# Build a Free Postgres GUI in 3 Steps May 20, 2025 by Ronan McQuillan A Postgres GUI helps you make the most out of your database, whether you are a coder or not. Databases are incredible tools for businesses. They allow you to store and process data at scale so that you can make better-informed decisions. You have two options to load data from databases. You can use code via a command line or a programming language. So, you type in the commands in a terminal or send your code to a server, and you get the results. Or you can use a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to visually interact with your database objects. With a GUI, you interact with your database using screens, buttons, and visual elements to see what is happening. Thus, a GUI allows you to access your database, even if you aren’t a coder. If you are a coder, it is still a great option to run simple tasks. You can always run your queries manually if you need them either way. It is quite tricky to pick the right tool for managing SQL queries, though. There are many factors to consider, including licensing price, features, online access, number of users, ease of use, and many more. But there’s a simple solution. You can build your own Postgres GUI using a free, [open-source low-code platform](https://budibase.com/blog/open-source-low-code-platforms/) like Budibase. It’s much easier than it sounds, it requires no coding knowledge and you can do it in three steps. 1. Connect to your Postgres Database. 2. Auto-generate the GUI screens. 3. Add your custom elements to your Postgres GUI. Today, we’ll walk you through this process. You’ll learn how you can connect to your database, get data from it, and generate screens automatically. Then, you’ll learn how to customize the app to add your own functions. Let’s get started! ## **Is there a GUI for Postgres?** Postgres is an open-source database system. It is a tool to store and process data. Thus, it doesn’t have an official GUI. However, there are many Postgres GUI options available. In addition, you can build your own GUI for database administration in just three steps. ## **What is the best client for PostgreSQL?** The best Postgres GUI depends on your requirements. There are pre-made tools with a wide range of features and prices, yet there’s no guarantee that you’ll find the perfect fit for your business. At the end of the day, the best PostgreSQL client is the one that does everything you need. And very rarely will you find this in a premade tool. Building an app with code can take a lot of time, and it can be very expensive. But you can use a low-code builder to do it for free. Let’s see what we consider the best PostgreSQL client if you just want to get started. The demo app is connected to a PostgreSQL database for a blog. You could alternatively connect to multiple databases - including SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, and more. There are two tables, one for posts and one for settings. The first screen you see when you load up the web application is the posts table: Next, you can see the table data. You can click on individual rows or the `Create Row` button to manage items. These open a modal screen with forms based on our table schema. This is just a form with fields coming from the table. But you can spice it up in any way you want to. You can include reference data, API calls, data from other tables, and even actions to send emails alongside cross-team collaboration and connection to multiple data sources. The settings screen is very similar, but it uses slightly different elements: ## How to build a Postgres GUI in 3 steps If you haven’t already, the first thing you’ll need to do is sign up for a free Budibase account. We’ll then create a new Workspace, which we’ll call `PostgreSQL GUI`. In Budibase, a Workspace is a collection of data sources, automations, and end-user apps that can all interact with one another. We’ll next be prompted to connect our first data source. Budibase offers a built-in relational database, as well as native connectors for a huge range of RDBMSs, NoSQL tools, APIs, and more. ### 1\. Connecting our database As you can likely guess, we’re going to choose the option to connect to a PostgreSQL database. We’re then asked which of our database’s constituent tables we’d like to `fetch`. This will enable us to interact with whichever tables we choose in the Budibase builder, or end-user applications and automations. Once we’ve fetched our tables, we can interact with them using the spreadsheet-like interface in the Data section of our Workspace. Budibase also gives us the ability to write, test, and save custom queries for connected databases. This means that App Admins can use the Budibase builder as a fully functional Postgres GUI, right out of the box. ### 2\. Autogenerating CRUD screens Once we’re happy with our data model, we can begin creating the front-end of our Postgres GUI. When we hit `Create your first app`, we’ll be prompted to give it a name and URL extension. We’ll simply call ours `GUI`. This takes us to the Budibase builder, where a blank screen has been created. We’re going to be relying heavily on Budibase’s autogenerated UIs, so we can simply delete this screen. We’re going to select the `Table` option. This will generate a working CRUD UI, based on a supported data source. When we click on this, we’re asked to select the tables we’d like to base this on. We’re selecting both of the tables in our Postgres database, which we’ll create a working CRUD UI for each. We can then choose which kind of components we’d like to display our CRUD forms within. We’re picking the option to present these as `Modals`. Here’s how our `posts` screen looks within the Budibase builder. We can access CREATE or UPDATE forms using the `Create Row` button or by clicking on individual table rows, respectively. ### 3\. Modifying autogenerated UIs Before we push our app live, though, we’re going to make a few UX improvements to each of our screens. #### Posts Firstly, we can make a few adjustments to our `posts` screen. We’ll start by updating the `Text` setting of our `Headline` component, to give this more reader-friendly display text. Next, a key feature of our Postgres GUI will be enabling users to perform front-end filtering. To do this, we’re going to add a `Filter` component. The `Filter` component can be pointed at any data-based element on our screen. We can then select the relevant columns from this which we’d like to enable users to filter on. Now, users will be able to dynamically set filtering expressions from the front-end of our Postgres GUI. #### Settings Next, we can move on to making similar UX changes to our `Settings` screen. We will create a static search bar. Thanks to Budibase’s Global Context, where all elements on a screen are exposed to the data outputs of all other components, this is easy. Now, our Postgres GUI has fully working search functionality, based on the `setting_key` column. When we’re happy with our UX, we can use the `Publish` button to push our Postgres GUI live for end users within our Workspace. ## Turn data into action with Budibase Budibase is the open-source, low-code platform that empowers IT teams to turn data into action. With extensive external data support, powerful AI-driven automations, autogenerated UIs, custom RBAC, optional self-hosting, free SSO, and more, there’s never been a better way to ship professional internal tools at pace. Check out our [features overview](https://budibase.com/product/) to learn more.