DBC vs sqldef
DBC
github.comsqldef
github.comSide by side
| Figure | DBC | sqldef |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Database Schema Comparison Tools | 7.2 (#13) | 7.6 (#12) |
| Databases | The README lists MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and SQLite support. | The project lists support for MySQL, MariaDB, TiDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and SQLite3. |
| License | The repository includes an MIT License, which grants permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell the software subject to its conditions. | The repository says source files are distributed under the MIT License, with the parser under Apache License 2.0. |
| Purpose | DBC captures database schema snapshots and compares them across versions, environments, or database systems. | sqldef is a CLI tool for diffing SQL schemas and managing relational database migrations with regular SQL DDLs. |
Plans
In their own words
DBC
DBC is a free, open-source command-line tool for comparing database schemas across versions, environments, or database systems. Built with Go, it captures schema snapshots and checks tables, columns, indexes, foreign keys, and constraints for changes. It supports MySQL, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and SQLite. Optional data checksums can reveal data modifications, while exact row counts are enabled by default. Results can be output as text, JSON, or HTML. Database drivers run as separate executables and communicate with the core application over JSON-RPC through standard input and output; the README notes that drivers use timeouts but makes no certification or compliance claim. Building the core and drivers from source with Make is the documented installation route. DBC is licensed under MIT and is listed for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The releases page lists v0.1.0-alpha as a pre-release. CI/CD examples, Docker support, migration script generation, and a web UI appear on the roadmap, not among the available features.
sqldef
sqldef is a free command-line tool for managing relational database migrations with SQL DDLs. Users maintain a SQL file describing the desired schema; sqldef compares it with the current database schema to generate and apply changes. It lists support for MySQL, MariaDB, TiDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and SQLite3. The workflow can export the current schema and use a dry run to preview migrations before execution. It can also compare two SQL files without a database connection, for schema validation, CI/CD, and migration script generation. Repeated runs are safe: when the database matches the desired schema, another run shows no changes. Rename annotations are documented for tables, columns, indexes, and ENUM values. Each database tool is distributed as a single binary without dependencies. Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted availability are listed. Linux binaries and Docker images are available, but Debian packages are not; a Homebrew tap is listed for four database tools. Source files use the MIT License, while the parser uses Apache License 2.0.