05-10-2021

Feb 25, 2021 Top 5 MySQL clients for Mac. When it comes to databases, MySQL is a big player and widely used. Today we'll be looking at some MySQL clients we can use on Mac to view these databases. TL;DR: My personal favorite for Mac is TablePlus. It offers a free variant which is sufficient enough. ‎SQLPro Studio is the premium database management tool for Postgres, MySQL, Microsoft Management Studio and Oracle databases. Some of the great features include: + Intellisense/SQL autocompletion. + Syntax highlighting with customizable themes (including dark). + Tabbed based interface for an optima.

Here I’ll show you how to get SQL Server up and running on your Mac in less than half an hour. And the best part is, you’ll have SQL Server running locally without needing any virtualization software.

Prior to SQL Server 2017, if you wanted to run SQL Server on your Mac, you first had to create a virtual machine (using VirtualBox, Parallels Desktop, VMware Fusion, or Bootcamp), then install Windows onto that VM, then finally SQL Server. This is still a valid option depending on your requirements (here’s how to install SQL Server on a Mac with VirtualBox if you’d like to try that method).

Starting with SQL Server 2017, you can now install SQL Server directly on to a Linux machine. And because macOS is Unix based (and Linux is Unix based), you can run SQL Server for Linux on your Mac. The way to do this is to run SQL Server on Docker.

So let’s go ahead and install Docker. Then we’ll download and install SQL Server.

  1. Install Docker

    Download the (free) Docker Community Edition for Mac (unless you’ve already got it installed on your system). This will enable you to run SQL Server from within a Docker container.

    To download, visit the Docker CE for Mac download page and click Get Docker.

    To install, double-click on the .dmg file and then drag the Docker.app icon to your Application folder.

    What is Docker?

    Docker is a platform that enables software to run in its own isolated environment. SQL Server (from 2017) can be run on Docker in its own isolated container. Once Docker is installed, you simply download — or “pull” — the SQL Server on Linux Docker Image to your Mac, then run it as a Docker container. This container is an isolated environment that contains everything SQL Server needs to run.

  2. Launch Docker

    Launch Docker the same way you’d launch any other application (eg, via the Applications folder, the Launchpad, etc).

    When you open Docker, you might be prompted for your password so that Docker can install its networking components and links to the Docker apps. Go ahead and provide your password, as Docker needs this to run.

  3. Increase the Memory (optional)

    By default, Docker will have 2GB of memory allocated to it. SQL Server needs at least 2GB. However, it won’t hurt to increase it if you can.

    In my case, I increased it to 4GB.

    To do this, select Preferences from the little Docker icon in the top menu:

    Then finish off by clicking Apply & Restart

  4. Download SQL Server

    Now that Docker is installed, we can download and install SQL Server for Linux.

    Open a Terminal window and run the following command.

    This downloads the latest SQL Server 2019 for Linux Docker image to your computer.

    You can also check for the latest container version on the Docker website if you wish.

  5. Launch the Docker Image

    Run the following command to launch an instance of the Docker image you just downloaded:

    But of course, use your own name and password. Also, if you downloaded a different Docker image, replace mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latest with the one you downloaded.

    Here’s an explanation of the parameters:

    -dThis optional parameter launches the Docker container in daemon mode. This means that it runs in the background and doesn’t need its own Terminal window open. You can omit this parameter to have the container run in its own Terminal window.
    --name sql_server_demoAnother optional parameter. This parameter allows you to name the container. This can be handy when stopping and starting your container from the Terminal.
    -e 'ACCEPT_EULA=Y'The Y shows that you agree with the EULA (End User Licence Agreement). This is required in order to have SQL Server for Linux run on your Mac.
    -e 'SA_PASSWORD=reallyStrongPwd123'Required parameter that sets the sa database password.
    -p 1433:1433This maps the local port 1433 to port 1433 on the container. This is the default TCP port that SQL Server uses to listen for connections.
    mcr.microsoft.com/mssql/server:2019-latestThis tells Docker which image to use. If you downloaded a different one, use it instead.

    Password Strength

    If you get the following error at this step, try again, but with a stronger password.

    I received this error when using reallyStrongPwd as the password (but of course, it’s not a really strong password!). I was able to overcome this by adding some numbers to the end. However, if it wasn’t just a demo I’d definitely make it stronger than a few dictionary words and numbers.

  6. Check the Docker container (optional)

    You can type the following command to check that the Docker container is running.

    If it’s up and running, it should return something like this:

  7. Install sql-cli (unless already installed)

    Run the following command to install the sql-cli command line tool. This tool allows you to run queries and other commands against your SQL Server instance.

    This assumes you have NodeJs installed. If you don’t, download it from Nodejs.org first. Installing NodeJs will automatically install npm which is what we use in this command to install sql-cli.

    Permissions Error?

    If you get an error, and part of it reads something like Please try running this command again as root/Administrator, try again, but this time prepend sudo to your command:

  8. Connect to SQL Server

    Now that sql-cli is installed, we can start working with SQL Server via the Terminal window on our Mac.

    Connect to SQL Server using the mssql command, followed by the username and password parameters.

    You should see something like this:

    This means you’ve successfully connected to your instance of SQL Server.

  9. Run a Quick Test

    Run a quick test to check that SQL Server is up and running and you can query it.

    For example, you can run the following command to see which version of SQL Server your running:

    If it’s running, you should see something like this (but of course, this will depend on which version you’re running):

    If you see a message like this, congratulations — SQL Server is now up and running on your Mac!

    You can now go ahead and run SQL queries against SQL Server.

    See my free SQL Tutorial for Beginners to get started with writing simple queries against SQL Server.

