Overview

What LunoDB is and where to begin.

Where to start

Getting started

Go from download to your first query in a few minutes.

1. 1

   Download and install

   Get LunoDB for macOS, Windows or Linux from the download page. It’s free with up to 2 database connections, and no account is needed.

2. 2

   Add a connection

   Add a new connection and pick your database type. Enter the host, port, username, password and database name from your provider. For SQLite, choose the file. For Turso, paste your database URL and auth token.

   Paste a full connection URL and LunoDB fills in every field for you.
3. 3

   Browse and query your data

   Open the connection to see your tables in the sidebar. Click a table to view and edit its rows, or open a SQL tab and write a query.

   Run the query⌘EntermacOSCtrlEnterWindows & Linux
4. 4

   Turn on AI

   Optional

   Open Settings, choose an AI provider and paste your API key. Using Ollama or Apple Intelligence? No key needed. Then ask a question in plain English from the AI assistant or a SQL tab.

5. 5

   Upgrade to Pro

   Optional

   Need more than 2 connections, the full SQL editor, Graphs, SSH tunneling or verified SSL? Start a free 14-day Pro trial in the app with just your email, or buy Pro and enter the license key we email you.

Database support

LunoDB works with 8 databases. Pick the type when you add a connection and LunoDB handles the rest.

DatabaseVersionHighlights

MySQL5.7+, 8.0+Full SSL/TLS, SSH tunneling, multi-query execution

PostgreSQL10+Pick a schema per connection, advanced data types, SSL/TLS

SQLite3.xOpen local .db files by double-clicking

MariaDB10.0+MySQL-compatible, JSON operations, window functions

SQL Server2017+Encrypted connections, Azure SQL, T-SQL

MongoDB4.2+Browse and edit documents, run aggregation pipelines

Redis6.0+Strings, lists, sets, sorted sets and hashes; run commands

TursolibSQLCloud SQLite with your database URL and auth token

Connecting

Pick the database type when you add a connection, then enter the details from your provider. You can also paste a full connection URL and LunoDB fills in the fields for you.

postgres://admin:••••••@db.example.com:5432/orders?sslmode=require

Connection features

More connection options

• SSH tunneling reaches databases behind a firewall. Sign in with a password, a key file of your choice, or your SSH agent (including 1Password and Secretive). Encrypted keys ask for their passphrase once and remember it securely. Pro
• SSL/TLS: Disable and Prefer are free. Require, Verify CA and Verify identity, with your own certificates, are Pro
• Paste a connection URL (postgres://, mysql://, mongodb://, redis://, libsql:// and more) and the form fills itself in
• Test a connection before you save it
• Connect to a local server through its socket file instead of host and port (Advanced → Connect via)
• Set the schema for a PostgreSQL connection (public by default), or pick a Redis database from 0 to 15
• Open SQLite files read-only to browse them with no risk of changing anything. Or drop a SQLite file anywhere on the window to open it
• Point a Turso connection at a local replica file to work from a local copy that syncs each time you connect
• Connect to databases in Docker by typing the container or Compose service name as the host. LunoDB finds the published port for you (works with Docker Desktop, OrbStack, Colima and Rancher Desktop)

Connections home

Every saved connection lives on the Connections home. Search across names, hosts, databases and tags, filter by environment (Production, Staging, Local), and see a connection’s details before you connect. Drag connections into the order you want, or duplicate one to make a similar connection quickly. From here you can also open a SQLite file (recent files are listed with their sizes) or restore a backup.

Back where you left off

When LunoDB opens, it reconnects last session’s connections side by side and shows how each one is doing: connecting, connected with its response time, or what went wrong. Open the workspace as soon as one connection is ready while the rest keep connecting, or choose Open launcher instead. A connection that can’t be reached won’t hold up the others. Retry it, or Skip it and it connects when you next open it.

When a connection drops

A banner under the top bar tells you what’s happening without blocking anything: reconnecting, a countdown to the next try (with Retry now), or why it couldn’t reconnect, with a tip and Edit connection.

LunoDB tries five times, waiting a little longer each time, and pauses while you’re offline. Your rows stay on screen marked Cached with the time they were loaded and read-only, unsaved edits are kept so you can save them once it’s back, and the table refreshes itself when it reconnects.

Data management

Browse, filter and edit rows, and keep changes safe until you save.

