago
  Have you created any other apps? I hope the last 15 years has been kind to you. :)
  • __bb 1y ago
    Thank you. I don't have any other public apps at the moment.
• tsp 1y ago
  Would be cool if this could connect to Cloudflare SQLite DBs.
• joao 1y ago
  Customer here, from previous versions. Could you expand on the reasoning of not offering an upgrade price? Is it just to messy nowadays on the technical side, especially with the Mac App Store? Will be upgrading in the future, congratulations on the launch!
  • __bb 1y ago
    There’s two main reasons. One is that this is the first paid update in 14 years. The second is that it’s just such a pain to do that on the App Store and I don’t want to have a two-tier system. I’ve tried to strike a balance on the price bearing this in mind.
    • joao 1y ago
      Understood, thank you!
• aaomidi 1y ago
  It's crazy how expensive these small utilities are. And worse, because they're paid you don't even get the source code to fix issues yourself :/
  • lemming 1y ago
    So the OSS thing is a preference, obviously, if you like OSS tools, just use them - it's not like you're short of options. But... expensive? Really? A one-off cost (not a subscription, mind) for a tool that might make an expensive developer/data person even marginally more productive? You have to be kidding. It blows my mind how much developers, who of all users should be the ones who appreciate how much work goes into something like this, complain so often about the cost of basic tools.
    • aaomidi 1y ago
      TBH the author asked for feedback and I provided it. There’s a ton of work that’s OSS. There’s also a ton of work that’s not. This is a tool that I’d happily pay double the amount that they’re asking if it was OSS. I also regularly fund OSS maintainers. Heck I’d even be fine with a closed source by default, but pay to get source code access too.
      • __bb 1y ago
        And I welcome the feedback, even if I probably won’t follow it. If everyone thought like you do, then it’d be far nicer to publish the code and maybe charge for support. I’m fairly confident that not enough people feel the same way to make it work. As to pricing, I need to be able to financially justify the time spent working on the app, and the price is one that I hope will let me do that.
        • aaomidi 1y ago
          I would love for you to make the code source available if you pay. Or are you worried about people stealing and making pirated copies?
• 3244104750 1y ago
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• barefootford 1y ago
  This is so nice. This feels like Postico for sqlite. Definitely switching from TablePlus to this.
• pinkahd 1y ago
  Today, I was searching for a nice and native SQLite browser for Mac. I went with "DB Browser" because that's what came up in my searches for "sqlite browser mac". I tried GitHub and went a bit deep in Google, but I didn't find this. I'm glad I see this now. I guess it's time to switch. Still can't believe this was created 15 years ago...
• mjaniczek 1y ago
  As much as I don't want LLMs shoved in every product I use, writing or tweaking SQL queries with knowledge of the database schema is one of the LLM uses that work well for me. I don't know if I could jump ship from Cursor/VSCore which gives me that + Vim mode.
• andyferris 1y ago
  Is there a proton/wine-like thing that lets me try MacOS apps on Linux or Windows?
  • viraptor 1y ago
    In practice - no. There's Darling https://darlinghq.org/ https://darlinghq.org/ but it only supports basic cli things for now. There was some idea for gui support https://github.com/darlinghq/darling-appkit-gui https://github.com/darlinghq/darling-appkit-gui but that is not working and the project is very incomplete. Nobody else is working on the GUI side. I can tell because I'm working on the ibtool replacement and none of the relevant constants or required code exists anywhere on Google. It's a complete reverse engineering from scratch for anything added in the last decade.
• keyle 1y ago
  I use Base everyday but it's leaps and bounds behind Postico for Postgres in terms of UX. Copy pastes, duplicate rows, sorting and filtering. Sadly postico does not do SQLite. But for SQLite as native app, there is no better than Base. Look forward to the upgrade thank you. Edit: thanks for row edit, that's great. What about duplicating rows or copying between tables of the same structure?
• tantalic 1y ago
  I have been a happy Base user since 2011. I don't use it all that often, but anytime I need to explore a database file or take a CSV and turn it into a database for some investigation it is the first tool I turn to. Happy to be able to be able to pay for an upgrade after this long!
