What is Datasette used for?

Datasette is a tool for exploring and publishing data as an interactive website and JSON API on top of SQLite, aimed at journalists and researchers. It is a good fit for publishing datasets for the public and exploring browser history or local databases.

Is Datasette open source?

Yes. Datasette is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at simonw/datasette and is written mainly in Python.

Yes. Datasette is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

Can I self-host Datasette?

Yes. Datasette can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What are some alternatives to Datasette?

Similar open-source tools in the BI & Dashboards category include Redash, Briefer and Superset. SaaS products in the same category include Deepnote, Hex and Mode.

Is Datasette actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Datasette was on 26 September 2026, and the latest release is 0.65.5, published on 16 September 2026. The project has 11k stars on GitHub.

Datasette: open-source BI & dashboards

About Datasette

Datasette is an open-source tool for exploring and publishing data. It takes data of almost any shape or size and turns it into an interactive, explorable website together with an accompanying API. Its stated audience includes data journalists, museum curators, archivists, local governments, scientists and researchers who want to share their data.

Data is stored in SQLite, and you start a local web server with a single command that points at a database file, then browse tables, run SQL and fetch JSON. CSV and other sources can be loaded into SQLite first, and a metadata file lets you add licensing and descriptive information. A plugin ecosystem and hosted examples show what publishers have built.

Datasette is written in Python, requires Python 3.10 or later and is released under the Apache-2.0 license. It installs with Homebrew, pip or pipx, and there are Docker instructions as well. Project resources include full documentation, a live demo of the main branch, a Discord server, a newsletter and a GitHub Codespaces demo.

Key features

Turns SQLite databases into interactive websites
Automatic JSON API for published data
Run SQL queries from the browser
Metadata file for licensing and descriptions
Installs via Homebrew, pip, pipx or Docker

Good fit for

→Publishing datasets for the public
→Exploring browser history or local databases

Built with: Python; SQLite; Docker
Tags: sqlite; data-publishing; open-data; json-api; python; data-exploration; sql

Datasette: questions and answers

What is Datasette used for?: Datasette is a tool for exploring and publishing data as an interactive website and JSON API on top of SQLite, aimed at journalists and researchers. It is a good fit for publishing datasets for the public and exploring browser history or local databases.
Is Datasette open source?: Yes. Datasette is open source under the Apache-2.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at simonw/datasette and is written mainly in Python.
Is Datasette free?: Yes. Datasette is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
Can I self-host Datasette?: Yes. Datasette can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What are some alternatives to Datasette?: Similar open-source tools in the BI & Dashboards category include Redash, Briefer and Superset. SaaS products in the same category include Deepnote, Hex and Mode.
Is Datasette actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Datasette was on 26 September 2026, and the latest release is 0.65.5, published on 16 September 2026. The project has 11k stars on GitHub.