simonw/datasette

11.4k stars · Apache-2.0 · 1.0a38 (2026-08-06)

sqlite-utils fills the database. Datasette lets you (or, if you point it at the world, anyone) browse and query it.

▶Repo detailsthe review · specs · pros & cons · install

What it is

A Python web server that opens any SQLite file as a browsable, queryable, JSON-endpoint-emitting web app. By Simon Willison — same author as sqlite-utils (Ed.8 #5) and llm (Ed.7 #7).

Why it matters

Edition 8 was explicit: sqlite-utils is the bucket under yt-dlp, youtube-transcript-api, PRAW and (from today) Firecrawl. Datasette is the natural companion — point it at the same research.db and you get a web UI. Every query is a URL you can bookmark; every URL is a JSON endpoint n8n or Claude Code can call. It is how "your competitor research database" becomes something you can browse on your phone during a walk, then hand to Claude Code as a database instead of a stack of files.

Stars11.4k

LicenceApache-2.0

Latest1.0a38 (2026-08-06)checked 7 Sep 2026

Written inPython

NeedsPython and pip. Nothing else.

RunsLocally, or behind a proxy on your own server

Setup effort

2 / 5

Payoff

3 / 5

Good

Reads the existing SQLite file directly — no schema, no import step
Every query is a shareable URL; every URL is a JSON endpoint
Actively maintained (1.0a38 on 6 August, 1.0 in reach)

Watch for

Read-only by default (which is the point) — writes still go through sqlite-utils
Not a chart tool — Evidence (Ed.8 #6) is for that, this is for browsing rows
Public deployment needs auth (basic auth or datasette-auth-passwords); do not expose it open on the VPS

Replaces

Nothing paid — it is the missing web UI over data you already have

Works well with

sqlite-utils, which writes the file Datasette reads, and anything that fills it

Install

pip install datasette

simonw/datasette