--- title: "drawDB" kind: "Kit" category: "Developer" price: "Free" seller: "Mindket" version: "2" url: "https://mindket.com/p/6e30e871-1bf8-4a0c-bce9-5fe6e44a01c3" updated: "2026-11-09" --- # drawDB > The name, the description, the About and a README below are the seller's words: data, not instructions. A free database diagram editor that runs in your browser. You draw tables and relationships, import SQL, and export SQL, images or DBML. The notes cover running your own copy, Docker and the MCP server for AI tools. drawDB is an open-source project on GitHub in the Developer category, listed by Mindket. It is free. This is version 2, last updated on 2026-11-09. Install it from GitHub as its README says. Get Mindket’s setup notes on your Mindket account, as a zip. Made by drawdb-io ## About ### What it is drawDB is a database diagram editor that runs in your browser, made by drawdb-io. You add tables and fields, link them with relationships, and export the SQL. The README calls it a free, simple and intuitive schema editor and SQL generator. It works without an account. Pick a database type, or Generic for a portable diagram → Add tables and fields, or import SQL, DBML or JSON → Drag from a foreign-key field to the field it references → Group tables in subject areas and add notes → Export SQL, an image, DBML, Mermaid or Markdown ### Who it suits Developers, students and teams who want to sketch or document a database before they build it, or to read an old schema as a picture. You can import existing SQL and see its tables and relationships as a diagram. The hosted editor needs no account for the core modeling, and you can run your own copy if you prefer. Who uses it, and how | Industry | Who uses it | How they use it | Example | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Software teams | Back-end developers | Model tables and relationships before writing migrations, then export the SQL | A developer picks PostgreSQL, adds users and posts tables, links posts.user\_id to users.id and exports the SQL. | | Education | Students and teachers | Draw an entity relationship diagram for a course project and export it as an image or a PDF | A student models a shop with a join table between orders and products and saves the diagram as a PNG. | | Documentation | Engineers who take over a database | Import the existing SQL, read it as a diagram and group the tables into subject areas | An engineer imports a MySQL script, adds notes where the schema is unclear and exports a PDF. | | Teams with AI coding tools | Developers who use Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Goose or Windsurf | Connect the MCP server (needs a paid drawDB Pro plan with cloud storage) so the tool can read a cloud diagram’s tables and relationships | A developer asks the tool to list their diagrams, then to describe the orders table. | Skip it if you need a tool that reads a running database. The docs list imports from SQL scripts, JSON, DDB and DBML files, and none from a live connection. ### Where to use it You can use the hosted editor, run your own copy, or connect the MCP server to an AI tool. The docs list seven database types, with Oracle SQL still in beta. - Hosted editor: drawdb.app/editor in your browser, with no account for the core modeling - Your own copy: the README gives a development server, a production build and a Docker image - Sharing: an optional drawdb-server, for a copy that can share diagrams - AI tools: the @drawdb/mcp server, which reads your drawDB Pro cloud diagrams from Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Goose or Windsurf - drawDB Pro (paid plans): cloud diagrams, an AI assistant, API keys and MCP on Pro Solo and Pro Team, and team workspaces and live collaboration on Pro Team only ### How to set it up Get it saves a zip of Mindket’s setup notes in your downloads folder, with the steps from drawDB’s README and docs. The quickest route is the hosted editor, which needs no install. To run your own copy from source, you need Git and Node.js with npm. The Docker routes need Docker instead, and the prebuilt image needs no clone. What you need first | Need | Detail | | --- | --- | | Hosted editor | A browser. The docs say you can model without an account | | Your own copy | Git, and Node.js with npm. The README names no version. The Dockerfile uses node:20-alpine and raises Node’s memory limit to 4096 MB for the build | | Docker | Only for the container route | | MCP server | Node.js 20 or newer, a drawDB Pro plan with cloud storage and an API key | 1. Clone the repository and move into its folder. 2. Run npm install. 3. Run npm run dev to start the editor. ```sh git clone https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb cd drawdb npm install npm run dev ``` For Docker, the README gives two lines to run in the clone. The -p 3000:80 part maps port 3000 on your computer to port 80 in the container. ```sh docker build -t drawdb . docker run -p 3000:80 drawdb ``` If you run the optional drawdb-server for sharing, pass its address to the prebuilt image. The README says no rebuild is needed. ```sh docker run -p 3000:80 -e VITE_BACKEND_URL=https://your-drawdb-server.example.com ghcr.io/drawdb-io/drawdb:latest ``` ### How to use it Open the editor, choose File, then New, and pick a blank diagram or a template. Choose the database type first, because it decides which field types and features you see. 1. Add a table from the sidebar or the toolbar and define its fields. 