• chambers 1y ago
  Off-topic, irrelevant question: does anyone need a local first version of Airtable? That uses SQLite under-the-hood and plugs into files and data with syncing across computers. I’m curious (as a solo dev) if there’s a market for such a product.
  • rthrfrd 1y ago
    Weirdly I’ve been building something along those lines for the last year. Not SQLite backed, but fully local and native (and also does non-local integrations, which you can also script yourself). Should be ready in a month or so if you’re interested!
• watersb 1y ago
  I've always found database structure diagrams to be useful, and I like tools that synchronize editing the structure via the diagram or the SQL code. I believe the macOS app OmniGraffle can do this, like Microsoft Visio on Windows. I currently have a copy of Database Designer installed on an Android tablet, it's quite effective for my simple projects. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.klim.dbdesigner https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.klim.dbdes... Database Designer developer says the app is "free forever", which is nice. App stores note in-app purchases; these are voluntary donations like "Buy Me a Coffee". The app also has some brief demo videos that are linked as online help.
  • mistersquid 1y ago
    > I believe the macOS app OmniGraffle can do this, like Microsoft Visio on Windows. I don't think Omnigraffle offers direct synchronization for editing database structures between its diagrams and SQL code.
• d_burfoot 1y ago
  I love this model of software development, which I think of as "artisanal", as opposed to open-source or enterprise. A small team, maybe just one person, who invests deep effort into a product that does one thing very well.
  • int_19h 1y ago
    The question is, does it actually earn enough money for the person to live off?
    • abnercoimbre 1y ago
      It's an open question in these times, though there's a cohort of "artisanal" devs trying hard.
    • caro_kann 1y ago
      This is exactly was my first thought. Having good paid product which at least covers the expenses of the developer is much better than having a product for just a love of it.
    • __bb 1y ago
      In this case, no. It would be nice if it did though.
    • jpalomaki 1y ago
      World would be a slightly better place if those who can afford (or put it on company) would support these indie developers.
• Blackarea 1y ago
  I've never had the need for a gui in sqlite. It's just sqlite3 for me and once I get to a complexity where I'd need a gui I mostly just switch to postgres
• archeantus 1y ago
  I first bought this app 15+ years ago (before the logo was glowing). It was an incredible piece of software then, and I’m sure this is a worthy upgrade. Absolutely a delightful product.
• JackAcid 1y ago
  Nice.
• nikolayasdf123 1y ago
  40 USD is way too expensive for this
• MrGilbert 1y ago
  It might just be me, as I don't use a Mac, but there is something inherently beautiful in terms of design of Mac applications. Something simple yet elegant. I highly assume that it is driven bei the OS (or the company behind it). Sometimes, I wish that Windows applications would share the same design philosophy.
  • rochak 1y ago
    That’s one of my many reasons for sticking with Mac. I know the bar is higher and I just enjoy the consistency between first party and third party applications.
    • MrGilbert 1y ago
      Well... career-wise I'm currently moving away from being a developer, so the incentive to use a Windows Desktop isn't there any longer. I might take a look at a Mac.
  • bapak 1y ago
    I think macOS core UI is better looking, that's the reality, and it has been for a very long time. Just a random comparison: Paint.net and Pixelmator. Without going too far into the details of their capabilities, why does Pixelmator look so much more pleasing? If you built Pixelmator for Windows using a Windows-native look, it would just not look as good.
• julik 1y ago
  I have used Base quite a bit in the past but switched to SQLitePro as Base was quite crash-happy (and I never managed to understand why). Might give it a second try since it seems the Base development is progressing, while SQLitePro is stagnating.
• gullevek 1y ago
  I wished it had some more quality of life features like "DB Browser for SQLite" has - JSON formatted view - tabs for multiple queries - triggers visible - font selection for the list views (SQL query output, data query)
• nopcode 1y ago
  With a tool like this, what's the recommended approach to deal with schema changes (migrations) for my apps/deployments using this db?
• gkfasdfasdf 1y ago
  Looks like the homebrew formula is one behind the latest, 3.0.0 vs 3.0.1 on your site - is the homebrew formula maintained by you or someone else?
  • __bb 1y ago
    That’s not me. I was quite surprised - in a good way - to find it there.