Built for the projects where SQLite is the right call — local tools, embedded data, read-only datasets, or any scenario where standing up a database server is more overhead than the project warrants.

Drop simple.php next to your .db file, open it in a browser, and you have a full database admin interface. No credentials, no server, no configuration — SQLite support is built into PHP.

Browse any table, insert and edit records, run raw SQL queries, and export results to CSV or JSON — all from a single file that disappears when you no longer need it.

Everything you need to manage a SQLite database

Reading level

Full table CRUD

Browse, insert, edit, and delete records across every table in your SQLite database.

File-based connection

Configure a path to any .db or .sqlite file — no server, no credentials required.

Schema-aware

Reads column types, NOT NULL constraints, defaults, and foreign keys via PRAGMA statements.

Per-column rules

Customize labels, hints, readonly fields, and hidden columns via config.php.

CSRF protection

All write operations are protected by token-based CSRF validation.

Zero extra dependencies

SQLite support is built into PHP. No extensions to install, no Composer.

Up in under a minute

Download

Grab the zip or the bare PHP file below.

Upload

Drop simple.php anywhere on a PHP 8.2+ server with your .db file nearby.

Open

Open it in a browser — no credentials needed. Select or drop your SQLite file and you’re in.

When to reach for SIMPLE

Local Development Tools

Stop reaching for a GUI app every time you need to inspect a local SQLite database. Drop SIMPLE into your project root, point it at your .db file, and you have a full CRUD interface in seconds. No install, no configuration file required — it works out of the box during development and disappears just as fast when you’re done.

Embedded SQLite Apps

Laravel, Django, and many microframeworks ship with SQLite as a zero-config default. SIMPLE slots directly into those stacks — read your database.sqlite, inspect the schema, fix seed data, and run exports without touching artisan or the Django shell. It reads your actual tables as they are, not as you hope they are.

Read-Only Dataset Inspection

Got a .db file from a client, a data pipeline, or an API export? SIMPLE lets you browse the schema and query every table immediately. Export any table to CSV or JSON for downstream use in spreadsheets or reporting tools. No credentials to set up, no server to spin up — just open the file and start looking.

Portable Project Data

SQLite databases travel with the project — in a zip, on a USB drive, or in a repo. SIMPLE travels the same way. A single PHP file alongside a single .db file is a self-contained data tool any developer can run with nothing but php -S. Hand it off to a teammate and it just works, regardless of their stack.

How it compares

SIMPLE isn’t the only way to inspect a SQLite database — here’s how it compares to the tools you may already know.

DB Browser for SQLite

DB Browser is a native desktop application — it requires an install, a local GUI environment, and doesn’t travel with your project. SIMPLE runs in the browser over a plain PHP server, which means it works on headless servers, remote VMs, and Docker containers where a desktop app is simply not an option. No install, no OS dependency, no display required.

Adminer

Adminer is a solid general-purpose database admin tool, but SQLite is a second-class citizen there — schema introspection is shallow and the interface isn’t tuned for file-based databases. SIMPLE is SQLite-only by design, which means PRAGMA-based type and constraint awareness, foreign key display, and per-column config rules that Adminer doesn’t attempt. Purpose-built beats general-purpose for SQLite.

SQLiteOnline

SQLiteOnline and similar browser-based tools require you to upload your database to a third-party server — a non-starter for any data that isn’t fully public. SIMPLE runs entirely on your own machine or infrastructure. Your data never leaves the host, no account is required, and there’s no file size limit imposed by someone else’s upload quota.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. The file path is set via config.php or a query parameter depending on how you deploy SIMPLE. You can run multiple instances pointed at different databases, or configure a single instance to accept the path at request time. Each instance operates independently, so there’s no cross-database state to worry about.
SIMPLE opens the database with a standard PDO connection, which respects whatever journal mode the database is already using — including WAL. In WAL mode, readers don’t block writers and vice versa, so SIMPLE can browse and export while your application is actively writing. Write operations from SIMPLE itself acquire the appropriate lock and will retry on contention rather than failing immediately.
Place a config.php file alongside SIMPLE and set the db key to an absolute or relative path pointing at your .db or .sqlite file. The same file is where you define per-column display rules, field overrides, and any access restrictions. If no config file is present, SIMPLE falls back to a default path so you can get started without any setup at all.
SIMPLE includes CSRF protection on all write operations, but it does not ship with authentication. For any deployment reachable from the public internet, you should place it behind HTTP basic auth, an IP allowlist, or another access control layer at the web server or network level. Treat it the same way you’d treat any internal admin tool — not exposed by default, access granted deliberately.
SIMPLE is licensed under the Elastic License 2.0 (ELv2). You can use it freely for internal tools, development workflows, and private projects. The restriction is that you may not offer SIMPLE itself as a managed service or SaaS product to third parties. If you’re using it to manage your own data — which is the point — ELv2 places no restrictions on you.
No. SQLite support ships with PHP via the pdo_sqlite extension, which is enabled by default in virtually every PHP distribution — including the CLI build you’d use with php -S. There are no Composer dependencies, no extension installs, and no build step. If PHP runs on the machine, SIMPLE runs on the machine.

SQLite admin in a single PHP file