Local PG 🐘

A global CLI tool that runs PGlite as a PostgreSQL-compatible server. Connect with any PostgreSQL client using standard connection strings!

Features

• 🌍 Global CLI tool - Install once, use anywhere
• 🚀 Zero-config setup - No PostgreSQL installation required
• 🔌 Standard PostgreSQL wire protocol - Connect with any PostgreSQL client
• 💾 Persistent or in-memory storage - Choose what fits your needs
• 🛠️ Simple CLI interface - Easy command-line usage
• 🔍 Debug support - Built-in debugging capabilities
• ⚡ Lightweight - Only ~3MB, runs entirely in WebAssembly

Installation

Global Installation (Recommended)

# Install globally from npm
npm install -g local-pg

# Now you can use it anywhere
local-pg --help

Local Installation

# Install locally in your project
npm install local-pg

# Use with npx
npx local-pg --help

Quick Start

1. Start the Server

# Quick start with in-memory database
local-pg

# Development mode with debug output
local-pg --db=memory:// --debug=1

# Persistent database
local-pg --db=./my-database

# Custom port and host
local-pg --port=5433 --host=0.0.0.0

2. Connect with Any PostgreSQL Client

# Using psql
psql -h localhost -p 5432 -U postgres template1

# Connection string format
postgres://postgres@localhost:5432/template1

Usage

Command Line Interface

local-pg [options]

# Alternative command
pg-local [options]

Options

Database Storage Options

Examples

# Quick development setup
local-pg --db=memory:// --debug=1

# Custom database name
local-pg --dbname=myappdb

# Persistent database on custom port
local-pg --db=./data/myapp --port=5433

# Bind to all network interfaces
local-pg --host=0.0.0.0

# Production-like setup
local-pg --db=/var/lib/pglite/myapp --port=5432 --dbname=production

# Show version
local-pg --version

# Get help
local-pg --help

Connection Examples

Node.js with node-postgres

import pg from 'pg';

// Connection string approach
const client = new pg.Client('postgres://postgres@localhost:5432/template1');
await client.connect();

// Config object approach
const client = new pg.Client({
  host: 'localhost',
  port: 5432,
  database: 'template1',
  user: 'postgres'
});
await client.connect();

const result = await client.query('SELECT * FROM users');
console.log(result.rows);

Environment Variables

export PGHOST=localhost
export PGPORT=5432
export PGDATABASE=template1
export PGUSER=postgres

# Now you can use psql without arguments
psql

Other Tools

• DBeaver: Host=localhost, Port=5432, Database=template1, User=postgres
• pgAdmin: Same connection details as above
• VS Code PostgreSQL extension: Use the connection string
• Prisma: Use the connection string in your .env file

Sample Database

The server automatically creates a sample users table with test data:

-- View sample data
SELECT * FROM users;

-- Insert new data
INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES ('Your Name', 'your.email@example.com');

-- Check PostgreSQL version
SELECT version();

-- List all tables
\dt

Programmatic Usage

You can also use this package programmatically in your Node.js applications:

import { startPGliteServer } from 'local-pg';

// Start server programmatically
const server = await startPGliteServer({
  db: './my-app-db',
  dbname: 'myappdb', // Custom database name
  port: 5432,
  host: 'localhost',
  debug: 1
});

console.log('Connection string:', server.connectionString);
// postgres://postgres@localhost:5432/myappdb

// Use the database
const result = await server.db.query('SELECT * FROM users');
console.log(result.rows);

// Stop the server
await server.stop();

Publishing to NPM

To publish this package to npm (for package maintainers):

# 1. Update version in package.json
# 2. Build and test
npm test

# 3. Login to npm
npm login

# 4. Publish
npm publish

# 5. Users can then install globally
npm install -g local-pg

Development Setup

If you want to contribute or modify this package:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/kalib-code/local-pg.git
cd local-pg

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Test locally
node bin/local-pg.js --help

# Link for global testing
npm link
local-pg --help

# Test the package
npm test

Important Notes

Single Connection Limit

⚠️ PGlite supports only ONE connection at a time. If you get "connection refused" or "too many clients" errors, make sure no other client is connected.

Data Persistence

• In-memory (memory://): Data is lost when server stops
• File-based (e.g., ./data/mydb): Data persists between restarts

Performance

• In-memory databases are faster but ephemeral
• File-based databases persist data but are slightly slower
• Perfect for development, testing, and small applications

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused

# Make sure the server is running
node server.js

# Check if port is already in use
lsof -i :5432

Too Many Clients

# Only one client can connect at a time
# Close other connections (psql, DBeaver, etc.)

Database Locked

# Restart the server
# Make sure no other PGlite instance is using the same database file

Use Cases

• Development: No need to install PostgreSQL locally
• Testing: Isolated test databases for each test suite
• CI/CD: Lightweight database for automated tests
• Prototyping: Quick database setup with custom database names
• Education: Learning PostgreSQL without complex setup
• Edge Computing: Portable database for edge applications
• ORM Integration: Use custom database names for compatibility with ORM tools

File Structure

local-pg/
├── package.json              # Package configuration
├── index.js                  # Main module exports
├── bin/
│   └── local-pg.js           # CLI executable
├── custom-handler.js         # Low-level socket implementation
├── test-client.js            # Connection test utility
├── test-custom-db.js         # Custom database name test utility
├── README.md                 # Main documentation
├── CUSTOM_DB.md              # Custom database name documentation
├── CUSTOM_DB_FEATURE.md      # Detailed feature documentation
├── LICENSE                   # MIT License
└── .gitignore                # Git ignore rules

Making it Global

After publishing to npm, users can install globally:

# Install from npm
npm install -g local-pg

# Use anywhere
local-pg --db=./myproject --port=5433

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b my-feature
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Links

• npm package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/local-pg
• GitHub repository: https://github.com/kalib-code/local-pg
• PGlite: https://github.com/electric-sql/pglite
• Issues: https://github.com/kalib-code/local-pg/issues