Running queries

Switch to SQL in the top bar, write your query, and press ⌘Enter (macOS) or CtrlEnter (Windows/Linux) to run the statement your cursor is in, or ⇧⌘Enter / CtrlShiftEnter to run them all.

One toolbar holds everything: Run current, Run all, the database to run against, a LIMIT switch (100, 1,000, 10,000 or None, with more under ▾), Beautify and Uglify, Clear, Editor appearance, Export results, Collapse editor, Write with AI, Optimize and History. Results appear below the editor. Drag the bar between them to resize.

Query features

• Suggestions that know your database: tables with their row counts after FROM or JOIN, and columns with their types after a dot
• Click the ▶ beside a statement to run just that one
• Each statement gets its own results tab, plus a Messages tab listing what every statement did
• History opens beside the editor: search past queries, star the ones you reuse, and add notes
• A status bar shows rows returned, time taken, and when LunoDB added a LIMIT for you
• A failed query’s line is marked in red, with the database’s error on hover. Or click Fix with AI
• Edit results, even from a join, on MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL and SQLite. Each change goes to the table it came from
• The editor is built into LunoDB, so it opens fast and works offline
• Cancel a query that’s taking too long
• See the exact SQL behind any table view
• Analyze a table to refresh its statistics so queries run faster

Run all, safely

Run all runs your whole script on one database connection, so BEGIN … COMMIT, SET and temporary tables hold together. If a statement fails, it stops there, rolls back any open transaction, and tells you exactly what was and wasn’t saved.

If your script leaves a transaction open, LunoDB asks whether to Commit or Roll back.

Tables and databases

• Create a new database right from the connection screen
• Choose 25, 50 or 100 rows per page. Even the last page of a huge table opens almost instantly
• Hide columns you don’t need from the Columns menu; each table remembers its choice
• Right-click a column header for its min, max, average, NULLs and distinct values
• Add new columns with a simple form
• Edit columns directly in the table’s Structure view
• Open multiple tables in tabs. Drag to reorder, or double-click one to open its structure
• Double-click a cell to edit it in place
• Sort and filter by multiple columns
• Seed fake data from the data toolbar: add up to 1,000 realistic rows based on each column’s type, using real values for foreign keys
• Right-click a table in the sidebar to open it in a tab, open its structure, copy its name, rename, export, truncate or drop it

Filtering

One bar handles every filter. Press ⌘F / CtrlF, type a condition such as plan = pro, total >= 100 or deleted_at is null, and press Return.

Or describe what you want in plain words and let AI build the filter. Filters show as chips you can click to edit or remove, matching all or any of them, and the SQL behind them sits in a slim bar above the grid, ready to copy.

Editing data

Double-click a cell to edit it. Edited cells stay highlighted until you save. While you have unsaved changes, an amber bar appears with Undo, Review, Discard and Save.

Review shows each change’s old and new values and the exact SQL that Save will run. Saving is all or nothing: your changes run in one transaction, so if one fails none are saved and your edits stay for you to fix. On production connections, saving asks first.

• Column headers show each column’s type, with icons for primary and foreign keys
• Add row shows each column’s type and whether it’s a key, generated or required, with enum pickers, date shortcuts and one-click NULL
• The field editor opens JSON formatted, with Format, Minify and a Tree view, and a NULL switch that saves a real NULL. ⌘↵ / CtrlEnter saves, Esc cancels
• The row details panel shows each field’s type, marks edited fields, and lets you copy the row as JSON or delete it
• Catches invalid values (like text in a number column) before saving
• Expand any cell to read long text in full
• Tabs with unsaved changes show a dot, and LunoDB warns you before you close one
• Undo and redo any change
• Tick rows with checkboxes and delete them together
• Copy and paste rows with keyboard shortcuts (⌘C / CtrlC to copy, ⌘V / CtrlV to paste). Pro
• A larger editor for long text and binary data
• Asks you to confirm before risky changes, like deleting rows

AI features

Write SQL in plain English, build filters and chat about your schema.

Describe what you want in plain English and LunoDB writes the SQL, builds the filter, or answers your question. Writing SQL, AI filters, data insights and the query optimizer are free in every version of LunoDB. Automatic answers from your data and AI graph suggestions are part of Pro. Just add an API key from the provider you choose in Settings, or run models on your own computer with Ollama (no key needed). You only pay your AI provider for what you use.

Supported providers

Apple Intelligence

On a Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 26 or later, choose Apple Intelligence in Settings → AI. There’s no key to enter and no account to create. Every request runs on Apple’s on-device model, so your schema and questions never leave your Mac.

