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What is squirrel?

lieut-data/squirrel — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2025-07-16

GoAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5StaleSetup · easy

In one sentence

Squirrel is a Go library that lets you build SQL queries piece by piece in code instead of writing raw SQL strings, handling escaping and placeholder formatting for you.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Squirrel))
    What it does
      Builds SQL in code
      Avoids string concat
      Returns SQL and params
    Tech stack
      Go
      SQL
      Postgres placeholders
    Use cases
      Conditional filters
      Dynamic search queries
      Safe query building
    Audience
      Go backend developers
      API builders
      Database admins
    Tradeoff
      Not an ORM
      No struct mapping

Code map

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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Build a user search feature with optional filters without writing separate SQL for each combination.

USE CASE 2

Generate parameterized SQL safely without manual string concatenation.

USE CASE 3

Switch placeholder styles between databases, like using $1, $2 for PostgreSQL.

USE CASE 4

Execute built queries directly against a database using RunWith().

What is it built with?

GoSQLPostgreSQL

How does it compare?

lieut-data/squirrel42wim/fabio42wim/go-xmpp
LanguageGoGoGo
Last pushed2025-07-162018-02-042020-01-24
MaintenanceStaleDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity2/53/53/5
Audiencedeveloperops devopsdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to use Squirrel to build a SELECT query with a WHERE clause that only applies when a filter value is provided.
Prompt 2
Write a Go function using Squirrel that conditionally adds JOIN and LIMIT clauses to a query.
Prompt 3
How do I use Squirrel's RunWith() to execute a query directly against a PostgreSQL database?
Prompt 4
Convert this raw SQL into a Squirrel query builder chain: SELECT * FROM users WHERE age > 21 LIMIT 10

Frequently asked questions

What is squirrel?

Squirrel is a Go library that lets you build SQL queries piece by piece in code instead of writing raw SQL strings, handling escaping and placeholder formatting for you.

What language is squirrel written in?

Mainly Go. The stack also includes Go, SQL, PostgreSQL.

Is squirrel actively maintained?

Stale — no commits in 1-2 years (last push 2025-07-16).

How hard is squirrel to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is squirrel for?

Mainly developer.

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