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Top Tools for PostgreSQL Schema Diff and SQL Migrations

Top Tools for PostgreSQL Schema Diff and SQL Migrations

May 09, 2025
PostgreSQL Schema Diff SQL Migrations Database Management pg-schema-diff Migra Atlas
Discover popular tools like Stripe's pg-schema-diff, Migra, and Atlas that streamline PostgreSQL schema changes and SQL migrations for efficient database management.

PostgreSQL Schema Diff and SQL Migrations

Top 4 Postgres Schema Compare Tool to Diff and Sync Database ...

When working with PostgreSQL, managing schema changes and generating SQL migrations can be streamlined using specialized tools. Below are some popular tools and their features:

1. Stripe's pg-schema-diff

Description: A Go library for diffing PostgreSQL schemas and generating SQL migrations. It supports declarative schema migrations and uses PostgreSQL native operations for zero-downtime migrations wherever possible.

Key Features:

  • Concurrent index builds
  • Online index replacement
  • Online NOT NULL constraint creation
  • Prioritized index builds
  • Comprehensive hazard warnings for dangerous operations

Installation:

go install github.com/stripe/pg-schema-diff/cmd/pg-schema-diff@latest

Usage:

pg-schema-diff plan --from-dsn "postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/db" --to-dir ./schema

Supported PostgreSQL Versions: 14, 15, 16, 17

Link: Stripe's pg-schema-diff on GitHub

2. Migra

Description: A schema diff tool for PostgreSQL, written in Python. It can compare schemas and autogenerate migration scripts.

Key Features:

  • Automatic generation of migration scripts
  • Support for most PostgreSQL features
  • Easy to use from the command line or within Python scripts

Installation:

pip install migra

Usage:

migra postgresql:///a postgresql:///b

Supported PostgreSQL Versions: >= 9

Link: Migra on GitHub

3. Atlas

Description: A tool for managing database schema as code. It can calculate the diff between two schemas and generate SQL migration plans.

Key Features:

  • Supports multiple database types (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, etc.)
  • Can diff schemas from database URLs, HCL, SQL files, or migration directories
  • Configurable diff policies for fine-tuning migrations

Installation:

brew install ariga/tap/atlas

Usage:

atlas schema diff --from "postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/db" --to "postgres://user:pass@remote:5432/db"

Link: Atlas Schema Diff Documentation

These tools can help you manage PostgreSQL schema changes efficiently, ensuring smooth and safe migrations.

Sources

stripe/pg-schema-diff: Go library for diffing Postgres ... - GitHub Computes the diff(erences) between Postgres database schemas and generates the SQL required to get your database schema from point A to B with minimal downtime ...
djrobstep/migra: Like diff but for PostgreSQL schemas - GitHub migra is a schema diff tool for PostgreSQL, written in Python. Use it in your python scripts, or from the command line like this:
Comparing Schemas | Atlas | Manage your database schema as code Atlas offers the schema diff that accepts two schema states: --from and --to, calculates the differences between them, and generates a plan of SQL statements.
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