It works with every AI feature and appears in the model picker at the top of each AI panel, so you can switch between it and a cloud model in one click. The on-device model takes in a limited amount of text at once, so it works best with a few tables at a time; if a request is too large, LunoDB suggests selecting fewer tables or switching to a cloud provider.

Sign in to Claude with identity federation

For Anthropic, you can sign in with your organization’s identity provider instead of a long-lived API key. In Settings → AI → Anthropic, choose Identity federation and enter your organization ID, federation rule ID, and the file that holds your identity token.

LunoDB swaps that token for a short-lived Claude access token and renews it automatically. Nothing permanent is stored on your computer, and a refreshed token file is picked up on its own. Standard API keys keep working exactly as before.

Natural language to SQL

• Speak your request instead of typing it. Voice dictation uses OpenAI Whisper, so it needs an OpenAI API key
• Describe what you want in plain English
• Understands your tables and columns
• Explains the SQL it writes in plain English
• Shows you the SQL to check before it runs
• Keeps every version as you refine a query, so you can go back to an earlier one

AI assistant

• Opens beside your work. Start from a suggested question about your table, or type your own
• Choose which tables the AI knows about, and see exactly what it’s told under Schema
• Pick the model and effort level under the message box; each reply notes the model and how long it took
• Search past conversations, grouped by Today, This week and Older, and rename, copy or delete them
• Errors explained in plain words, often with a “Did you mean…” suggestion and Fix with AI

Answers, not just SQL

When a question can be answered from your data, the assistant runs its query for you and shows the result: a one-line answer written from the actual rows, the SQL, and the best view of it (a bar or line chart, a single number, or a table). Switch between Bar, Line and Table, then Save to Graphs, Open in SQL in a new tab, or Apply as filter to the table you’re on.

Data insights

• Opens beside the table and reads a sample straight away: data quality, what’s worth a look, and queries to try
• Choose how many rows to analyze, and whether to read the latest or oldest rows
• Works with all 9 AI providers
• Uses the AI model you picked in Settings

Query optimizer

• Opens beside the SQL editor and starts on the statement at your cursor
• Scores before and after, the issues found, a faster version, and the indexes that would help
• Reads your tables’ indexes first, so it never recommends one you already have
• Automatically finds the tables your query uses
• Suggestions based on your actual table structure

Usage and budget

• See an estimated cost for your AI requests and how much each provider has used (Settings → AI → Usage and budget)
• Set a monthly budget. When you reach it, AI requests pause until next month or until you raise it
• Choose how hard the model thinks: effort for Claude, reasoning for GPT, thinking for Gemini 3, and the number of agents for Grok 4.20 Multi-Agent

Privacy and security

Data visualization

Turn tables and queries into charts and save them.

Turn your data into charts. Ask AI to create a chart for you, or write your own SQL query and choose how to display the results.

AI-powered graphs

• Ask AI to create charts based on your data
• Looks at your tables to find data worth charting
• Suggests the best chart type for your data
• Get a useful chart in seconds, even without SQL

Custom SQL charts

• Write a SQL query, then pick the columns for the X and Y axes
• Full control over what your chart shows
• Works with grouped totals and joined tables

Chart types

LineBarPieAreaScatter

Graph features

Managing graphs

Switch to Graphs in the top bar to see your saved graphs listed on the left. They’re organized by connection and database, so the charts for each project are always in one place, and switching between bar, line, area, pie and scatter is one click.

Workspace & schema

Windows, tabs and schema relationship diagrams.

A clean workspace built around the connection you’re in, an interactive diagram of how your tables connect, and separate workspace windows for working on several databases at the same time.

The workspace

• The sidebar shows the connection you’re working in, with its databases, tables, row counts and cached tables. Other open connections sit under Also connected, one click away, with their PROD, STAGING or LOCAL tag
• Search tables across every database from the top of the sidebar. Even schemas with thousands of tables scroll smoothly
• Click the connection at the top of the sidebar to switch between open and saved connections, disconnect, or start a new one. Collapse the sidebar to a slim rail of connection icons
• The top bar shows where you are, the server version, its response time and whether you’re on SSH. Switch between Data, Structure, Diagram, Graphs and SQL from it
• The connection pill in the top bar lists every open connection and how it’s doing, with Stop, Retry and Connect for each
• The Query log opens as a drawer along the bottom of the workspace
• Jump to… (⌘P / CtrlP) lists your tables first, then actions. Use ← and → to open a table in Data or Structure

