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Datasette

Turns a database file into a browsable, shareable website.

Instead of Airtable

S · ToolOpen sourceSelf-hostable
datasette.io
Screenshot of the Datasette website

Screenshot from datasette.io, taken 2026-10-30, shown to help you recognise the tool. It belongs to its maker. Ask us to remove it.

Somewhere in most organisations there is a spreadsheet with tens of thousands of rows that only one person knows how to search. Datasette takes a SQLite file and gives you a page where anyone can search, filter and export the data. It is licensed Apache 2.0, easy to run on a small server, and we installed it and served a test database to check.

Datasette scores a 5 on lock-in, self-direction and power and a 4 on footprint and longevity.

You need a database to start with, so Delivery is a 3, and the stable release is still 0.65 while 1.0 is in alpha, so expect some change ahead.

Once the file is on a small server, the answer to where a number came from is a link anyone can click.

    What stands out

  • Turns a database file into a website
  • Search, filter and export from the browser
  • Needs a database to start with
Do you make Datasette? Get the badge for your site

This badge reports a dated review. It is not a certification and it costs nothing. Link it to this page and leave the numbers alone: the image always shows the current score.

For dark backgrounds, use datasette-dark.svg in place of datasette-light.svg.

For comparison, we also reviewed Pinterest (13/30) as a benchmark.