head to head · open source
DBeaver vs postgres
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars, 4,372 forks, 3,334 open issues and last shipped today. postgres has 8,730 stars, 374 forks, 303 open issues and last shipped 16 days ago. DBeaver leads on adoption by 493% (51,797 vs 8,730 stars). DBeaver is written in Java under Apache-2.0; postgres is written in JavaScript under Unlicense. DBeaver has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, postgres 4%. 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 | postgres | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 52K | ★ 8.7K |
| License | Apache-2.0 | Unlicense |
| Written in | Java | JavaScript |
| Last push | 2026-09-18 | 2026-09-02 |
| Forks | ⑂ 4.4K | ⑂ 374 |
| 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 postgres if
- You want the postgres feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Unlicense license terms
- Your stack matches JavaScript
- You evaluated both and postgres 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 postgres
Postgres.js is a full featured PostgreSQL client for JavaScript and TypeScript runtimes — Node.js, Deno, Bun and Cloudflare — published to npm as postgres , and it is aimed at developers who need to query a PostgreSQL database from application code without adopting a heavier ORM or query builder.
read the full postgres overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is DBeaver or postgres more popular?
DBeaver has 51,797 GitHub stars and postgres has 8,730. DBeaver has the larger community by that measure.
Are DBeaver and postgres free?
Both are open source. DBeaver is licensed under Apache-2.0 and postgres under Unlicense. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between DBeaver and postgres?
DBeaver is written in Java and postgres in JavaScript. 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 postgres?
Choose DBeaver if you want the larger community (51,797 stars) or its Apache-2.0 licence terms. Choose postgres if its feature set, stack or Unlicense licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.