🗄️ dbcli

A powerful, interactive CLI tool for managing database connections, imports, exports, and operations.

✨ Features

| Feature | Description | | ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | 🔌 Connection Management | Save, edit, and manage multiple database configurations | | 📥 Import | Import dump files with optional DB reset, elapsed time display | | 📤 Export | Backup databases with directory picker and persistent last-used path | | 🗃️ Database Operations | Create, clone, rename, and drop databases | | ⚙️ Config Import/Export | Backup and restore connection settings (encrypted or plain) | | ⚡ Fast Import Mode | LOCAL PostgreSQL only — aggressive server tuning for large dump imports |

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• Database client tools for your target database:
  • PostgreSQL: psql, pg_dump (+ pg_ctl, perl for Fast Import Mode)
  • MySQL/MariaDB: mysql, mysqldump
  • MongoDB: mongosh, mongodump, mongorestore
  • SQL Server: none — uses the bundled mssql driver, no system tools required

Install globally

bun install -g @ilhanaydinli/dbcli

🚀 Usage

dbcli

Main Menu

┌  dbcli v1.8.0
│
◆  What would you like to do?
│  ● Import Database
│  ○ Export Database
│  ○ Manage Connections
│  ○ Settings
│  ○ Exit
└

📖 Commands

🔌 Manage Connections

Add, edit, list, or remove database connection configurations.

📥 Import Database

1. Select a saved connection
2. Select target database (or create a new one)
3. Pick a dump file using the interactive directory browser (remembers last-used path)
4. Optionally reset the database before import
5. Import executes using native database tools with elapsed time display

📤 Export Database

1. Select a saved connection
2. Select target database
3. Pick an output directory using the interactive directory browser (remembers last-used path)
4. Enter the output filename
5. Export creates a dump file using native tools with elapsed time display

🗃️ Database Operations

Manage databases on a selected connection:

• Create — Create a new database
• Clone — Duplicate an existing database
• Rename — Rename a database
• Drop — Delete a database (with confirmation)

⚙️ Settings

• Toggle Verbose Mode — Show/hide detailed command output
• Toggle Fast Import Mode — LOCAL PostgreSQL only: aggressive server optimizations for large imports
• Toggle Skip Indexes — LOCAL PostgreSQL only: skip secondary indexes during import (~45% faster)
• Export Config — Save connections to an encrypted or plain JSON file
• Import Config — Load connections from a JSON file

⚡ Fast Import Mode (LOCAL PostgreSQL only)

Dramatically speeds up large dump imports on a local PostgreSQL instance. Does not work with managed databases (Cloud SQL, RDS, Supabase, etc.).

Enable in Settings → Toggle Fast Import Mode.

| Setting | Normal | Fast Mode | | ----------------------- | --------- | --------- | | fsync | on | off | | full_page_writes | on | off | | wal_level | replica | minimal | | synchronous_commit | on | off | | autovacuum | on | off | | max_wal_size | 1GB | 64GB | | shared_buffers | default | RAM / 4 | | Import wrapped in 1 txn | no | yes | | PG restarted (×2) | no | yes |

⚠️ A crash during import may corrupt the database. Use only on local dev or throwaway databases.

Skip Indexes

Enable in Settings → Toggle Skip Indexes (requires Fast Import Mode ON).

Drops secondary CREATE INDEX statements during import while preserving PRIMARY KEY and UNIQUE indexes. Reduces import time by ~45% on large dumps. Queries will use sequential scans until indexes are rebuilt manually.

🗃️ Supported Databases

| Database | Status | Import | Export | Manage | | ------------- | ------------ | ------ | ------ | ------ | | PostgreSQL | ✅ Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | MongoDB | ✅ Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | MySQL | ✅ Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | MariaDB | ✅ Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | | MS SQL Server | ✅ Supported | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |

SQL Server notes

• Authentication: SQL Server Authentication only (Windows Auth not yet supported).
• Export format: .sql containing CREATE TABLE, INSERT INTO, indexes, foreign keys, CHECK constraints, computed columns, and DBCC CHECKIDENT reseed for IDENTITY columns.
• Dump scope covers tables, primary keys, unique indexes, foreign keys, CHECK constraints, computed columns, multiple schemas, and identity reseed. Views, stored procedures, triggers, and functions are not included in dumps.
• Verified against SQL Server 2017 and 2022 (Linux Docker). Should also work on 2014/2016 since all queries use sys.* views available since 2005, but not empirically tested.
• Connection URL formats accepted: mssql://user:pass@host:1433/database or sqlserver://....

📜 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.