What Is DBML at dbml.dbdiagram.io?

DBML at dbml.dbdiagram.io is the web-based tool for DBML (Database Markup Language), a plain-text syntax for defining database schemas. You use it to write or paste DBML definitions in the browser and turn them into a working schema model, typically as a step toward a database diagram. It is a focused language/tooling resource tied to dbdiagram.io's diagram workflow, not a general-purpose website.

What the tool is for

DBML is a human-readable way to describe tables, columns, relationships, indexes, and notes. Instead of clicking through a visual editor, you type a compact definition. The dbml.dbdiagram.io tool is the browser-based entry point for that syntax: you provide the DBML text, and the tool interprets it as a schema definition.

This makes it useful when you want to:

• Draft a schema quickly in text form before building a diagram
• Keep a schema definition under version control alongside application code
• Share a precise, readable schema with teammates instead of a screenshot
• Move from a written definition to a visual database diagram in dbdiagram.io

How it fits with dbdiagram.io

The hostname places the tool within the dbdiagram.io family. The practical relationship is a pipeline: DBML is the input language, and database diagrams are a common output. You define the schema in DBML, and the diagram workflow renders that structure visually.

What DBML definitions typically contain

A DBML file is organized around table blocks. Within each block you list columns with their types and constraints, and you express relationships between tables. For example, a minimal definition looks like this:

Table users {
  id integer [primary key]
  email varchar [unique, not null]
  created_at timestamp
}

Table orders {
  id integer [primary key]
  user_id integer
  total decimal
}

Ref: orders.user_id > users.id

The Ref line declares a foreign-key-style relationship. The bracketed settings such as [primary key] and [not null] carry column constraints. This is the kind of input the tool is built to accept.

When to use it, and when not to

Use it when your priority is a precise, text-first schema that can be reviewed, diffed, and reused, and when you intend to produce a diagram from that definition.

Look elsewhere when you need a full database administration console, live query execution, or a GUI-only modeling experience. The tool's scope is schema definition and diagram-oriented modeling, not database operations.

Practical starting point

1. Open dbml.dbdiagram.io in a browser.
2. Write or paste a DBML definition using Table blocks and Ref relationships.
3. Check that the definition is accepted and the structure reads as intended.
4. Carry the definition into the dbdiagram.io diagram workflow to visualize it.

The main thing to confirm on first use is that your table and reference syntax is accepted; once it is, the same definition can serve as both documentation and diagram source.