A SQL Server GUI for your Mac – Azure Data Studio

Azure Data Studio (formerly SQL Operations Studio) is a free GUI management tool that you can use to manage SQL Server on your Mac. You can use it to create and manage databases, write queries, backup and restore databases, and more.

Azure Data Studio is available on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Here are some articles/tutorials I’ve written for Azure Data Studio:

Another Free SQL Server GUI – DBeaver

Another SQL Server GUI tool that you can use on your Mac (and Windows/Linux/Solaris) is DBeaver.

DBeaver is a free, open source database management tool that can be used on most database management systems (such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Sybase, Microsoft Access, Teradata, Firebird, Derby, and more).

I wrote a little introduction to DBeaver, or you can go straight to the DBeaver download page and try it out with your new SQL Server installation.

Limitations of SQL Server for Linux/Mac

SQL Server for Linux does have some limitations when compared to the Windows editions (although this could change over time). The Linux release doesn’t include many of the extra services that are available in the Windows release, such as Analysis Services, Reporting Services, etc. Here’s a list of what’s available and what’s not on SQL Server 2017 for Linux and here’s Microsoft’s list of Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2019 on Linux.

Another limitation is that SQL Server Management Studio is not available on Mac or Linux. SSMS a full-blown GUI management for SQL Server, and it provides many more features than Azure Data Studio and DBeaver (at least at the time of writing). You can still use SSMS on a Windows machine to connect to SQL Server on a Linux or Mac machine, but you just can’t install it locally on the Linux or Mac machine.

If you need any of the features not supported in SQL Server for Linux, you’ll need SQL Server for Windows. However, you can still run SQL Server for Windows on your Mac by using virtualization software. Here’s how to install SQL Server for Windows on a Mac using VirtualBox.

MySQL GUI tools are open source relational data management and storage system. This system is popular for improving the overall functionality and quality of web applications. MySQL GUI tool is known for integrating SQL development, database design, administration, creation, and maintenance into single and useful development environment for database systems.

Related:

Here is the list of some of the best MySQL GUI tools to choose the one that gives quality results.

Download MySQL Workbench

Available under GPL License, this software provides an integrated environment for database design and modeling, SQL development, database migration and data administration. To install this ultimate tool one needs to have Microsoft NET Framework 4 Client Profile and Visual C++ redistributable for visual studio 2013 as a prerequisite for successful installation of MySQL Workbench.

Mysql Client For Windows

Navicat for MySQL

This software is one stop solution for MySQL/ Maria DB administration and development. The software lets you connect to MySQL and Maria DB databases simultaneously within a single application. The software serves amateurs and professional a comprehensive set of tools for database development, management, and maintenance. The easy and intuitive interface makes it easy to use all its features for best results.

HeidiSQL

Loaded with numerous features this software is an open source application that uses MySQl server, Microsoft SQL databases, and Postgre SQL . The software lets you connect to multiple servers in one window, Connect via SSH tunnel, or pass SSL settings, Export from one server/database directly to another server/database, launch a parallel mysql.exe command line window using your current connection settings and a lot more with few clicks.

Other MySQL GUI Tools for Different Platforms

Different MySQL GUI tools might have different requirements for installation on various operating systems. Therefore, one must have all the necessary prerequisites for successful installation and working of any MySQL GUI tool that you choose to have on your computer. Here is the list of MySQL GUI softwares that works best with major operating systems like Windows, MAC, and Linux.

MySQL GUI Tool For Mac – SequelPro

SequelPro is best compatible with MAC OS X. It has powerful features such as fast and threaded UI, option of choosing among popular languages like Ruby,PHP, BASH or Python, it also offers powerful query editor, full MySQL support that includes table management, table triggers, printing support, creation, duplication, renaming and deletion of databases and much more is possible with this easy to use software.

Mysql Client Linux

MySQL GUI Tool For Windows – SQL Maestro

SQLMatero offers MySQL Tools Family that contains the premier Windows GUI front ends for MySQL management and development. This is ultimate software to create and edit databases easily. One can easily edit table or views, manage users privileges, execute queries, manage SQL scripts, manage import, export, and synchronize data.

MySQL GUI Tool For Linux – SQuirrel SQL

Free Mysql Client Windows

Client

SQuirrel SQL is a graphical JAVA based program that enables you to view JDBC compliant database structures, browse data in the tables, issue SQL commands etc. One can extend the functionality of this software by the use of Plugins. The software offers intuitive and easy to understand interface to make the best use of its features and get desired results.

Most Popular MySQL GUI Tool of 2016 – MyDB Studio

MyDB Studio is a powerful tool to handle MySQL server administration. The software lets you create, modify or delete a database, backup or restore database, export database table info in XML, Excel and Word, synchronizes database, it can also create complete PHP scripts, create or update queries with PHP support, lets you create your own template and does much more with few clicks.

What is MySQL GUI tool?

Free Mssql Client Mac Download

MYSQL GUI tools have been designed for proper management and storage of data. This software are open source relational database management system and known for generating best results. These tools are best used for enhancing the quality and functionality of web applications. MySQL GUI tools integrate designing, developing, managing, creating and maintenance features into single and useful development environment for database systems.You may also see Database Design Tools

These tools let you create, edit or delete databases easily with an intuitive and fast interface. Few softwares like Heidi SQL software lets you connect to multiple servers in one window, Connect via SSH tunnel, or pass SSL settings, Export from one server/database directly to another server/database, launch a parallel mysql.exe command line window by making use of your current connection settings and much more with few clicks.You may also see Data Transfer Software

MySQL GUI tools can be used by anyone who is either new at using SQL tools or is a professional. Anyone can use them for effective database management, development and administration. MySQL GUI tools are world’s second most used relational database management system as they are open source and give quality results as per user requirements and simplify the web development process.

Free Mysql Client Mac Download

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