# WWW SQL Designer: Browser-Based Database Schema Diagramming > WWW SQL Designer is a BSD-3-Clause JavaScript application that runs in a browser and lets users draw entity-relationship diagrams, define tables with keys, indexes, and foreign key constraints, and export the result as an SQL script. It requires no installation: JavaScript enabled in the browser is the only dependency, and it can be self-hosted in minutes with npm or Docker. **ondras/wwwsqldesigner** — WWW SQL Designer, your online SQL diagramming tool - Repository: https://github.com/ondras/wwwsqldesigner - Website: https://sql.toad.cz/?keyword=online_library - Stars: 2,928 · Forks: 726 - Language: JavaScript - License: BSD-3-Clause - Published: 2026-09-24 · Updated: 2026-09-24 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/ondras-wwwsqldesigner ## What WWW SQL Designer Does and Who Uses It WWW SQL Designer is a browser-based entity-relationship diagramming tool. The README describes its core capabilities: draw and create database schemas directly in the browser, save and load designs for further modification, export designs to SQL scripts, and import schemas from existing databases. The export-to-SQL feature is what distinguishes it from a pure diagramming tool: the output is an executable script, not just a picture. The tool works without any browser plugins. The README states that JavaScript must be enabled, which is the only client-side requirement. It works in Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Seamonkey, Internet Explorer, MS Edge, Safari, and Opera according to the README. The main use cases are designing new schemas before writing migration files and documenting existing databases by importing their structure. ## Database Features and What Can Be Modeled The README lists the supported database features: keys, foreign key constraints, comments, and indexes. The tool supports multiple databases and languages, and the README notes that many databases and backends are supported (including CUBRID, as explicitly documented in the News section). Datatype definitions are database-specific, so the correct types for a PostgreSQL design differ from a MySQL design. The visualization options include showing field lengths and datatypes, colored relations, and optional display of field details through a contributed patch. Multi-selection and multi-drag allow moving several tables at once. Touch device support was added in version 2.5. Importing existing database schemas is possible, which makes the tool useful for reverse-engineering documentation from a production database. The import feature allows teams to visualize what they already have without redrawing it manually. ## Running WWW SQL Designer Locally or in Docker The README provides two quick-start paths. For local installation using npm: ``` npm install http-server -g ``` Then run `http-server` in the repository root to start a simple HTTP server and visit http://127.0.0.1:8080. For Docker: ``` docker build -t wwwsqldesigner . ``` Then: ``` docker run -d -p 8080:8080 wwwsqldesigner ``` And visit http://127.0.0.1:8080. The Dockerfile uses a BusyBox HTTP server on port 8080. The repository has a backend/ directory for server-side persistence, which is needed for the save-and-load feature beyond localStorage. The db/ directory contains database-specific SQL scripts for the backends. An online demo is linked from the README for users who want to try it without any local setup. A localStorage-based save was added in version 2.7, which means basic save and load works without a server-side backend. ## Maintenance Status and Version History The last push to the repository was on 2026-03-20, which is more than six months before today. The project is not under active development. This is worth stating directly before evaluating it for production use. The version history in the README's News section reads like a completed project. Version 2.7, the most recent mentioned, was released on 2012-08-03 as a bugfix release with the notable addition of localStorage support. Version 2.6 (2011-09-22) added new translations, removed VML, and added visualization options and touch device support. The project migrated from Google Code to GitHub, and the README still reflects that era of web tooling. This history means the codebase is stable. The core HTML, JavaScript, and CSS are well-tested across a wide range of browsers. However, teams who need modern features like collaborative editing, version history, or integration with ORM frameworks will not find them here. Those features were roadmap items in a different era of the project. ## Code Style and Contributing The README documents a code style guide for contributors. The index.html file uses the VSCode built-in formatter. JavaScript files in js/ use four spaces for tabs with the Prettier extension. CSS files in styles/ use a CSS formatter extension. Locale XML files in locale/ use the DotJoshJohnson