sqldef vs sqlx-cli
sqldef
sqldef.github.iosqlx-cli
github.comSide by side
| Figure | sqldef | sqlx-cli |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Database Migration Tools | 7.2 (#26) | 8.0 (#11) |
| License | The sqldef source files are distributed under the MIT License, while the parser is distributed under Apache License 2.0. | The SQLx repository lists Apache-2.0 and MIT license files. |
| Purpose | sqldef is a CLI tool for diffing SQL schemas and managing RDBMS migrations with regular SQL DDLs. | SQLx CLI is a command-line utility for managing databases and migrations and enabling offline mode for SQLx query macros. |
| Support | The project invites feature requests through pull requests or GitHub Discussions. | The SQLx repository links to its FAQ and Discord community for questions. |
| Supported databases | The site lists MySQL, MariaDB, TiDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, and SQLite3 as supported databases. | 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
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 The `--check` option returns a nonzero status if the saved metadata is out of date, a behavior the project describes for continuous integration.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.