Schema diagrams

• See your tables and how they link to each other
• Drag tables around to arrange the diagram
• Arranges the diagram for you automatically
• Starts with the tables that have foreign keys. Use Add table to bring in any others
• Wide tables never overlap, and Fit view keeps every table in sight
• Save diagrams as PNG images
• Great for documentation and presentations

Multiple windows

• Open several workspace windows at once
• Each window keeps its own tabs and queries
• Work on multiple databases side by side
• Changes in one window don’t affect the others
• Each workspace reopens where you left off
• Settings like theme, fonts, and your license apply to every window

Sounds and shortcuts

Use cases

Import & export

Import SQL dumps and export tables or results.

Exporting

• Export the filtered rows, the current page, the selected rows, or the whole table
• CSV with your choice of delimiter, JSON, or SQL INSERT statements. JSON and SQL are Pro
• Pick the columns and how NULLs are written, with a preview and a size estimate
• Export query results with the same window, without running the query again
• Copy rows as JSON, CSV, HTML, Markdown, or INSERT statements
• Export huge tables without running out of memory
• Export a whole database from Database → Export Database… (or right-click it in the sidebar): pick tables from a searchable list with their row counts, and compress the file (.sql.gz) to save space
• See progress as rows are written
• Press Keep working and a big export carries on as a small card in the corner
• Files are named with the date and time automatically

Importing

• Import CSV files and match columns to your table
• Run SQL dump files
• Import compressed .sql.gz files
• Import huge SQL files without running out of memory
• Preview data before importing
• Drag and drop a file to import it
• Command-line import for very large files (see below)

Command-line import

For very large SQL dumps (100MB+), LunoDB can hand the file straight to your database’s own command-line tool. This is faster and more reliable for big or complex dump files. It works with:

Command-line import needs your database’s command-line tool installed on your computer. LunoDB walks you through it when you turn this option on, or you can install it yourself by copying the command for your system into a terminal:

# MySQL/MariaDB
brew install mysql-client

# PostgreSQL
brew install libpq && brew link --force libpq

# SQL Server
brew tap microsoft/mssql-release && brew install mssql-tools18

# MySQL: download MySQL Installer from dev.mysql.com

# PostgreSQL: download from postgresql.org

# SQL Server
winget install Microsoft.Sqlcmd

# MySQL/MariaDB
sudo apt install mysql-client

# PostgreSQL
sudo apt install postgresql-client

# SQLite
sudo apt install sqlite3

Backup and restore

• Back up your saved connections, protected by a password
• Choose what else to include: query history, settings, and charts
• Preview a backup before restoring, and pick which connections, graphs, query history and settings to bring back
• When a name is already taken, choose to skip, replace or keep both. Restoring never removes connections you already have
• Restore encrypted connection backups made with LunoDB Mobile
• Backups are saved as AES-256 encrypted .lunobackup files
• Send connections to LunoDB Mobile with a QR code

Admin tools

User privileges, process list and maintenance tools.

User and process management are available for MySQL, MariaDB, and PostgreSQL connections.

User management

• Create and delete database users
• Choose what each user is allowed to do
• See each user’s current permissions

Process list

• See which queries are running right now
• Stop queries that are stuck or running too long
• Click Refresh to see the latest activity

Structure

Switch to Structure to see a table’s row count, sizes and next auto-increment value at a glance (on big tables the count is an estimate; click Count exactly for the real number, or Set the next value to change the auto-increment), with colour-coded types and key tags. With no table selected, it lists every table with its rows, columns and size. Type to filter, use ↑ ↓ and Enter to open one, and sort by name or size.

Double-click a column to edit it in place, and add columns and indexes from dialogs that show the exact SQL first. Foreign keys show what they point to and their ON DELETE / ON UPDATE rules; click one to open that table.

Database operations

• Create and delete databases, with a confirmation step before deleting
• Empty a table (truncate), with a clear warning first
• Create tables step by step
• Add and remove columns
• Manage indexes and foreign keys

User interface

Themes, fonts, shortcuts and layout.

