SQLlyPostgreSQL GUI for Mac, Windows and Linux
A fast, native PostgreSQL client that reads your plans, your pg_stat_statements and your roles - and works the same against a laptop Postgres, Supabase, Neon, RDS or CockroachDB.
- Connects over
- The PostgreSQL wire protocol
- Default port
- 5432
- Sign-in
- Password, AWS RDS IAM, or Google Cloud SQL IAM
- Encryption
- Disable, Require, Verify CA or Verify full, with custom CA and client certificates
What SQLly does for PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL gets nearly the full toolset - plans, insights, roles, maintenance, dump and restore - and the same connection works against the managed and PostgreSQL-compatible services listed further down.
EXPLAIN, read for you
Actual plans run EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, FORMAT JSON); estimated plans run EXPLAIN (FORMAT JSON) without touching your data. Either way you get ranked, plain-language findings with a suggested fix, an operator tree and a diagram.
pg_stat_statements insights
Query Insights reads pg_stat_statements for your most expensive statements, and the Index Analyzer and Activity Monitor cover index usage and live sessions without a trip to psql.
Roles and grants, previewed as SQL
The Security tool edits login, superuser, create-database, create-role and inherit flags, role membership, database connect, schema usage and table grants. Every change is shown as the exact statements before you apply it.
Security editor βpg_dump and pg_restore, driven for you
With the PostgreSQL client tools installed, Dump Database produces custom, tar or plain archives with live progress, and Backup / Restore runs pg_restore after showing you the command. Passwords never go on the command line.
Read-only connections, read-only AI
A read-only connection refuses pg_read_file, pg_ls_dir, lo_import/lo_export and COPY to files or programs. Queries from the AI drawer, MCP server and CLI also run inside BEGIN READ ONLY, always rolled back.
Procedure Mode for PL/pgSQL
Start a script with a function or procedure and the Proc toggle deploys it with CREATE OR REPLACE, then invokes it with CALL (or a SELECT for functions) using the values you type - optionally inside a transaction that is always rolled back.
Want to kick the tyres first? The browser preview runs a real PostgreSQL (through PGlite) with the Chinook sample database right in your tab.
Connect to PostgreSQL
- Download SQLly for macOS, Windows or Linux from the download page and open it.
- Create a connection and choose PostgreSQL - or pick your host from the PostgreSQL-compatible group (Supabase, Neon, RDS, Aurora, Cloud SQL, Azure, CockroachDB, YugabyteDB) so the port and encryption defaults are right.
- Enter host, port (5432), database, user and password, or paste a
postgres://URL. SQLly readssslmode,sslrootcert,sslcertandsslkeyfrom it, and keeps any password in your OS keychain. - Choose encryption: Disable, Require, Verify CA or Verify full, with your own CA bundle and a client certificate for mutual TLS. On RDS, Aurora or Cloud SQL you can sign in with AWS or Google IAM instead of a password.
- Reach private servers through an SSH tunnel (with an optional jump host), a SOCKS5 or HTTP proxy, or a Kubernetes port-forward - then Test, save and connect.
Every SQLly tool on PostgreSQL
This is the same engine matrix the app uses to enable or disable its menus, so what you read here is what you get. Where a tool doesn’t apply to PostgreSQL, the app says why - and so do we.
| Tool | PostgreSQL |
|---|---|
| Explorer, IntelliSense and hover cards | Yes |
| Edit rows in the results grid | Yes |
| Estimated execution plans | Yes EXPLAIN (FORMAT JSON). |
| Actual (executed) plans | Yes EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, FORMAT JSON). |
| Activity Monitor | Yes |
| Query Insights | Yes pg_stat_statements. |
| Server Dashboard | Yes |
| Disk Usage and Object Browser | Yes |
| Maintenance menu | Yes VACUUM, VACUUM ANALYZE, ANALYZE, REINDEX. |
| Schema Compare and Schema History | Yes |
| Data Compare | Yes |
| Data Transfer | Yes |
| Test Data Generator | Yes |
| Table Structure Editor | Yes |
| Index Analyzer | Yes |
| Security editor (users, roles, grants) | Yes Roles, membership and grants. |
| Backup / Restore | Yes Drives pg_dump and pg_restore when installed. |
| Create and drop database dialogs | Yes |
| Procedure Mode | Yes |
| SSH tunnels, proxies and Kubernetes port-forward | Yes |
| Read-only connections | Yes |
| Auto-rollback safety wrap | Yes |
| SQL Agent, Extended Events and guided designers | No SQL Server and Azure SQL only. |
Hosted and compatible engines
These are choices in SQLly’s connection editor in their own right. Each one sets the right port and encryption default, and a short note under the connection options says what differs from plain PostgreSQL.
- CockroachDB
- YugabyteDB
- Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL
- Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
- Azure Database for PostgreSQL
- Google Cloud SQL for PostgreSQL
- Neon
- Supabase
Questions about PostgreSQL in SQLly
Does SQLly work with Supabase, Neon and Amazon RDS?
Yes. Supabase, Neon, Amazon Aurora and RDS for PostgreSQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, Google Cloud SQL, CockroachDB and YugabyteDB are all choices in the connection editor. Each sets the right port and encryption default and says what differs from plain PostgreSQL; Neon and Azure flexible servers keep TLS switched on.
Can SQLly show PostgreSQL EXPLAIN ANALYZE plans?
Yes. An actual plan runs EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, FORMAT JSON) and an estimated plan runs EXPLAIN (FORMAT JSON) without executing the query. Both open in SQLly's plan viewer with plain-language findings alongside the operator tree.
Can I sign in to RDS or Cloud SQL with IAM instead of a password?
Yes. PostgreSQL connections can use AWS IAM or Google Cloud IAM database authentication. SQLly mints the short-lived token from the cloud credentials already on your machine each time you connect, always over TLS, and never stores the token.
Can SQLly back up and restore PostgreSQL databases?
Yes, when pg_dump and pg_restore are installed. The Dump Database dialog can produce custom, tar or plain archives with live progress, and Backup / Restore drives pg_restore after showing you the exact command. Restores are blocked on connections marked Production.
Read more
In the docs
Other databases
Bring your PostgreSQL home to the pig
SQLly is free to start on macOS, Windows and Linux, with no account required.