Hi all, I’m one of the creators of ChartDB.
A few months ago, I introduced ChartDB to this community and received an amazing response - tons of positive feedback and feature requests. Thank you for the incredible support!
Recap: For those new to ChartDB, it simplifies database design and visualization, similar to tools like DBeaver, dbdiagram, and DrawSQL, but is completely open-source and self-hosted.
https://github.com/chartdb/chartdb
Key features
- Instant Schema Import - Import your database schema with just one query.
- AI-Powered DDL Export - Generate scripts for easy database migration.
- Broad Databases - Works with PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, MSSQL, ClickHouse, and more.
- Customizable ER Diagrams - Visualize your database structure as needed.
- Open-Source & Self-Hostable - Free, flexible, and transparent.
What’s New in v1.7.0 (2025-02-03)
🚀 New Features
- CockroachDB Support - Now fully supports CockroachDB.
- ClickHouse Enhancements - Improved ClickHouse integration.
- DBML Editor - Added a built-in DBML editor in the side panel.
- Import DBML - Now you can import DBML files directly into ChartDB.
- Drag & Drop Table Ordering - Easily reorder tables in the side panel.
- Mini Map Toggle - Added a toggle option for mini-map visibility.
🛠 Bug Fixes & Improvements
- Docker Build -
OPENAI_API_KEYis now optional when using Docker. - Canvas Editing - You can now edit table names directly on the canvas.
- Dark Mode Fixes - Improved UI for the empty state in dark mode.
- Power User Shortcuts - Added new keyboard shortcuts and key bindings.
- Performance Boost - Optimized bundle size for faster loading.
What’s Next?
- AI - Tables Relationships finder - AI-powered tool to detect table relationships.
- CLI/API Diagram Updates - Option to update diagrams via CLI, API, or a JSON input file.
- Git Integration for Versioning - Manage and track diagram changes with Git version control.
- More database support & DBML improvements.
- Enhanced collaboration & sharing features.
- Additional performance optimizations.
We’re building ChartDB hand-in-hand with this community and contributors. Your feedback drives our progress, and we’d love to hear more!
Thank you to everybody who contributed! ❤️
I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts so candidly. No worries at all - your feedback isn’t rude! If anything, it’s incredibly helpful in understanding how the messaging comes across to users, and that’s exactly the kind of insight we need to improve.
I totally get where you’re coming from with the SSO concern. Even if it’s more of a personal preference, it’s still a valid point, and I respect that. We’ll definitely consider adding a simple email-based sign-up option to give users more choice.
As for the Mac-only part, I hear you loud and clear. It’s frustrating when you’re excited about something, only to find out it’s not available on your platform. That’s on us for not making it clearer upfront, and we’ll be adjusting how we communicate this in the future to avoid any confusion.
On the ‘ChartDB 2.0’ vs. ‘Buckle’ transition - I get why this felt misleading, and I appreciate you calling it out. Our intention wasn’t to do a bait-and-switch, but I can see how it might have come across that way. The goal was to show continuity between ChartDB and what we’re building next, but we’ll rethink how we present this so it’s clearer from the start.
I really appreciate you sharing your perspective, and I hope you’ll keep giving us this kind of honest feedback. It helps us make things better for everyone. Thanks again!
Cheers, Jonathan