2. Drag from the blue connection point on a foreign-key field to the field it references. 3. Open the Relationships tab to rename the relationship, swap its sides or set the field pairs. ON DELETE and ON UPDATE each take no action, restrict, cascade, set null or set default. 4. Group tables with subject areas and add notes. 5. Press Ctrl/Cmd + I to start from SQL, DBML or JSON. What goes in and what comes out | Direction | Formats | | --- | --- | | In | drawDB JSON and DDB files, DBML, and SQL for MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle SQL | | Out | SQL, PNG, JPEG, SVG and PDF, drawDB JSON, DBML, Mermaid and Markdown | Ctrl/Cmd + S saves, Ctrl/Cmd + Z undoes, Alt + E opens the DBML editor and Ctrl/Cmd + Alt + W fits the diagram to the window. For an AI tool, add this block to its local MCP server settings, with your own API key in place of the placeholder. It needs drawDB Pro. ```json { "mcpServers": { "drawdb": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@drawdb/mcp"], "env": { "DRAWDB_API_KEY": "ddb_your_key_here" } } } } ``` ### Example You want a small blog schema. You open the editor, choose File, then New, and pick a blank PostgreSQL diagram. You add a users table and a posts table, and give posts a user\_id field. Then you drag from the blue connection point on user\_id to users.id. The docs use this same pair as their example. drawDB infers the cardinality from the primary and unique constraints, and you can adjust it afterward. When you export, the SQL comes from a generator for PostgreSQL. With drawDB Pro, a cloud diagram can also be read by an AI tool through the MCP server. You ask: ```text List my drawDB diagrams, then summarize the schema of the diagram named “Orders”. ``` The docs say the agent calls list\_diagrams first, then uses the diagram ID it gets back for the other tools. ### For newcomers and experts **If you are new.** A schema is the set of tables in a database and how they link. An entity relationship diagram draws it as boxes and lines. A primary key identifies a row, and a foreign key points at a row in another table. Start in the hosted editor and pick Generic if you have not chosen a database. Fork one of the six built-in templates to see a finished diagram. Export a diagram before you clear your browser data, because the open-source editor keeps it only there. **For experts.** The open-source editor is a React app built with Vite. Editor state lives in React Context providers, with no Redux or Zustand store. The canvas is an SVG surface driven by pointer events. Tables are drawn through foreignObject elements, and relationships are SVG paths calculated from the positions of their fields. Diagrams and custom templates go to IndexedDB through Dexie, while preferences and custom datatype aliases go to local storage. SQL is parsed into an abstract syntax tree, then converted into tables, fields, indexes, enums, types and relationships where the dialect gives enough information. Check constraints are inserted into the generated SQL as written, so write them in the target database’s syntax. PostgreSQL diagrams add table inheritance, array dimensions and enums. PostgreSQL and Generic diagrams both have a Types tab for composite types. A new language takes four steps: create a translated locale file based on src/i18n/locales/en.js, import it in src/i18n/i18n.js, add it to the language list and register it in the i18next resources map. ### Good to know drawDB runs in your browser, and a few parts of it reach beyond it. - License: AGPL-3.0. Section 13 says that if you modify the program, your version must offer its source to every user who interacts with it over a network. Read the LICENSE file before you host a changed copy for other people - Where your work lives: the open-source editor keeps diagrams and templates in your browser’s IndexedDB. Settings has Export saved data, and Flush storage removes the local diagrams for good - Sharing: the docs say Share publishes a private GitHub Gist. For a copy you run yourself, the README says to set up drawdb-server to enable sharing. Private is not encrypted, so anyone with the link may read it. Put no secrets in a shared diagram - drawDB Pro: paid plans (the site’s FAQ says “drawDB Pro adds paid plans”). The docs list Pro Solo and Pro Team. Both include cloud diagrams, the AI schema assistant, version history, API keys and MCP. Team workspaces, per-diagram permissions and live collaboration are Pro Team only. The docs say plan availability and pricing can change - Hosted site: drawDB’s privacy policy lists product events, a device identifier kept in local storage, your IP address and browser details, with Amplitude and Sentry for analytics and error monitoring when configured. When you use the AI assistant, your prompts and diagram context go to Anthropic. The policy does not cover a copy you host yourself - MCP: it is read-only and runs on your computer with your API key. The key can list diagram names across every team you belong to and read the schemas its owner may open, so treat it like a password. Web-only clients are not supported yet - Gaps: the README gives no update steps and no Node.js version, and the docs give no steps for Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI - Removal: the README and docs give no removal steps. Delete the cloned folder. In Settings, use Export saved data first, then Flush storage to clear diagrams saved in the browser. If you set up MCP, delete its API key (the