SQLty

SQL. Typed. Thank You.

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The Pitch

You know that feeling when you're 3 beers deep, deploying to prod on a Friday, and you realize your hand-crafted SQL has a typo in a column name that only manifests when user_type = 'enterprise'?

No? Just me? Cool.

Anyway, I wrote SQLty.

/* @name GetUserByEmail @one */
SELECT id, emial, created_at FROM users WHERE email = :email;
--         ^^^^^ skill issue detected at compile time, not 3am

SQLty connects to your actual production database (or staging, if you're a coward), inspects the schema, and generates Go code that refuses to compile when you inevitably fat-finger something.

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What Is This

You write SQL. Actual SQL. The kind your DBA respects.

/* @name GetUserByEmail @one */
SELECT id, email, created_at FROM users WHERE email = :email;

SQLty turns it into:

func (q *Queries) GetUserByEmail(ctx context.Context, email string) (*GetUserByEmailRow, error)

type GetUserByEmailRow struct {
    ID        int64
    Email     string
    CreatedAt time.Time
}

That's it. That's the tweet.

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Why Not Just Use [ORM]?

Because user.Preload("Posts.Comments.Author.Profile.Settings").Find(&users) is not a query plan, it's a cry for help.

Because I trust my database more than I trust an abstraction layer written by someone who thinks N+1 is a synth-pop band.

Because I want to write:

SELECT u.*, COUNT(p.id) as post_count
FROM users u
LEFT JOIN posts p ON p.user_id = u.id
WHERE u.created_at > NOW() - INTERVAL '30 days'
GROUP BY u.id
HAVING COUNT(p.id) > 5
ORDER BY post_count DESC

And not whatever Rube Goldberg method chaining produces the same thing in your ORM of choice this week.

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Features (The Serious Section Your Manager Can Read)

• Type-safe queries — Parameters and return types resolved from your live database schema
• Multiple execution modes — @one, @many, @exec, and @cursor for when you're feeling fancy
• PostgreSQL native — Full support for enums, composite types, arrays, and JSON(B)
• Spread parameters — WHERE id IN (:ids...) expands slices automatically
• Bulk inserts — Shove entire structs into INSERT statements
• Incremental builds — Only regenerates what changed (we respect your CPU)
• Minimal dependencies — Just pgx/v5 and the standard library. No dependency trees that make your security team cry

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Quick Start

Install:

go install github.com/ioj/sqlty@latest

Configure sqlty.yaml:

dburl: postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb # your production creds here (jk) (unless?)
paths:
  source: ./queries
  output: ./db
package: db

Write SQL in queries/:

/* @name ListActiveUsers @many */
SELECT id, email, name
FROM users
WHERE active = true
ORDER BY created_at DESC;

/* @name CreateUser @exec */
INSERT INTO users (email, name) VALUES (:email, :name);

/*
   @name GetUsersByIDs
   @param ids (...)
   @many
*/
SELECT * FROM users WHERE id IN (:ids);

Generate:

sqlty
# *chef's kiss*

Use:

package main

import (
    "context"
    "yourproject/db"
    "github.com/jackc/pgx/v5"
)

func main() {
    conn, _ := pgx.Connect(context.Background(), connString)
    q := db.New(conn)

    // Your IDE knows what this returns. Your compiler enforces it.
    // Your deploy doesn't page you at 3am. Beautiful.
    users, _ := q.ListActiveUsers(ctx)

    // Spread parameters just work
    users, _ = q.GetUsersByIDs(ctx, []int64{1, 2, 3})

    // Transactions are context-based because we're not barbarians
    tx, _ := conn.Begin(ctx)
    ctx = context.WithValue(ctx, db.CtxDBKey, tx)
    q.CreateUser(ctx, "alice@example.com", "Alice")
    tx.Commit(ctx)
}

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The Annotation Cheat Sheet

Annotation	What It Does
@name FunctionName	Names your function (shocking, I know)
@one	Returns one row or nil
@many	Returns []Rows
@exec	Returns nothing. For INSERTs you don't care about
@template cursor	Streaming for when you SELECT'd too much
@param p (...)	WHERE id IN (:ids...) without counting placeholders
@param p ((a,b)...)	Bulk inserts that don't make you hate your life
@notNullParams a, b	"Trust me, these nullable columns won't be null here"
@returnValueName Custom	Name your return struct something prettier
@paramStructName Custom	Name your params struct (for the aesthetically picky)
:param!	Inline not-null: "this one specifically, trust me"

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What Gets Generated

db/
├── get_user_by_email.gen.go     # Your queries, but Go
├── list_active_users.gen.go
├── enums.sqlty.gen.go           # CREATE TYPE ... AS ENUM → Go const
├── composite_types.sqlty.gen.go  # Postgres composite types → Go structs
└── db.sqlty.gen.go              # The glue

Commit these. Or don't. I'm not your dad.

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Requirements

• Go 1.21+
• PostgreSQL (MySQL support left as an exercise for the reader) (PRs welcome) (please)
• pgx/v5

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FAQ

Q: Is this production ready? A: I run it in production. Draw your own conclusions.

Q: How does it compare to sqlc? A: sqlc is great. SQLty exists because I wanted something slightly different and had a free weekend. Use what works for you.

Q: Why PostgreSQL only? A: Because Postgres is the only database. Everything else is just temporary storage with delusions of grandeur.

Q: Will you add [feature]? A: Open an issue. I'm susceptible to peer pressure.

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License

MIT — Do whatever you want. I'm not a cop.

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Built with caffeine and mass-assigned foot-guns