What is drawDB used for?

drawDB is a free browser-based editor for drawing database entity-relationship diagrams and generating SQL, with import and export of scripts and no account required. It is a good fit for sketching a database schema before coding, teaching relational modeling and generating SQL from a visual diagram.

Is drawDB open source?

Yes. drawDB is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at drawdb-io/drawdb and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. drawDB is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host drawDB?

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

What is drawDB an alternative to?

drawDB is an open-source alternative to dbdiagram.io, DrawSQL, DbSchema and erwin Data Modeler. Other open-source alternatives to dbdiagram.io include ChartDB and Liam ERD.

Is drawDB actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to drawDB was on 29 September 2026. The project has 40k stars on GitHub.

drawDB: open-source alternative to dbdiagram.io, DrawSQL

About drawDB

drawDB is a free, browser-based database schema editor and SQL generator. You build entity-relationship diagrams with a few clicks, and it works without creating an account, which makes it quick to sketch a data model before writing any code.

Diagrams can be exported to and imported from SQL scripts, and the tool can generate migrations. Topics show support for dialects including MySQL-family databases such as MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite and Oracle, and diagrams are kept in the browser using IndexedDB. The editor is customizable, and the app is written in JavaScript.

drawDB is AGPL-3.0 licensed. The public version runs at drawdb.app, and you can also build it locally or with Docker to host it yourself. Sharing diagrams is optional and requires setting up a small server using the provided environment sample; with the Docker image you pass the server URL at startup, with no rebuild needed. It suits developers and students designing relational schemas.

Key features

Visual ER diagram editor in the browser
SQL script export and import
SQL migration generation
Multiple SQL dialects supported
No account required
Docker build for self-hosting

Good fit for

→Sketching a database schema before coding
→Teaching relational modeling
→Generating SQL from a visual diagram

Built with: JavaScript; PostgreSQL; SQLite
Tags: database; erd; diagram; sql; schema-design; self-hosted; editor; javascript

drawDB: questions and answers

What is drawDB used for?: drawDB is a free browser-based editor for drawing database entity-relationship diagrams and generating SQL, with import and export of scripts and no account required. It is a good fit for sketching a database schema before coding, teaching relational modeling and generating SQL from a visual diagram.
Is drawDB open source?: Yes. drawDB is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at drawdb-io/drawdb and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is drawDB free?: Yes. drawDB is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host drawDB?: Yes. drawDB can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is drawDB an alternative to?: drawDB is an open-source alternative to dbdiagram.io, DrawSQL, DbSchema and erwin Data Modeler. Other open-source alternatives to dbdiagram.io include ChartDB and Liam ERD.
Is drawDB actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to drawDB was on 29 September 2026. The project has 40k stars on GitHub.