Overview

sqlfmt applies a river-aligned style, padding clause keywords to line them up in a column. That gives teams a consistent visual convention rather than a choice of formatting presets. The style draws on 343 SQL files from The Art of PostgreSQL query corpus, and the tool serves both SQL in that book and its courses and standalone formatting.

The CLI reads files or standard input and writes formatted SQL to standard output. It can also rewrite files in place, identify files that need changes, show unified diffs, and print its version. Those modes suit both individual cleanup and review or automation workflows. Formatting is limited to PostgreSQL, and deeply nested subqueries or unusual upsert and DDL forms are best-effort cases; review those outputs before relying on bulk rewrites.

Key features

Formatting across workflows

The browser formatter runs sqlfmt through WebAssembly and requires no installation. The Go format subpackage exposes Format(io.Reader) (string, error) for applications that need formatting in Go code. The WebAssembly build exposes sqlfmt.format(sql) and sqlfmt.version to browser JavaScript. A TinyGo and wasm-opt build is about 330 KB, compared with about 2.9 MB for the standard Go WebAssembly target; building it requires tinygo and wasm-opt on PATH.

Editor support includes an Emacs sqlfmt-mode and a Vim integration through formatprg and equalprg. That makes the formatter practical for people who want it in an existing editing routine, while the browser offers a quick option for occasional use.

EXPLAIN plan tools

The explain subcommand formats PostgreSQL plan text and can produce advice or structural diffs. Advice describes join order, join method, access method, and parallelism, but does not include costs, row estimates, or timing. It is therefore useful for examining plan structure, not a substitute for performance metrics.

Explain diff returns exit code 0 for structurally identical plans and 1 when their structures differ, making it suitable for scripts and CI checks. The -canonical option normalizes ordering and schema-qualification differences when comparing advice from different sources, reducing noise in those comparisons.

Pricing

sqlfmt is free. The Browser formatter plan costs 0.00 USD per free and runs in the browser via WebAssembly without installation. There are no paid tiers or plan quotas in the stated offer to weigh against its PostgreSQL-only scope.

Platforms

sqlfmt supports API, Linux, self-hosted, and web use. The CLI, Go package, browser formatter, WebAssembly API, and editor integrations cover a broad range of workflows, though the supported SQL dialect remains PostgreSQL only. The software is released under the PostgreSQL Licence.

Who it's for

sqlfmt is a strong fit for PostgreSQL developers who value a single formatting convention across local scripts, editors, browser tools, and CI. Teams comparing plan structures can also use its EXPLAIN advice and diff operations, provided they do not mistake structural advice for cost, estimate, or timing analysis. It is a weaker fit for teams working across multiple SQL dialects or relying on reliable formatting of deeply nested queries and unusual DDL or upsert syntax.

Pros and cons

Pros: CLI modes cover stdout, in-place rewrites, changed-file lists, and unified diffs, supporting both interactive and automated use.
Pros: Browser, Go, Emacs, Vim, and JavaScript interfaces offer practical ways to integrate PostgreSQL formatting into different environments.
Pros: Structural plan diffs return distinct exit codes for matching and differing plans, which suits CI checks.
Cons: PostgreSQL is the only supported dialect, so mixed-dialect teams need another formatter for their other SQL.
Cons: Deep nesting and exotic upsert or DDL syntax are best-effort, making unchecked formatting risky for those queries.
Cons: Plan advice omits costs, row estimates, and timing, limiting its value for performance diagnosis.

Alternatives

For a SQL linter and formatter directory, browse SQL Linters and Formatters. Choose Poor SQL instead if you need T-SQL formatting, including online or offline use and an SSMS or Visual Studio plugin. TSQLLint is another free option for users who want installable software through dotnet-tool, Homebrew, or NPM.

JSQLFormatter is a free alternative. Sqruff is another free choice if you want its extension, web, or self-hosted platform options. Sleek is a free alternative with an open-source SQL formatter plan. SQL Formatter suits readers seeking a free formatting library and browser demo under the MIT license. SQL Pretty Printer may suit readers who want a paid option with a one-time price of 50.00 USD per once and a free trial. For another free formatter distributed under the PostgreSQL Licence, consider pgFormatter.

Verdict

Choose sqlfmt if PostgreSQL is your focus and you want one free formatter spanning CLI, editor, browser, and CI workflows, with structural EXPLAIN comparisons as a useful extra. Look elsewhere if you need broader dialect coverage or dependable handling of deeply nested and uncommon SQL forms.

	sqlfmt	sqlfmt
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	api, Linux, self-hosted, Web	Web
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Supported SQL dialects	PostgreSQL	PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, SQL Server (T-SQL), BigQuery
Automatic fixes	Yes	Yes
Editor extensions	Yes	No
CI/CD integration	Yes	Yes

sqlfmt vs sqlfmt

sqlfmt

sqlfmt