XML extension. This documentation detail, despite the project's age and slow pace, reflects a maintained contribution process. The locale/ directory suggests internationalization support: the News section mentions several translation additions over the project's history including Portuguese (Brazil), Swedish, and Arabic. The README credits Bharat Patil for an experimental real-time collaboration version hosted separately, and Wilson Oliveira for a patch enabling optional display of field details. Community contributions have shaped the feature set even if the core maintainer pace has slowed. ## Limitations: No Live Collaboration, No Cloud Save, and No Modern Framework Support WWW SQL Designer has no built-in cloud save. The localStorage-based save introduced in version 2.7 persists designs in the browser's local storage, which is cleared by clearing browsing data. The server-side backend in the backend/ directory enables persistent save and load, but it requires running a compatible backend and database to use. There is no live collaboration. The experimental Jitsu-hosted collaboration version linked in the README is from the project's active period and may no longer be available. Teams who need multiple designers working on the same schema simultaneously need a different tool. The tool also does not generate ORM model code. It exports SQL for database creation, not Python SQLAlchemy models, Django migrations, or Prisma schemas. Engineers who want to generate application code from their schema will need a separate tool or a manual conversion step. ## WWW SQL Designer Compared to DrawDB and dbdiagram.io DrawDB and dbdiagram.io are both actively maintained web-based database diagramming tools. Both have cloud save and collaboration features. dbdiagram.io uses a domain-specific language (DBML) to define schemas rather than a graphical drag-and-drop interface. DrawDB is a visual, drag-and-drop tool similar in interaction model to WWW SQL Designer but with a modern interface and active development. WWW SQL Designer's advantage is self-hosting: the Docker image runs the full tool on your own infrastructure in two commands. Teams with air-gapped environments, strict data residency requirements, or no budget for SaaS tools can deploy it without any external service. DrawDB also has a self-hosting option. dbdiagram.io is primarily a cloud service. The oldest distinction is stability: WWW SQL Designer has been running in browsers since at least 2008 based on the version history in the README. For a simple schema editor that needs to work without a subscription, without JavaScript frameworks, and without any external service, it remains functional despite its age. ## Conclusion WWW SQL Designer is a practical choice for developers and database administrators who need a quick, self-hosted visual schema editor that runs entirely in the browser without a subscription or a separate desktop application. The last push was on 2026-03-20, which is more than six months before today, so this is not an actively developing project. The core feature set is stable and has been documented since its early releases, but teams who need continued updates, new database type support, or active issue resolution should evaluate alternatives like DrawDB or dbdiagram.io, which are actively maintained. For teams that just need to sketch a schema and export SQL, WWW SQL Designer's zero-dependency browser model and Docker image make it deployable in under ten minutes. ## FAQ ### What is WWW SQL Designer and what can it do? WWW SQL Designer is a BSD-3-Clause browser-based tool for drawing database entity-relationship diagrams. It supports keys, foreign key constraints, indexes, and comments, and exports designs as SQL scripts. It also imports existing database schemas. No installation is required; running it needs only a browser with JavaScript enabled. ### How do I run WWW SQL Designer locally? Install http-server with npm and run it in the repository root, then visit http://127.0.0.1:8080. Alternatively, build and run the Docker image with docker build -t wwwsqldesigner . and docker run -d -p 8080:8080 wwwsqldesigner, then visit the same address. ### Is WWW SQL Designer still maintained? The last push was on 2026-03-20, more than six months ago. The project is not under active development. The core feature set is stable and the Docker image works, but teams who need ongoing updates or active issue resolution should evaluate alternatives like DrawDB. ## Sources - [Issues](https://github.com/ondras/wwwsqldesigner/issues) - [License: BSD-3-Clause](https://github.com/ondras/wwwsqldesigner/blob/master/LICENSE) - [ondras/wwwsqldesigner on GitHub](https://github.com/ondras/wwwsqldesigner) - [Project website](https://sql.toad.cz/?keyword=online_library) - [README](https://github.com/ondras/wwwsqldesigner/blob/master/README.md) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/ondras-wwwsqldesigner