Show HN: Selectable – mobile-friendly Postgres client
Selectable is a mobile app that optimizes access to Postgres databases, simplifying complex SQL queries and enhancing usability for users managing databases on mobile devices.
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Selectable is a mobile application designed to provide users with an optimized experience for accessing Postgres databases. It allows users to write complex SQL queries easily and efficiently, catering specifically to mobile devices. The app aims to enhance the usability of SQL on the go, making database management more accessible for users who prefer mobile platforms.
- Selectable is designed for mobile access to Postgres databases.
- The app simplifies the process of writing complex SQL queries.
- It offers a user-friendly interface optimized for mobile devices.
- The focus is on enhancing usability for mobile users managing databases.
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- Users express interest in AI features, such as an AI query tool and smart suggestions to simplify SQL query creation.
- There are concerns about the app's limitations, including the lack of support for certain SQL operations and the restrictive nature of the free version.
- Some commenters highlight the app's potential for use in emerging markets and situations where users only have mobile access.
- Questions arise about security features, such as SSH tunneling and the app's connection methods.
- General skepticism exists regarding the practicality of using a mobile app for database management compared to traditional desktop solutions.
17 commentsThe key feature is the SQL query editor. The query editor was designed to be mobile-friendly. With autocomplete and a touch-friendly way to select parts of a SQL query, writing SQL statements with the query editor can - in some cases - be faster than typing the same query on a desktop.
The app supports the usual SQL client things:
- Browsing schemas, tables, and columns
- Running custom SQL statements
- Viewing results as a list, or as a table.
- Exporting results to CSV
- Saving queries (You can save one query in the free version)
The project is in very early stages, and is still missing a lot of features - notably the ability to insert, update, delete, or perform DDL via the query editor.
The app currently only supports Postgres, and is currently only available on Android.
Please give it a spin, and let me know if you have any feedback or feature requests.
Website: https://getselectable.com/
Play store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.weiyen.sel...
For professional use cases, maybe if you're on call and need to access the DB over your phone (though I hope I'm never in that spot). Having documentation around network model - do you relay queries through your own backend - and the security model for data and credentials. Do you support any secure connection methods, like SSH tunnel, or does the PG need to be facing the public internet?
Fancy seeing a full-blown mobile Postgres editor. I can definitely see a few use cases but I'm curious whether your average Db admin or data engineer will be interested in using a tool like this.
I wonder what other apps are just RDB wrappers that could almost be substituted with something like this.
Thanks for sharing!
Also, several Postgres providers now also provide a SQL editor / runner and table visualizer in their UI.
What do Postgres users here think is the biggest missing thing in current clients? Are they too heavyweight? Too generic and don't support advanced Postgres features? Don't look modern enough? Not mobile friendly? Or is it something else?
i.e. maybe there could be a searchable list of common sql solutions and then somehow adjust that to suit the actual problem (hopefully without ending up a cluttered mess of sql)
Add an AI query tool - you could do it on-device with something like functionary ggml and llama cpp with a few functions:
getSchemaForTables(...) getTableStats() runQuery('...')
Then you could do a query like:
"show me all customers who regularly post between midnight and 1am"
So in my king there is a brief spark of "why does this site want to make me selectable?"
One saved query is super restrictive though, basically means either pay, or don't even bother to install.
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