Download DuckDB JDBC Driver

Download the DuckDB JDBC driver, copy the JDBC URL into DbSchema, and start designing schemas with ER diagrams — free Community Edition.

Connect DuckDB in DbSchema Install the driver, open a connection, reverse engineer your schema, and sync changes visually.
DuckDB guide Free Download

About the DuckDB JDBC driver

A JDBC driver is a Java .jar library that lets applications connect to DuckDB. DbSchema uses JDBC to reverse engineer schemas, run SQL, and generate documentation. Driver files are usually published by the database vendor or an open-source project.

JDBC URL format

Host, port, database name, and SSL options are passed in a URL starting with jdbc:. Each DuckDB driver uses its own syntax — see the connection details below.

The DuckDB JDBC driver

DuckDB is an embedded OLAP database designed for analytical workloads directly inside your application process, with no separate server required. It reads Parquet, CSV, and JSON files natively and integrates with Python, R, and Java, making it popular for local data analysis and data pipeline testing.

The DuckDB JDBC URL

  • Required File(s): duckdb_jdbc-xxx.jar
  • Java Driver Class: org.duckdb.DuckDBDriver
  • JDBC URL: jdbc:duckdb:{FILE}
  • Website: DuckDB

Download DuckDB JDBC Driver

The driver archive is a zip file. Extract it and load the .jar files using DbSchema's Driver Manager.

Opening a DuckDB Database

DuckDB has no server to configure. There is no host, no port, no user account and no firewall rule — the JDBC URL points at a file on disk, and DbSchema opens it directly. Two things still matter: the file must be reachable from the computer running DbSchema, and it should sit on a local disk. File locking over network shares and NFS is unreliable, and an embedded database opened over one can be corrupted.

One rule decides whether the connection opens: only one process at a time may hold a DuckDB file for writing. DuckDB runs inside the process that opens it, so if your script, notebook or application still has the file open, DbSchema cannot take it — and the reverse is equally true. Close the other process first.

  1. Point the URL at the file. jdbc:duckdb:/path/to/analytics.duckdb. Press Choose... in the Connection Dialog and DbSchema fills it in. With no path at all the driver creates a temporary in-memory database, which is empty by design and is a common source of "where did my tables go".
  2. To share the file, open it read-only. Several processes may read the same database at once when each sets access_mode=READ_ONLY. Nothing can write while they do, which suits browsing and documenting a database another tool is producing.

DbSchema and DuckDB

DbSchema connects to DuckDB using the official JDBC driver and renders the in-process schema as a visual diagram. This is especially useful for teams using DuckDB as a local data warehouse, where DbSchema's table editor and query builder accelerate schema iteration.

Test the driver with DbSchema

Connect DuckDB, build your first ER diagram in minutes. No account required.

1
Download driver & DbSchema

Get the DuckDB driver zip below and install DbSchema for Windows, macOS, or Linux.

2
Register the .jar

In DbSchema, open Driver Manager, add the extracted JAR, and paste your JDBC URL.

3
Design & document

Reverse engineer DuckDB, edit the model visually, and publish schema documentation.

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Use DuckDB visually in DbSchema

After the JDBC driver connects, you get ER diagrams, SQL editor, schema sync, and HTML documentation in one desktop app. Compare DbSchema editions.

ER diagrams

Reverse engineer DuckDB into an interactive diagram and edit structures visually.

SQL & query builder

Run SQL with autocomplete or compose queries without writing every join by hand.

Schema documentation

Export HTML docs your team can browse without installing DbSchema.

Full DuckDB guide

Connection tips, ports, SSL, and schema design workflows on the database landing page.

DuckDB guide

Other drivers teams often configure alongside DuckDB.

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