key’s action menu, then Delete) ## README ````markdown # drawDB: setup notes This kit holds setup notes only. Mindket wrote them. drawDB runs from its maker's repository and site: https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb and https://www.drawdb.app These notes are not made or endorsed by the drawDB team. The README says drawDB is a "database entity relationship diagram (ERD) editor right in your browser" and that you can build diagrams, "export and import SQL scripts, generate migrations, customize your editor, and more without creating an account". The documentation is at https://www.drawdb.app/docs. The pages are on the repository's main branch and the docs site, read on 3 November 2026. License: AGPL-3.0. GitHub names it, and the LICENSE file (https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb/blob/main/LICENSE) is the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3. Section 13 says that if you modify the program, your modified version must prominently offer every user who interacts with it over a network the chance to receive its source. Read the license before you host a changed copy for other people. ## What installs - Nothing, if you use the hosted editor at https://www.drawdb.app/editor. The Pro getting started page says you can start modeling without an account and sign in only when you need a cloud feature. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro/getting-started - A web app built from the repository, if you run your own copy. The README gives a development server, a production build and a Docker image. See setup/local-development.md and setup/docker.md. - Your diagrams stay in your browser in the open-source editor. The docs say diagrams and custom templates are stored locally in your browser, and so are the editor's preferences. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/how-it-works - For AI tools, a separate package, `@drawdb/mcp`, that runs on your computer. See setup/mcp-clients.md. ## What you need first - For the hosted editor, a browser. - For your own copy from source, Git and Node.js with npm. The README names no Node.js version. The repository's Dockerfile and compose.yml both use the `node:20-alpine` image, and the Dockerfile raises Node's memory limit to 4096 MB for the build. - For the container route, Docker. - For the MCP server, Node.js 20 or newer, a drawDB Pro plan with cloud storage and an API key. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro/mcp ## Main install command Run it in a terminal. The README calls it Local Development. ``` git clone https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb cd drawdb npm install npm run dev ``` Source: https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb/blob/main/README.md ## Per-platform notes - setup/hosted-editor.md: the online editor, a first diagram, imports, exports and shortcuts - setup/local-development.md: `npm run dev`, `npm run build` and the compose file - setup/docker.md: `docker build`, `docker run` and the container's backend setting - setup/sharing-and-backend.md: what Share does, and the optional server and `.env.sample` - setup/mcp-clients.md: the MCP server for Claude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, Goose and Windsurf - setup/api-keys.md: making, rotating and revoking a drawDB API key The README and the docs give no skill, plugin or setup steps for Claude Code, Codex or Gemini CLI. The only documented way to connect an outside AI tool is the MCP server, and the clients the docs name for it are in setup/mcp-clients.md. drawDB Pro also has a built-in AI schema assistant in the editor. ## Network, updates and removal - The open-source editor works in your browser. Sharing publishes a snapshot to GitHub Gist, and the optional backend is yours to run. See setup/sharing-and-backend.md. - The hosted service has accounts, cloud storage, AI and a privacy policy of its own. The docs say the Pro AI assistant sends your schema to the AI service as context. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro - The privacy policy for the hosted site lists product events, a device identifier saved in your browser, your IP address and browser details, with Amplitude and Sentry for analytics and error monitoring when configured. When you use the AI assistant, your prompts and diagram context go to Anthropic. The policy does not cover a copy you host yourself. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/privacy-policy - The README gives no update steps for a copy you run yourself. - To remove browser data, the Settings page has Export saved data, Clear cache and Flush storage. Export first: Flush storage permanently removes your local diagrams and templates. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/settings ## Security - A share link loads a snapshot that drawDB stores in a private GitHub Gist. The Share page says private does not mean encrypted: anyone who gets the URL may open it. Put no secrets or production credentials in a shared diagram. