Getting Started
Cloak DB is a PostgreSQL studio built for developers. Browse your data, run queries, and edit rows - all from a keyboard-friendly interface.
Installation
Cloak DB runs as a Docker container. Make sure you have Docker installed and running.
npx @cloak-app/app
This will:
- Pull the latest Cloak DB image
- Start the studio on port 3000
- Open your browser automatically
Options:
--port 3001- Use a different port--tag 0.2.4- Use a specific version
Connect to Your Database
- Click Add Connection on the home screen
- Enter your PostgreSQL connection string:
postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/mydb - Give it a name (e.g., "Local Dev")
- Click Test Connection to verify
- Click Save
Your connections are stored locally in ~/.config/cloak-db/config.json.
Navigate the Studio
Once connected, you'll see:
- Left sidebar - Your schemas and tables
- Main area - Data browser or query editor
- Tabs - Open multiple tables at once
Quick Actions
| Action | Shortcut |
|---|---|
| Search tables | Cmd+E |
| New query tab | Cmd+J |
| Close tab | W |
| Save changes | Cmd+S |
| Show all shortcuts | ? |
Browse Data
Click any table to view its data. You can:
- Sort - Click column headers
- Filter - Use the filter bar with operators like
=,>,contains - Search - Fuzzy search within the current page
- Paginate - Navigate through large tables (25-1000 rows per page)
Edit Data
Cloak DB tracks your changes before saving:
- Click a cell to edit inline
- Yellow indicator shows pending changes
- Cmd+S to save all changes
- Discard to revert
You can also:
- Add rows with
Cmd+N - Delete rows by selecting and pressing
Delete - Multi-select cells with
Cmd+Click
Run Queries
Open a query tab with Cmd+J and write SQL:
SELECT * FROM users WHERE created_at > '2024-01-01';
Press Cmd+Enter to execute. Results are limited to 500 rows.
Safety: Dangerous operations like DROP DATABASE are blocked.
What's Next
- Keyboard Shortcuts - Full shortcut reference
- Studio Features - Data browser details
- SSL Connections - Secure database connections
Roadmap
We're actively working on:
- Time Machine - Save and restore database states
- Resource Inspector - Visualize relationships
- Anonymization - Mask PII for safe testing
Follow progress on GitHub.