What is db-here?

db-here is a command line tool that lets you run a real database inside your own project folder with a single command, instead of installing anything system wide. It supports many popular database and cache engines, including PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, MinIO, ClickHouse, OpenSearch, and Memcached, and for almost every one of them it downloads the server program itself, so there is no need for Docker, Homebrew, or any operating system package manager. Each engine gets its own folder inside your project, with its own port number and its own data files, so different apps on the same machine never interfere with each other. Starting a database is as simple as running a command like bunx db-here postgres, and the tool prints out a ready to use connection string right away. Stopping the process with Ctrl+C also stops the database. Because everything lives in one local folder, backing up or restoring a database is as easy as copying or replacing that folder, with no special export or import step required. Wiping a database is just deleting its data directory. This design is described as especially useful for AI coding agents and automated scripts, since they can spin up a working database without needing to fight operating system installers or container tools. Beyond the command line, the tool also offers a JavaScript and TypeScript programming interface with functions for each engine, so a project can start and stop these databases directly from its own code rather than from a separate terminal command. Most engines need no extra setup on macOS or Linux, though Memcached is a partial exception: on Linux it is built from source the first time, which requires a C compiler and the make tool to already be installed, while macOS uses a ready made version with no compiling needed. This tool is aimed at developers who want fast, disposable, per project databases for local development, testing, or automated agent workflows, without the overhead of managing shared system services.