Show HN: Duck-UI – Browser-Based SQL IDE for DuckDB
by caioricciuti|2 days ago|81 points|25 comments
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.