dbgraph

The missing schema dependency analyzer for databases.

Note: Currently supports PostgreSQL. MySQL and NoSQL support is coming soon!

dbgraph is a CLI tool designed for engineering teams who need to understand their database schema's web of dependencies instantly. It answers the question: "If I drop this table or change this column, what breaks?" without requiring a full code audit.

Unlike heavy GUI tools or passive log analyzers, dbgraph is an active, graph-based explorer that runs in your terminal, offering immediate insights into schema risks, query performance, and architectural hotspots.

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⚡ Installation

Get started in seconds. No dependencies required.

🍎 macOS & Linux (via Curl)

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/alexanderritik/dbgraph/main/install.sh | bash

🐹 Go Install

go install github.com/alexanderritik/dbgraph@latest

🐳 Docker

docker run --rm -e DBGRAPH_DB_URL="postgres://user:pass@host/db" alexanderritik/dbgraph summary

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🎮 Command Reference

set DBGRAPH_DB_URL environment variable for seamless usage, or use --db flag.

Feature	Command	Execution Example	Benefit
Dependency Impact	impact	dbgraph impact users	visualizes cascading effects (FKs, Views, Triggers) of changing a table. Prevents "oops" moments in production.
Schema Simulation	simulate	dbgraph simulate --drop-column users.email	Dry-run destructive changes. Tells you exactly which views or procedures will fail before you run the migration.
Query Performance	top	dbgraph top --watch	Real-time htop for your queries. Spot bottleneck queries instantly with live load metrics and execution frequency.
Query Tracing	trace	dbgraph trace --query "SELECT * FROM users..."	Runs EXPLAIN (ANALYZE, BUFFERS) and visualizes the execution path, cache hits, and I/O latency in a readable tree format.
Architectural Summary	summary	dbgraph summary	High-level ranking of your "God Objects" and riskiest tables based on centrality and connectedness.
Graph Export	analyze	dbgraph analyze --format=dot > schema.dot	Exports your entire schema dependency graph to Dot/Graphviz format. visualizes complex relationships.
Full Analysis	analyze	dbgraph analyze	Performs a deep health check: finds circular dependencies, missing indexes on FKs, and isolated schema islands.

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🔍 Deep Dive

1. 📸 Visualizing Your Schema

Turn your database into a picture. dbgraph can export the internal graph to DOT format, which you can render using Graphviz or online viewers.

$ dbgraph analyze --format=dot > graph.dot
$ dot -Tpng graph.dot -o graph.png

2. Structural Impact Analysis

Avoid downtime caused by unintended cascades. dbgraph builds a Directed Acyclic Graph (DAG) of your schema constraints.

$ dbgraph impact orders
🔍 DB: production | Target: public.orders (1.2m rows)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
📊 IMPACT RADIUS: 3 Levels Deep
└── 📥 public.orders
    ├── 📥 public.order_items [FK: fk_order] (CASCADE) ⚠️
    │   └── 👁️  public.finance_report_view
    └── ⚡ trigger_update_inventory

3. "What-If" Simulations

Planning a refactor? Simulate it first.

$ dbgraph simulate --drop-column users.country_code
🧪 Simulating DROP COLUMN on public.users.country_code...

public.users.country_code
└── 👁️  public.v_user_demographics (View Dependency)
└── 📜 public.get_user_region (Function Body Usage)

4. Real-Time Monitoring

Debug performance issues live during incidents without leaving your terminal.

$ dbgraph top --watch --sort total
RANK  LOAD %  TIME (ms)  CALLS   QUERY
1     45.2%   1204.50    502     SELECT * FROM orders WHERE...
2     12.0%   320.10     10      UPDATE inventory SET...

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🆚 Comparison

Feature	dbgraph	GUI Clients (DataGrip/DBeaver)	Monitoring (Datadog/pgBadger)
Focus	Schema Dependencies & Risk	SQL Execution & Browsing	Historical Performance Trends
Interface	CLI (Scriptable, Fast)	Heavy UI	Web Dashboards
Dependency Analysis	Graph-based (Recursive)	Basic ER Diagrams	None
Simulation	✅ Dry-run logic	❌ Run it and pray	❌ Post-mortem only
Overhead	Zero/Negligible (Metadata queries)	Low	Varies (Agent based)

🛡️ Production Safety

• Read-Only by Design: dbgraph never modifies your data. It runs SET TRANSACTION READ ONLY for safety.
• Metadata First: We query pg_catalog system views for 99% of operations, keeping load on your tables near zero.

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🔮 Roadmap & Future

We are just getting started! dbgraph is built to evolve, and we want to support your entire stack.

Coming Soon:

• Multi-Database Support: MySQL, SQLite, and NoSQL are on the roadmap.
• New Features: We are open to community requests!

Missing something critical? Open an issue or contribute a PR. We love building with the community.

License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.