Atlas vs sqlx-cli

Atlas is a language-independent tool for managing database schemas and migrations through declarative, versioned workflows. It compares a database's current state with a desired schema expressed in HCL, SQL, or an ORM format, then can generate and execute a migration plan. Teams can lint and validate migrations, run safety checks, and test schemas and migrations. The open version supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite, TiDB, and LibSQL; Pro adds drivers including SQL Server, Oracle, Snowflake, and Databricks. Atlas describes its core engine as open source under Apache 2.0, with advanced features in proprietary versions. Integrations include Kubernetes, Terraform, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, CircleCI, Bitbucket Pipelines, Azure DevOps, and a Go SDK. Starter is free. Atlas Pro costs $9 per developer per month, plus usage-based pricing for CI/CD pipelines and databases; new users can try Pro for 30 days. Schema Monitoring costs $39 per monitored database per month. Enterprise pricing is custom.

sqlx-cli is SQLx’s command-line utility for managing databases, migrations, and offline preparation for query macros. It can create or drop the database identified by a database URL, and create, run, inspect, or revert migrations, including paired up and down scripts. The `cargo sqlx prepare` command writes query metadata to a `.sqlx` directory. Once that metadata is checked into version control, builds can run without an active database connection. The `--check` option returns a nonzero status if the saved metadata is out of date, a behavior the project describes for continuous integration.

For workspaces whose crates use query macros, `cargo sqlx prepare --workspace` places one `.sqlx` directory at the workspace root. Commands accept the database URL through `--database-url`, the `DATABASE_URL` environment variable, or a `.env` file in the current directory. The project lists PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite support, with installation options for database drivers and TLS backends. The CLI is free and open source under the user’s choice of Apache-2.0 or MIT license. The README notes that MSSQL support was removed pending a full driver rewrite.