How to View Your Postgres Database (psql and GUI Tools)

Your app saves data somewhere, and at some point you'll want to see it — to check a signup worked, find out why a page is empty, or fix a typo in a record. Here are the ways to look inside a PostgreSQL database, from simplest to most powerful.

First: get your connection details

Every method needs the same information — host, port, database name, user and password — usually found in your app's DATABASE_URL. (Postgres connection strings explained shows how to read one.)

Option 1: psql (the command line)

psql is Postgres's built-in command-line tool. It's always available on servers, and fast once you know a handful of commands.

psql "$DATABASE_URL"

Inside, commands starting with a backslash describe the database:

Command	Shows
`\l`	All databases
`\dt`	Tables in the current database
`\d users`	Columns, types and indexes of the `users` table
`\du`	Users (roles)
`\x`	Toggle expanded display (easier for wide rows)
`\q`	Quit

And any SQL query, ending with a semicolon:

SELECT id, email, created_at FROM users ORDER BY created_at DESC LIMIT 10;

Always add LIMIT when exploring — SELECT * FROM events; on a table with ten million rows will flood your terminal. (SQL for beginners.)

Option 2: A desktop GUI

If you'd rather click than type, a graphical tool shows tables like spreadsheets:

pgAdmin — the official Postgres admin tool. Free, comprehensive, a bit heavy.
DBeaver — free and open source, works with almost every database.
TablePlus, Beekeeper Studio, DataGrip — polished tools with free tiers or paid licences.

You create a new connection, paste in your details (many accept a full connection URL), and browse. Most let you edit cells directly — convenient, and dangerous on a production database (see below).

Option 3: Inside VS Code

Database extensions for VS Code — including an official PostgreSQL extension from Microsoft — let you connect, browse tables and run queries without leaving your editor. Handy if you live in VS Code already. (VS Code for beginners.)

Option 4: Your ORM's studio

If your app uses an ORM, it may come with a browser-based data viewer:

npx prisma studio      # Prisma
npx drizzle-kit studio # Drizzle

These show your tables using your app's own models — useful for a quick look. (What is an ORM?)

Option 5: Your host's dashboard

Supabase, Neon and other hosted Postgres providers have a table editor and SQL editor in their web dashboard. The easiest option if your database lives there.

Connecting to a database on a server

Production databases should not be open to the whole internet. Often Postgres only accepts connections from the server it runs on. To reach it from your laptop safely:

SSH tunnel: forward a local port to the database through SSH, then connect your GUI to localhost:
```
ssh -L 5433:localhost:5432 you@your-server.com
```
Now connect to localhost:5433 on your machine. Most GUI tools also have a built-in "SSH tunnel" option that does this for you. See SSH port forwarding explained.
Or run psql on the server after SSHing in.

Avoid opening port 5432 to the internet just to make your GUI work. Bots constantly scan for exposed databases.

Be careful with production data

Looking is safe. Changing is where accidents happen.

Use a read-only user for browsing production, so a stray click can't modify anything:

CREATE ROLE readonly LOGIN PASSWORD '...';
GRANT CONNECT ON DATABASE myapp TO readonly;
GRANT USAGE ON SCHEMA public TO readonly;
GRANT SELECT ON ALL TABLES IN SCHEMA public TO readonly;

Wrap manual changes in a transaction so you can check before committing:
```
BEGIN;
UPDATE users SET email = 'new@example.com' WHERE id = 42;
-- check: should say UPDATE 1
COMMIT;   -- or ROLLBACK;
```
An UPDATE without a WHERE changes every row. (Database transactions explained.)
Have a recent backup you've actually tested. (Backups for beginners.)
Never give an AI agent unrestricted write access to production. See how to stop an AI agent from deleting your production database.

The summary

psql works everywhere: \dt lists tables, \d table describes one, \q quits.
GUIs (pgAdmin, DBeaver, TablePlus), VS Code extensions and ORM studios are friendlier for browsing.
Reach server databases through an SSH tunnel, not an exposed port.
In production: read-only users, transactions for manual changes, and a tested backup.

EasySpawn servers come with PostgreSQL running beside your app and are reachable over SSH, so you can tunnel your favourite database GUI straight to it — or ask Claude Code to query it for you. See how it works or join the waitlist.

How to View Your Postgres Database: psql, GUIs, and VS Code