Design and Manage FrontBase Databases Visually with DbSchema

DbSchema lets you design, manage, and document FrontBase databases. Create ER diagrams, define tables and columns, and generate SQL scripts - with or without a live database connection.

Use Git to share the design, compare it with the FrontBase database, and deploy changes. DbSchema also includes a data editor, query builder, and HTML5 documentation - everything you need in one tool.

DbSchema Database Designer

Download DbSchema Download FrontBase JDBC Driver

Visual Database Tools for FrontBase on macOS and Unix

FrontBase is a high-performance SQL database developed primarily for macOS and Unix environments, offering ACID compliance and a standards-conformant SQL implementation. It is used in server-side application development and academic research environments where a capable native macOS database engine is preferred. DbSchema connects to FrontBase via JDBC, renders the SQL schema as an interactive ER diagram, and provides SQL editing tools for working with FrontBase-specific syntax.

Connect and Explore the FrontBase Schema

DbSchema reads FrontBase's SQL catalog after connecting and displays tables, columns, primary keys, and foreign key constraints in the diagram canvas. Multiple schemas within the same database can be visualized side by side, making cross-schema dependencies in larger FrontBase deployments easier to understand.

Opening a FrontBase connection in DbSchema and rendering the schema diagram

Execute SQL Queries Against FrontBase

The SQL editor supports FrontBase's SQL dialect — including its handling of sessions, transaction isolation levels, and its type system. Write and run queries interactively, inspect result sets, and iterate on query logic without leaving DbSchema.

SQL editor running a query against a FrontBase database in DbSchema

Generate HTML Schema Documentation

DbSchema's documentation generator exports the complete FrontBase schema as an HTML report, including table definitions, column types, constraints, and navigable relationship diagrams. This is useful for sharing the database structure with team members who do not have FrontBase client access configured.

HTML schema documentation generated from a FrontBase database in DbSchema

Connecting DbSchema to FrontBase

FrontBase listens on port 4242 by default. The JDBC URL format is jdbc:FrontBase://host/dbname. Download the FrontBase JDBC driver from frontbase.com and register the JAR in DbSchema's driver manager. The FrontBase database server must be running before DbSchema attempts to connect — on macOS, the server can be started through the FrontBase Manager application or via the FrontBase command-line tool included with the installation package.

Why DbSchema for FrontBase

  • Visualize FrontBase SQL schemas in an ER diagram without writing system catalog queries.
  • Run SQL interactively in a desktop client that understands FrontBase's type system.
  • Document schemas as shareable HTML reports for team review and audit purposes.
  • Design schema modifications visually and apply the resulting DDL to the server.
  • Compare schema versions across FrontBase instances using DbSchema's synchronization tool.