Tabffy is a desktop database client built with Tauri 2 (Rust + React). It connects directly to PostgreSQL and SQLite databases, letting you browse schemas, write SQL with schema-aware autocomplete, and manage queries — all in a lightweight native app that stays out of your way.
Existing database GUIs are heavy (Electron-based, 300MB+ installs) or limited (web-only, no native feel). Tabffy is built on Tauri 2 with a Rust backend, giving you direct database connectivity via SQLx with a tiny footprint, fast startup, and native OS integration.
- Multi-connection — Register and switch between PostgreSQL and SQLite connections. Active connections show live schema trees.
- Schema-aware autocomplete — The editor suggests table names, column names, and SQL keywords based on the active connection's schema.
- Query Editor — Full-featured CodeMirror 6 editor with syntax highlighting, Find/Replace, selection execution (run only what you highlight), and one-click SQL formatting.
- Result Grid — Paginated results with cell copy (Ctrl+C), row copy as JSON/CSV, and export all to clipboard.
- Tab management — Multiple queries in tabs, drag to reorder, duplicate tabs, unsaved changes indicator, close confirmation. Tabs persist across restarts.
- Query persistence — Save queries with names and color labels. Full query history (last 200) with one-click replay.
- Native menu bar — File/Edit/View with keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+N/W/S/F/H) that work across the app.
- Auto-reconnect — Periodic health checks for active connections. Dropped connections reconnect automatically with toast notifications.
- Window state persistence — Remembers window size and position across sessions.
- Error boundaries — A component crash is isolated; the rest of the app keeps running.
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ React 19 + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS 4 │
│ CodeMirror 6 · Lucide Icons · Radix Dialog │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Tauri 2 IPC │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Rust Backend │
│ SQLx (PgPool / SqlitePool) │
│ Internal SQLite (connections, queries, │
│ history, open tabs) │
│ CancellationToken (query cancellation) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘
| Layer | Tech |
|---|---|
| Frontend | React 19, TypeScript 6, Tailwind CSS 4, CodeMirror 6 |
| Desktop | Tauri 2 (native webview, no Electron) |
| Backend | Rust, SQLx (async PostgreSQL + SQLite driver) |
| Storage | Local SQLite (WAL mode) for app state |
| Area | Libraries |
|---|---|
| UI Framework | React 19, Tailwind CSS 4, Radix UI Dialog |
| SQL Editor | CodeMirror 6 (@codemirror/lang-sql, autocomplete, search, one-dark theme) |
| Icons | Lucide React |
| SQL Formatting | sql-formatter |
| Desktop | Tauri 2.11 (tauri-plugin-dialog, tauri-plugin-window-state, native menus) |
| DB Driver | SQLx 0.8 (async, runtime-tokio, tls-rustls) |
| Query Cancellation | tokio_util::sync::CancellationToken |
| Persistence | SQLite (WAL mode, sqlx::SqlitePool) |
| Build | Vite 8, TypeScript 6, ESLint 10 |
src/ # React frontend
├── App.tsx # Root state: tabs, connections, menu events
├── api.ts # Tauri invoke() wrappers (21 commands)
├── types.ts # Shared TypeScript types
├── components/
│ ├── EditorArea.tsx # Tab bar, toolbar, CodeMirror, result grid, status bar
│ ├── Sidebar.tsx # Connection tree, saved queries, query history
│ ├── AddConnectionModal.tsx
│ ├── SaveQueryModal.tsx
│ ├── SettingsModal.tsx
│ └── ErrorBoundary.tsx
└── contexts/
├── SettingsContext.tsx # Theme (dark/light) + font size
└── ToastContext.tsx # Toast notification system
src-tauri/src/ # Rust backend
├── lib.rs # App bootstrap, native menu, command registration
├── state.rs # AppState: active drivers, cancellation tokens
├── storage.rs # SQLite pool init + schema migration (4 tables)
├── models.rs # Shared Rust structs
├── commands/
│ ├── connection.rs # 14 commands: CRUD, activate, schema introspection, ping, reconnect
│ ├── query.rs # 4 commands: save/update/list/delete saved queries
│ ├── history.rs # 3 commands: add/list/clear query history
│ └── tabs.rs # 2 commands: save/load open tab state
└── db/
├── mod.rs # Driver enum dispatcher
├── driver.rs # DatabaseDriver trait + DriverError
├── postgres_driver.rs # PgDriver (SQLx PgPool, schema introspection, query execution)
├── sqlite_driver.rs # SqliteDriver (SQLx SqlitePool)
└── split.rs # SQL statement splitter (handles quotes, comments)
- Node.js ≥ 20
- Rust ≥ 1.77
- Tauri 2 CLI
# Install frontend dependencies
npm install
# Run in development mode (opens native window with hot reload)
npm run tauri dev
# Build production binary
npm run tauri buildnpm run lint # ESLint
npx tsc --noEmit # TypeScript
cargo check # Rust- ~2,000 lines of Rust — Clean separation: driver trait, command handlers, storage layer. Each database driver implements
DatabaseDriverwithasync_trait, making it trivial to add new backends. - ~2,900 lines of TypeScript/React — Zero external state management. All state lives in
App.tsxand flows down through props. Contexts only for theme and toasts. - 21 Tauri IPC commands — Type-safe communication between React and Rust via
invoke(). - SQL statement splitter (
split.rs) — Character-by-character parser that correctly handles quoted strings, double-quoted identifiers, and line comments before splitting on semicolons. - Query cancellation —
tokio::select!withCancellationTokenallows stopping long-running queries without killing the connection. - Auto-reconnect — Background health check pings active connections every 30s. If a connection drops, it automatically reconnects and reloads the schema tree.
See docs/adr/ for architecture decision records:
- ADR 0001 — Tauri over Electron for native PostgreSQL connectivity, smaller binaries, and lower memory usage.
- ADR 0002 — SQLx for compile-time query checking and async-native PostgreSQL support.
- ADR 0003 — Hybrid storage strategy (internal SQLite for app data, live SQLx pools for user databases).
See TODO.md for the full backlog. Notable upcoming features:
- Cell editing with Apply button
- Table creation wizard & DDL generation
- Data import (CSV/JSON)
- SSH tunnel support
- Auto-update (
tauri-plugin-updater)
Private project.