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Design a database by drawing it.

Draw your tables. Link them. ERD Studio writes the SQL, builds a real SQLite database and turns your design into a small app you can try. Made for people who are new to databases.

Open ERD Studio Take the 2-minute tour

Welcome back. Continue your diagram.

Shop example
Customer PKcustomer_id nameText cityText Order PKorder_id FKcustomer_id order_dateDate OrderLine PKFKorder_id PKFKproduct_id quantity Product PKproduct_id price 1many
Plain wordsOne Customer can have many Orders. Many Orders have many Products, so OrderLine stores each pairing.
  • 0installs and accounts
  • 2 minto your first linked tables
  • 3views of one design: diagram, SQL, app
  • 5ready examples to start from
  • 100%of your work stays on your device

How it works

Three steps from idea to working database

You do not need to write code. Each step shows you what to do next.

1

Add your tables

A table is a list of one kind of thing, like Students or Orders. Give it fields: a name, a date, a price.

2

Link them

Say how they connect: "one customer has many orders". ERD Studio adds the keys and draws the line.

3

Try it as an app

Your design becomes forms you can fill in. Add records, test the rules, then export the SQL and the database.

Always in step

One design, three views

Change any view and the others follow. This is how you learn what a diagram means in a real database.

The diagram

Tables and crow's foot lines, the standard notation used in textbooks and industry tools.

The SQL

The language the database reads. Edit it and the diagram updates.

CREATE TABLE "Order" (
  order_id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
  customer_id INTEGER NOT NULL,
  FOREIGN KEY (customer_id)
    REFERENCES Customer (customer_id)
);

The database and app

A real SQLite database runs in your browser. Each table becomes a screen with a form.

Plain-English explanations

A side panel reads your design back to you: what one row stands for, and how tables connect.

Standard rules

One-to-many, one-to-one and many-to-many. Many-to-many builds the associative table for you.

A real database

SQLite runs inside the page with foreign keys on. Break a rule and you see a clear message.

Check my design

One click finds common mistakes, like a missing key or a field that should be a link. Each one says why, and many have a one-click fix.

Import, export, share

Open .sql, .db and draw.io files. Export a picture, SQL for MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite, the .db file, or a share link for your group.

Learn by doing

Try a guided exercise from a short case. See 1NF, 2NF and 3NF step by step, then check your own tables.

Versions

Save a version before a big change. See what changed, and go back in one click.

Keyboard friendly

Move and link tables with the keyboard. Screen readers hear each table by name, keys and links.

Any device

Laptops, lab computers, tablets and phones. Nothing to install.

For teaching and learning

Ready for the classroom

Built for a first database lesson. Students start in seconds and stay focused on the ideas.

  • No install, no sign-up and no cost.
  • Work stays in the student's own browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
  • Four guided steps and a short tour show what to do next.
  • Beginner mode hides the technical options. Advanced mode shows them all.
  • Students hand in a picture, the SQL or one .zip file.

Start from an example

ScSchoolLecturers, modules, students and enrolments ShShopCustomers, orders, products and order lines LiLibraryMembers, books, copies and loans ClClinicPatients, doctors and appointments ReResearch studyParticipants, sessions and measurements +Blank diagramStart your own design from nothing

Fits your tools

Works with the files you already have

Open a .sql file, a SQLite .db file or a draw.io diagram. Export SQL for SQLite, MySQL or PostgreSQL. Take DBML or Mermaid text to other tools. Send a share link to your group.

  • SQLite
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • draw.io (diagrams.net)
  • DBML
  • Mermaid

Coming soon

More is on the way

ERD Studio gets better each month. These updates are in progress.

  • Exercise hintsHints that compare your exercise with a model design, without showing it.
  • Feedback from the appSend an idea or a problem straight from the Help menu.
  • Chen notation viewSee the same design as in the textbooks.
  • Notes and table groupsWrite your assumptions on the canvas.
  • Work togetherEdit one diagram with your group at the same time.
  • PostgreSQL in the browserTry your design on a second database engine.

Questions

Good to know

Is ERD Studio free?

Yes. It is free to use. You do not need an account.

Where is my work saved?

In your browser, on your device only. ERD Studio does not send your diagram or data anywhere. If you clear your browser data, the work is gone, so use Export to keep a copy. On a shared computer, export before you leave.

Can I open my work on another computer?

Yes. Export "Everything in one file (.zip)" or the .sql file. On the other computer, open ERD Studio and use Open > Open a file.

Which notation does it use?

Crow's foot (Information Engineering) notation. The end of each line shows the maximum (one or many) and the minimum (mandatory or optional).

Is the SQL real?

Yes. The app runs a real SQLite database in your browser. Advanced mode can also show the same design as MySQL or PostgreSQL.

Does it use AI?

No. No AI runs inside ERD Studio. The design checker uses standard design rules, so it gives the same answer every time.

Does it work without internet?

Yes, after the first visit. Your browser keeps a copy of the app, and your work stays in your browser.

More answers are in the documentation.

Draw your first database now

It takes about two minutes to make two linked tables.

Open ERD Studio Read the guide