Database Schema Visualizer

Developers joining a new project spend hours understanding database schemas. Existing tools are either limited in free tiers, require manual schema input, or don't support direct database connections. There was a need for a free, open-source tool that connects directly to a database and generates interactive visual schemas.

Built a D3.js + Dagre graph renderer with custom PostgreSQL and MySQL connectors outputting a unified schema model. Implemented virtualized rendering for 100+ table schemas, naming-convention-based relationship inference (85% accuracy), and schema diff comparison. The unified model meant community contributors could add new database types with minimal guidance.

1,200+ GitHub stars, 5,000+ developers, 15+ community contributors in 3 months

• 1,200+ GitHub stars in first 3 months
• 15+ community contributors added features and connectors
• 4 database types supported (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, SQLite)
• 2.5 sec average generation time for 50-table database
• 5,000+ developers using the tool
• 85% inferred relationship accuracy

Tradeoffs and lessons

Open-source projects live or die by documentation. Performance is a feature — virtualized rendering for large schemas was the difference between 'amazing' and 'freezes on my database.' Community contributions extend your roadmap — SQL Server and SQLite connectors were community-contributed.