DUQL

Dangerously Usable Query Language

What?

• A YAML-based query language
• Compiles to SQL & JSON
• 100% open-source
• An abstraction on top of the awesome PRQL project
• As a result of being directly serializable to (understandable) JSON, great for building frontend query experiences

Priorities

1. Definition in JSON Schema & Documentation [In Progress]
2. Validation of translation to PRQL (and as a result SQL)
3. Query Builder POC
4. Tooling, etc.

Examples

DUQL vs. SQL

DUQL

SQL

Advanced Query

Why?

• Balanced:
  • DUQL leverages YAML to strike a delicate balance between readability and verbosity.
• Logical: SQL isn't structured to map well to how humans think about querying and transforming data.
  • DUQL is piped allowing you to think about transformations as sequential steps with clear "in" and "out".
• The Alternatives:
  • SQL doesn't map well to how humans think about querying and transforming data
  • JSON is too verbose both when writing and reading
  • ORMs lock you into a specific programming language
  • PRQL queries become harder to read as queries become more complex
• Modern:
  • Queries will increasingly be generated by LLMs, not written; and DUQL is designed to maximize readability.
  • Validating a query and understanding how it works has never been easier.

Install

macOS

Install via Brew:

brew tap theduql/duql
brew install duql

Linux

Run the following command in your terminal:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/theduql/duql/main/install.sh | sh

Writing / Editing

Note

DUQL is 100% valid YAML. As a result, you can leverage all your awesome YAML extensions that exist today. We plan to support improved syntax highlighting for expression strings in a custom DUQL IDE extension at some point.

Usage

Coming Soon