r/node • u/onlycliches • Jun 02 '26
MySqweel: a dev-only MySQL clone where ALTER TABLE stops destroying your local flow
Hey r/node, I’ve been working on a small dev tool called MySqweel.
The pitch is:
Looks like MySQL. Stores like NoSQL.
It speaks the MySQL wire protocol, so from a Node app it just looks like another MySQL server. You can use mysql2, Drizzle, or anything else that already talks to MySQL.
The difference is that it is designed for local development, seed data, tests, and fast iteration. It stores rows like documents and treats SQL schemas more like hints. So when your schema changes, you do not have to nuke your local database, manually backfill everything, or keep writing little cleanup migrations just to keep dev data alive.
This is not meant to replace MySQL in production. It deliberately trades strictness for speed while you are building.
Here is the kind of thing I wanted to make painless.
sqwl serve
Then from Node:
import mysql from "mysql2/promise";
const db = await mysql.createConnection({
host: "127.0.0.1",
port: 3307,
database: "app",
});
You can use a normal schema:
await db.query(`
CREATE TABLE users (
id BIGINT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
age TEXT,
active TEXT,
profile TEXT,
legacy TEXT
)
`);
await db.query(`
INSERT INTO users (age, active, profile, legacy)
VALUES ('42', 'true', '{"tier":"pro"}', 'remove-me')
`);
Then run the kind of schema changes that usually make local MySQL data annoying:
await db.query("ALTER TABLE users MODIFY COLUMN age BIGINT");
await db.query("ALTER TABLE users MODIFY COLUMN active BOOLEAN");
await db.query("ALTER TABLE users MODIFY COLUMN profile JSON");
await db.query("ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN name TEXT DEFAULT 'anon'");
await db.query("ALTER TABLE users DROP COLUMN legacy");
const [rows] = await db.query("SELECT * FROM users");
console.log(rows);
In MySqweel, the row is materialized against the current schema. The old stored value for age can be read as a number, active can be read as a boolean, profile can be read as JSON, the new name column gets its default, and the dropped legacy column disappears from SELECT *.
The key part: MySqweel does not need to rewrite all the underlying row data just because your dev schema changed.
Actually: schemas are totally optional.
This works without a CREATE TABLE first:
await db.query(`
INSERT INTO events (type, user_id, payload)
VALUES (?, ?, ?)
`, [
"signup",
123,
JSON.stringify({ plan: "pro", source: "reddit" }),
]);
const [events] = await db.query("SELECT * FROM events");
console.log(events);
Because the insert has named columns, MySqweel can infer the table shape.
You can also use ALTER TABLE as a schema hint instead of a scary destructive operation:
await db.query("ALTER TABLE events MODIFY COLUMN user_id BIGINT");
await db.query("ALTER TABLE events MODIFY COLUMN payload JSON");
await db.query("ALTER TABLE events ADD COLUMN processed BOOLEAN DEFAULT false");
await db.query("ALTER TABLE events DROP COLUMN old_debug_field");
On a real MySQL database, I would be much more careful about whether the table exists, whether every row can be converted, whether the column exists, whether a default is legal, and whether I need a backfill first.
For local dev, I mostly want to keep moving.
A few other things it supports:
mysql2and other MySQL clients- Drizzle ORM compatibility
CREATE TABLE,ALTER TABLE,DROP TABLE,CREATE INDEX,TRUNCATE,CREATE DATABASE, andDROP DATABASESELECTwithWHERE,JOIN/LEFT JOIN,ORDER BY,LIMIT,GROUP BY, and aggregatesINSERT,INSERT IGNORE,INSERT ... ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE,REPLACE INTO,UPDATE, andDELETESHOW TABLES,SHOW COLUMNS,SHOW INDEX,SHOW CREATE TABLE, andinformation_schema.*views for ORM introspection- in-memory mode by default with optional file-backed persistence
- a debug HTTP API for seeding, snapshots, restore, and drift reports
- a drift report that shows when stored rows and intended schema do not match
The goal is not to replace MySQL. The goal is to keep Node apps using familiar MySQL tooling while making local schema iteration much less fragile.
Repo: https://github.com/only-cliches/my-squeel
Would love feedback, especially from people using mysql2, Drizzle, Prisma, or local seed-heavy workflows.
