Getting Started

This walkthrough takes you from a fresh install to running your first query. If you have not installed Dora yet, see Installation.

1. Create a connection

When Dora opens, you land on the connections screen. Press Mod+Shift+N (⌘ on macOS, Ctrl elsewhere) or click New connection to open the connection dialog.

You can connect two ways:

• Paste a connection string. Toggle Use connection string and paste a full URL such as postgresql://user:pass@host:5432/dbname. Dora detects the engine and whether SSL is required automatically.
• Fill in the fields. Pick a database type and enter host, port, user, password, and database name individually.

For a local file database, choose SQLite or DuckDB and browse to the file — or drag a .db / .sqlite / .duckdb file onto the dialog to fill it in for you.

Click Test connection to verify it works, then Save.

2. Browse your data

Once connected, your tables appear in the sidebar. Click any table to open it in the Data Studio, where you can:

• scroll, sort (click a column header), and filter rows (Mod+F),
• edit a cell by clicking it, or add a row with Mod+Shift+I,
• follow a foreign key by clicking its badge to jump to the referenced row.

3. Run a query

Open the SQL Console from the sidebar. Start typing and Dora autocompletes table and column names from your schema. Run the query with Mod+Enter:

SELECT * FROM users WHERE plan = 'pro' LIMIT 50;

Results appear in a table you can sort, chart, or export. Press Mod+H to reopen any past query from your history.

4. Explore further

• See how every table relates in the Schema Visualizer.
• Let the AI Assistant write or explain SQL for you.
• Query with your ORM using the Drizzle and Prisma runners.
• Learn every keyboard shortcut on the Command Palette page.