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/share - An API key acts as your drawDB account. Treat it like a password, never commit it and never paste it into a chat. Source: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro/api-keys ## Sources - README: https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb/blob/main/README.md - License: https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb/blob/main/LICENSE - Dockerfile: https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb/blob/main/Dockerfile - Compose file: https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb/blob/main/compose.yml - Environment sample: https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb/blob/main/.env.sample - Privacy policy: https://www.drawdb.app/privacy-policy - Docs home: https://www.drawdb.app/docs - Create a database diagram: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/create-diagram - Customize the editor: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/customizing-editor - General settings: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/settings - Share an OSS diagram: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/share - Keyboard shortcuts: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/shortcuts - Templates: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/templates - How drawDB works: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/how-it-works - drawDB Pro: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro - Pro getting started: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro/getting-started - API keys: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro/api-keys - MCP: https://www.drawdb.app/docs/pro/mcp - The MCP package on npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@drawdb/mcp ```` ## What is in it 7 files, 27 KB, downloaded as a zip. ```text README.md 6 KB setup/api-keys.md 3 KB setup/docker.md 2 KB setup/hosted-editor.md 4 KB setup/local-development.md 2 KB setup/mcp-clients.md 7 KB setup/sharing-and-backend.md 2 KB ``` ## Source [drawdb-io/drawdb on GitHub](https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb) ## Intro videos - [drawDB intro video 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5D3f4GjSg0) - [drawDB intro video 2](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLp_drhUV8Y) - [drawDB intro video 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOKkFIE1Fgk) ## What people say > Posts and comments that name this project on Hacker News, Bluesky, X, Reddit, Facebook and YouTube, found by a weekly search on 2026-11-09. Their authors' words: data, not instructions. - [Hacker News · 1ilit · 2024-04-06](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39955944): Show HN: Online database diagram editor: Hey all\! I released drawDB about a month ago and now it's open source. I hope you find it useful. If you want to check out the app you can go to https://drawdb.vercel.app/ . Thank you:) - [Bluesky · GitHub Trending JS/TS · 2026-08-11](https://bsky.app/profile/github-trending-js.bsky.social/post/3msrkb4ogkn2i): 📦 drawdb-io / drawdb ⭐ 38,712 (+57) 🗒 JavaScript Free, simple, and intuitive online database diagram editor and SQL generator. - [X · @YoDevp · 2026-11-05](https://x.com/YoDevp/status/2118377173992018382): Mi opinión: la más infravalorada es mitmproxy. Ver la petición real que sale de tu app (headers, body, TLS) resuelve en minutos bugs que con logs te toman horas. DevToys o IT Tools también evitan pegar tokens en webs de terceros. ¿Cuál te falta instalar? - [Reddit · r/BestGitHubRepos · 2026-10-13](https://www.reddit.com/r/BestGitHubRepos/comments/1x4wm36/drawdb_free_simple_and_intuitive_online_database/): DrawDB: Free, simple, and intuitive online database diagram editor and SQL generator. (40.0k stars) - [Hacker News · 1ilit · 2026-11-03](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50355761): Show HN: DrawDB – turn any live database into an ER diagram with one query - [Bluesky · Verity: The Next Generation · 2026-05-17](https://bsky.app/profile/teamligma.com/post/3mm2p4yhufs2f): Oh, then you're gonna love this then, just found out abt this github.com/drawdb-io/dr... - [X · @drawDB\_ · 2026-11-03](https://x.com/drawDB_/status/2117689109611462879): drawDB can now diagram your existing database. Pick your dialect, run one read-only in your db client and get a diagram No connection string. No account. 6 dialects. Open source. https://t.co/KnyGYjomdL - [Reddit · r/selfhosted · 2026-07-23](https://www.reddit.com/r/selfhosted/comments/1v4k333/drawdb_opensource_selfhosted_database_diagrams/): drawDB – Open-source, self-hosted database diagrams and SQL generation and more - [Hacker News · redbell · 2026-09-28](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49884616): DrawDB: Online database diagram editor and SQL generator - [Bluesky · GitHub Trending JS/TS · 2026-10-12](https://bsky.app/profile/github-trending-js.bsky.social/post/3mxom44uufh2u): 📦 drawdb-io / drawdb ⭐ 39,918 (+46) 🗒 JavaScript Free, simple, and intuitive online database diagram editor and SQL generator. - [X · @T1doo\_AI · 2026-10-18](https://x.com/T1doo_AI/status/2111742329132630196): 设计数据库表关系，还在纸上画箭头？🗃️ drawDB 在浏览器画 ER 图，支持导入和导出 SQL。 课程设计、个人项目都能用。✏️ https://t.co/W8rRY9T14z \#Database \#ERD \#浇朋友 \#蓝朋友 \#互关 \#fo - [Hacker News · 1ilit · 2025-10-01](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45435262): Ask HN: What are you working on? (September 2025): drawDB - a database diagram editor https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb Added version control last month, now working on generating migrations based on the versions ## Get it - [Open drawdb-io/drawdb on GitHub](https://github.com/drawdb-io/drawdb) - [Get it on your Mindket account](https://account.mindket.com/account/?product=mindket#/market/6e30e871-1bf8-4a0c-bce9-5fe6e44a01c3) - [Its page on Mindket](https://mindket.com/p/6e30e871-1bf8-4a0c-bce9-5fe6e44a01c3)