Duck-UI – Browser-Based SQL IDE for DuckDB
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…
In plain words
Duck-UI is a browser-based SQL editor that runs DuckDB directly in your browser using WebAssembly, requiring no backend server. Users can load CSV, JSON, Parquet, and Arrow files from their computer or URLs, then write and execute SQL queries instantly with results displayed in the editor. The tool includes autocomplete, syntax highlighting, query history, and keyboard shortcuts. Data remains on the user's machine and persists across browser sessions. It's designed for developers and analysts who need quick SQL analysis without the friction of setting up notebooks or uploading files to hosted services.
written from the facts on this page · September 2026
From the sources
In the maker’s words, at launch
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.
Does the same job
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- CQCSVFiddle – Query CSV files with DuckDB in the browser2022 · csvfiddle.io · ▲64
- OSOpen-source, browser-local data exploration using DuckDB-WASM and PRQL2024 · github.com · ▲227
Hey HN! We’ve built Pretzel, an open-source data exploration and visualization tool that runs fully in the browser and can handle large files (200 MB CSV on my 8gb MacBook air is snappy). It’s also reactive - so if, for example, you change a filter, all the data transform blocks after it re-evaluate automatically. You can try it here: https://pretzelai.github.io/ (static hosted webpage) or see a demo video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73wNEun_L7w You can play with the demo CSV that’s pre-loaded (GitHub data of text-editor adjacent projects) or upload…
- HTHarlequin, the DuckDB IDE for Your Terminal2023 · github.com · ▲5
Hi HN - For the past four months I've been working (part-time, this is OSS after all) on Harlequin, a SQL IDE for DuckDB that runs in your terminal. I built this because I work in Data, and I found myself often reaching for the DuckDB CLI to quickly query CSV or Parquet data, but then hitting a wall when using the DuckDB CLI as my queries got more complex and my result sets got larger. Harlequin is a drop-in replacement for the DuckDB CLI that runs in any terminal (even over SSH), but adds a browsable data catalog, full-powered text editor (with multiple buffer support), and a scrollable…
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