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Harlequin

An open-source SQL IDE for the terminal, with DuckDB and SQLite built in and adapters for more.

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About Harlequin

Harlequin is a terminal-based SQL IDE written in Python with the Textual framework. It gives you, in a terminal window, what usually needs a desktop app: a data catalogue tree of databases, schemas, tables and columns, a multi-tab query editor with autocomplete and syntax highlighting, a results viewer that handles large result sets, and export of results to CSV, Parquet or JSON. DuckDB and SQLite work out of the box, and adapter plugins add PostgreSQL, MySQL, ClickHouse, BigQuery, Snowflake, Trino and others. It works with mouse or keyboard, supports themes, and runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, installed with uv or pip. Its newer hsql companion is a command-line SQL client designed for AI agents. It is free and open source under the MIT licence. As a terminal app it cannot match graphical tools for schema design or visual data editing, but it is popular with data engineers who work over SSH or in DuckDB.

Best for: Data engineers who want a full SQL IDE in the terminal, especially for DuckDB.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Full SQL IDE in any terminal, including over SSH
  • DuckDB and SQLite built in, adapters for many more
  • Free and MIT-licensed

Why people leave

  • No visual schema design or table editing
  • Needs Python tooling to install
  • Adapter quality varies by database

Top Harlequin alternatives

See all 4
  1. 1pgcli logo
    pgcli

    A lighter terminal client with smart completion, focused on Postgres.

    66.5
  2. 2usql logo
    usql

    One psql-style command line for nearly every database.

    62.6
  3. 3DBeaver logo
    DBeaver

    A free graphical client for DuckDB and many other databases.

    59.6
  4. 4DB Browser for SQLite logo
    DB Browser for SQLite

    A graphical, spreadsheet-like editor for SQLite files.

    57.2

Why people left Harlequin

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Harlequin: common questions

Is Harlequin free?

Yes. Harlequin is free, open-source software.

Is Harlequin open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at tconbeer/harlequin.

What platforms does Harlequin run on?

Harlequin is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Harlequin?

The highest-ranked Harlequin alternatives right now are pgcli, usql and DBeaver. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Harlequin alternatives