Show HN: Duck-UI – Browser-Based SQL IDE for DuckDB

https://demo.duckui.com

41•caioricciuti•1h ago

I built Duck-UI, a web-based SQL editor that runs DuckDB entirely in your browser via WebAssembly. No backend required.

The Problem: Every time I needed to query csv, parquet, or even to play with SQL, I had to either: (a) spin up a Jupyter notebook (b) use the CLI (c) upload to a hosted service.

Friction at every step (TOO MUCH to load a csv or even to test some sql (study)...

The Solution: DuckDB's WASM runtime lets us run SQL analysis client-side. Load CSV/JSON/Parquet files from disk or URL, write SQL, get results instantly. Data stays on your machine. What It Does:

SQL editor with autocomplete & syntax highlighting Import CSV, JSON, Parquet, Arrow (local or remote URLs) Query history, keyboard shortcuts, theme toggle Persistent storage via OPFS (data survives browser refresh) Optional: Connect to external DuckDB servers One-liner Docker deployment or Node 20+ dev server

Technical Details:

DuckDB compiled to WASM; query execution in-browser OPFS-backed persistence Apache 2.0 licensed Runs on Chrome 88+, Firefox 79+, Safari 14+

Use Cases:

Learning SQL without setting up databases Ad-hoc data exploration (CSV → SQL in seconds) Quick prototyping before shipping to production Privacy-conscious workflows (no data leaves your browser)

GitHub: https://github.com/ibero-data/duck-ui Live Demo: https://demo.duckui.com Quick Start: docker run -p 5522:5522 ghcr.io/ibero-data/duck-ui:latest

Would love feedback on: (1) Use cases I'm missing (2) Performance bottlenecks you hit (3) Features that would make this your default SQL scratchpad.

Comments

mgaunard•1h ago

doesn't work well on phones, run query button is not visible.

caioricciuti•1h ago

Thank you for the feedback, adding to the roadmap right now!

CSDude•1h ago

There is an embedded one in DuckDB for a while now and it's great. I get the apeal of yours but this one is much easier to use for same cases:

https://duckdb.org/2025/03/12/duckdb-ui

mrs6969•1h ago

This is not a self hosted one though. You can not use default ui offline, you can not guarantee data safety

chrisweekly•1h ago

I haven't had a chance to play w this yet, but thank you for building and sharing this -- great writeup, sounds v useful and compelling!

gamerrk•1h ago

The autocomplete is really good, UI is snappy as well. Well done!

caioricciuti•35m ago

Thanksss, happy you liked, thanks for trying it out!

mritchie712•1h ago

Really excited about the future of DuckDB:

1. DuckLake is the best datalake spec and their team is improving on the extension rapidly.

2. With DuckDB WASM, you can make apps that would normally have 2 to 3 second latency for network calls work in < 200ms.

We use it as our built-in datalake at Definite and couldn't be happier with it.

0 - https://ducklake.select/

1 - https://www.definite.app/blog/ducklake

curiousgal•58m ago

I am curious is anyone using DuckDB in prod?

mgaunard•50m ago

of course, why wouldn't you?

I was using it even before it hit 1.0

mritchie712•10m ago

Yes, we run DuckDB + DuckLake in prod for https://www.definite.app/

spooky_deep•52m ago

When DuckDB queries across multiple sources (say, Postgres and a CSV) does it first load all data into DuckDB or is it smart enough to only pull minimal data needed for the query on the fly?

dav43•47m ago

possible, seems this is done in other modes.

quote - google ai mode:

"DuckDB offers robust capabilities for querying data stored partially on S3, particularly when dealing with Parquet files. This is achieved through several optimization techniques:

Predicate Pushdown: When you apply a WHERE clause to filter data, DuckDB can "push down" this filter directly into the Parquet file scan. If the Parquet file contains zonemaps (metadata about value ranges within columns), DuckDB can use this information to skip reading entire sections of the file that do not contain relevant data, significantly reducing the amount of data transferred from S3.

Projection Pushdown: When you select only specific columns in your SELECT statement, DuckDB automatically reads only those required columns from the Parquet file. This means you avoid downloading and processing unnecessary data, leading to faster queries and reduced S3 transfer costs.

HTTP Range Reads: DuckDB leverages HTTP range headers when interacting with S3 (or other object storage supporting range reads). This allows it to fetch only the necessary parts of the Parquet file, such as metadata or specific column chunks, rather than downloading the entire file."

mosselman•49m ago

What is a duckdb server? I was under the impression there is no server in duckdb, just the client.

caioricciuti•36m ago

In theory there's none... DuckDB is like Sqlite, it's a file, but in this case it's 100% wasm so theres zero interaction with any "server", it's all on Browser. One example of DuckDB in server is mother duck... It makes .duckdb files "available" on the cloud.

joshmn•36m ago

This is cool, thanks. I use the embedded UI but I’m going to play around with yours too.

DuckDB is the single-most impressive piece of software I’ve used in my career. I’m mangling terabytes of parquets daily and it just handles them effortlessly; the bindings also also well-written.

caioricciuti•32m ago

TRUE! It's amazing and I have in other project too! The idea of of this app 100% in browser came from handling lots of CSV's from different people in my former company... Just to load in excel it took forever, then I came up with this, it made my life much easier, hope it makes yours too!

Prefer TF Module Composition over Inheritance

'How Life Works' by Philip Ball: Beware metaphorical systems thinking in biology

I Tried to Toughen Up My Son. Things Didn't Go as Planned

The Planets, Personified

Update on Plans for Privacy Sandbox Technologies (Google Chrome)

The MCP Server?

Deck Dialogues: How Alex Transformed His UConsole into a Botnet Simulator

The macOS LC_COLLATE hunt: Or why does sort order differently on macOS and Linux

Single-Step Electrochemical Battery Recycling

Jason Wei on 3 Key Ideas in AI in 2025 [video]

Is MCP authentication that complicated?

Ask HN: Will Biotech Have Its "Arduino Moment"?

Show HN: Syna – Minimal ML and RL Framework Built from Scratch with NumPy

Fixing AWS Architecture Diagrams: AI Document Processing

The Beauty of Batteries

A Tower on Billionaires' Row Is Full of Cracks. Who's to Blame?

Finland proposes €200B Russian asset transfer to Ukraine

Ask HN: Why put a HAProxy in front of Nginx?

Anthropic's Jack Clark is drawing White House ire

Creating an Igcse Pseudocode Interpreter

AI Global: Global Sector Trends on Generative AI (10/10/25) [pdf]

Ask HN: Runtime Information about Dependencies

Improving PixelMelt's Kindle Web Deobfuscator

'Priceless' jewellery stolen from Louvre in raid by 'experienced' thieves

New tech used to boost Japan's rice yields, but retail prices still higher

I'd like my init system / service supervisor to be

Uber will offer gig work like AI data labeling to drivers while not on the road

Import AI 431: Technological Optimism and Appropriate Fear

Show HN: RIHU – Beyond RAG: Retrieval as Geometry, Not Vectors

Show HN: I'm building a Canva-like app, you also get API for template automation