Evolve vs sqlx-cli
Evolve
github.comsqlx-cli
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Evolve | sqlx-cli |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Database Migration Tools | 7.8 (#14) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Purpose | Evolve is a cross-platform database migration tool inspired by Flyway that uses plain SQL scripts. | SQLx CLI is a command-line utility for managing databases and migrations and enabling offline mode for SQLx query macros. |
| Support | The maintainer says the project is personal, free-time, and unfunded, and invites users and companies to support it through GitHub Sponsors; company donations are mentioned as a way to receive priority support. | The SQLx repository links to its FAQ and Discord community for questions. |
| Supported databases | The documentation lists PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, MySQL, MariaDB, Cassandra, and CockroachDB. | The CLI installation instructions say it supports the databases supported by SQLx; the project lists PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, and SQLite. |
Plans
In their own words
Evolve
Evolve is a free, open-source database migration tool that applies plain SQL scripts to synchronize changes across environments and development teams, including continuous integration and delivery. It is available as a .NET library, .NET tool, or standalone CLI. Listed databases include PostgreSQL, SQL Server, SQLite, MySQL, MariaDB, Cassandra, and CockroachDB. Versioned migrations run once; repeatable migrations run again when their contents change. Evolve records migration names and checksums in a metadata table and checks them whenever it runs. Commands are migrate, erase, repair, and info. Each migration normally uses its own transaction, while TransactionMode can group scripts for commit or rollback. Cluster mode uses a session-level lock to coordinate nodes. The standalone CLI supports x64 Windows and Linux without external dependencies. The library requires .NET 4.7.2+ or .NET Standard 2.0/.NET 5.0; the tool requires .NET Core SDK 3.0 or later.
sqlx-cli
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.