head to head · open source
DBeaver vs pglite
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars, 4,372 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped today. pglite has 16,039 stars, 444 forks, 166 open issues and last shipped 23 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 223% (51,797 vs 16,039 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; pglite is written in TypeScript under Apache-2.0. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, pglite 3%. DBeaver was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 1 topic tag (database), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| DBeaver | pglite | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 16K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Java | TypeScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-08-26 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 444 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick DBeaver if
- You weight community size — 52K stars and counting
- You want the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Java
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick pglite if
- You want the pglite feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches TypeScript
- You evaluated both and pglite fits your workflow better
About DBeaver
DBeaver is a free, multi platform database management tool built in Java, designed for developers, SQL programmers, database administrators, and analysts. It operates across Windows, macOS, and Linux and integrates with the Eclipse based plugin ecosystem via OSGi and Eclipse RCP frameworks.
read the full DBeaver overview →
About pglite
PGlite is a WASM build of Postgres from Electric, packaged as a TypeScript client library, that runs a real Postgres database inside the browser, Node.js, Bun or Deno with no other dependencies installed.
read the full pglite overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or pglite more popular?
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars and pglite has 16,039. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and pglite free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and pglite under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and pglite?
DBeaver is written in Java and pglite in TypeScript. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, DBeaver or pglite?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,797 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose pglite if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.