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Tech riderRev. 30 Sept 2026

sqldef

Ch 066.9of 19 Database Schema Comparison Tools
  1. 1Runs onLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
  2. 2CostsFree plan
  3. 3Migration scriptsYes
  4. 4Database scopemulti-engine
  5. 5CI/CD integrationYes
  6. 6Supported platformscross-platform
6 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: github.com
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Overview

sqldef is ranked #6 of 19 in database schema comparison tools on Specifiction. It runs on Linux, macOS, Self-hosted, Windows. There is a free plan.

sqldef plans and pricing

All plans
sqldef Free Open-source CLI tool · MIT license (parser is Apache 2.0) github.com · 30 Sept 2026

Compared on database schema comparison tools

Free plan
Yesgithub.com
Migration scripts
Yesgithub.com
Database scope
multi-enginegithub.com
CI/CD integration
Yesgithub.com
Supported platforms
cross-platformgithub.com

Facts

Purpose
sqldef is a CLI tool for diffing SQL schemas and managing relational database migrations with regular SQL DDLs.sqldef.github.io · 30 Sept 2026
Databases
The project lists support for MySQL, MariaDB, TiDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and SQLite3.sqldef.github.io · 30 Sept 2026
Declarative schemas
Users maintain a SQL file with the complete desired schema, which sqldef compares with the current schema to generate and apply DDL changes.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Idempotence
The README says operations are safe to run multiple times and repeated runs show no changes when the database already matches the desired schema.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Preview and export
The command workflow includes exporting the current schema and using dry-run to preview migrations without executing them.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Offline mode
sqldef can compare two SQL files without connecting to a database, for schema validation, CI/CD, and migration script generation.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Rename support
The README documents renaming tables, columns, indexes, and ENUM values using an @renamed annotation.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Build and dependencies
The project says each database tool is distributed as a single binary with no dependencies.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Integrations
The project links to Docker images on Docker Hub and a GitHub Action that previews database schema changes.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Linux availability
The README provides prebuilt Linux binaries and Docker images and says Debian packages are not currently available.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
macOS availability
The README says a Homebrew tap is available for mysqldef, psqldef, sqlite3def, and mssqldef.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Security and provenance
The release page marks the release commit as signed with GitHub’s verified signature and displays a release attestation asset.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
License
The repository says source files are distributed under the MIT License, with the parser under Apache License 2.0.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Support and community
The README directs feature requests to pull requests or GitHub Discussions.github.com · 30 Sept 2026
Intended users
The project describes sqldef as a tool for managing schema changes across supported relational databases using SQL.sqldef.github.io · 30 Sept 2026

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