Themes

• Dark and light themes
• Follows your system’s light/dark setting
• A SQL editor look that matches the app in light and dark, or, with Pro, pick from 9 color themes
• Pick a separate theme for the editor and the app

Display options

• Make text smaller or bigger (70–130%)
• Choose fonts for the interface (Inter, Figtree or System), table data, and code (Menlo, Monaco or Fira Code)
• Show or hide scrollbars and focus outlines (Settings → General → Interface)
• Collapse the sidebar for more room
• Remembers your window size and position
• Read the release notes in Settings → Updates, or open the changelog from the Help menu
• Report a problem from the Help menu
• Help → Export Logs saves a zip of LunoDB’s logs to your Desktop to send to support
• Read the license agreement any time from Help → License Agreement
• Take the tour any time from Help → Tutorial: seven short steps with Try buttons

Keyboard shortcuts

Here are the keyboard shortcuts you’ll use most. Press ⌘P (macOS) or CtrlP (Windows/Linux) to open Jump to… and find any table or action. It can also switch the theme (Light, Dark or System), toggle scrollbars, and switch to the Data, Structure, Graph, Diagram or SQL view.

More shortcuts

Security

How LunoDB stores credentials and protects production.

Your passwords and API keys stay on your computer, encrypted by your operating system. LunoDB connects directly from your computer to your database. Your data never goes through our servers.

Connection security

Data protection

• Saved passwords, SSH passphrases and Turso tokens are encrypted with the macOS Keychain, your Windows account, or the Linux secret service (GNOME Keyring or KWallet)
• On Linux without a keyring running, they’re saved without that encryption, and the connection form tells you so
• Saved passwords and AI keys stay in LunoDB’s background process and are never sent to the app window
• Markup stored in your data can’t run scripts inside the app
• Your data is never stored on our servers
• AI SQL writing sends only table and column names; chat answers, insights and graph suggestions also send the rows they analyze

Upgrading from 1.x

Existing passwords are moved to your keychain automatically the first time 2.0 opens. If you later go back to a 1.x version, your connections stay but you’ll need to re-enter their passwords.

Licensing

Free, Pro and Pro Bundle, trials and license keys.

LunoDB is free to use forever. Upgrade to Pro when you need more connections or advanced features.

Plans

Activating Pro

1. 1

   Try it free

   Want to try first? Start a free 14-day Pro trial from inside the app with just your email. No credit card needed.

2. 2

   Buy a license

   Buy LunoDB Pro. Your license key is emailed to you right away.

3. 3

   Activate it

   Open LunoDB, choose Manage License from the LunoDB menu, and paste your key. Pro features unlock instantly, and your connections and settings stay as they are.

Lost your license key? Recover it here. A one-time license covers every version released during its year of updates; if you install a newer one after that, LunoDB says so and runs it as the free version until you go back or renew. Year of updates ending? Renew your updates.

Platform support

macOS, Windows, Linux and iOS.

Desktop

iPhone and iPad

LunoDB Mobile brings your databases to iOS. It has its own mobile guide, and you can send connections from the desktop app to your phone with a QR code.

Advanced features

Power-user features and hidden gems.

Speed

• Page through huge tables quickly, 25, 50 or 100 rows at a time
• Starts fast: the SQL editor, charts, diagrams, the AI assistant and most dialogs load the first time you open them
• Pages near the end of large tables open almost instantly, sorted or filtered
• A smaller app: about 280 MB installed on a Mac
• Remembers recent results for speed, and shows you when data is cached

Automatic updates

LunoDB keeps itself up to date. How it works depends on your system:

• macOS & Windows: updates download and install automatically in the background
• Linux AppImage: updates install automatically, no password needed
• Linux DEB: updates download automatically; you enter your password to install
• Linux RPM: you’re notified of new versions with a link to download them
• See what changed in each update in Settings → Updates

If something goes wrong

If a window runs into a problem, LunoDB says what happened in plain words and offers Reload LunoDB (⌘R / CtrlR) or Reload without tabs, which skips reopening your tabs and reconnecting in case one of them is the cause.

If Anonymous usage and crash reports is on, the crash report is sent automatically and the screen shows its reference to quote to support. If it’s off, you can email the details instead. You can add a note about what you were doing, and the technical details stay folded away with a Copy button.

File associations

Double-click any of these file types to open it in LunoDB, or drop a SQLite file anywhere on the window:

Settings

Every option in Settings, explained.

Open Settings with ⌘, (macOS, or LunoDB → Preferences) or Ctrl, (Windows/Linux). Use the search box to find a section, or browse the sections: General, Appearance, Database, AI, Updates, Backup, Restore, License and About.