JSON and JSONB
Operators such as ->, ->>, #>, @>, and ? work on structured values. They must be tokenized as operators rather than split or mistaken for placeholders.
PostgreSQL query beautifier
Format Postgres SQL without uploading it
The PostgreSQL profile is selected when the page loads. Change indentation, keyword case, expression width, logical-operator breaks, and statement spacing before formatting in a local worker.
Loading the PostgreSQL formatter…
Enable JavaScript to format queries locally. PostgreSQL syntax guidance remains available below.
Three controlled steps
How to format a PostgreSQL query
- 1
Paste recoverable source
Start from version-controlled SQL or keep the original beside the result. Remove credentials and production values where possible even though formatting stays local.
- 2
Keep PostgreSQL selected
The dialect profile distinguishes Postgres tokens from Standard SQL, MySQL, BigQuery, and T-SQL. Choose the actual execution target rather than the mode that produces the prettiest result.
- 3
Review and validate separately
Compare every literal, identifier, placeholder, comment, cast, and operator, then parse, prepare, lint, explain, or test with the exact PostgreSQL version and extensions you use.
Dialect choice starts with tokens
Why PostgreSQL needs its own SQL formatter
PostgreSQL shares familiar SQL clauses but extends the language with distinct literal forms, operators, types, functions, procedural bodies, and commands. A generic formatter can recognize SELECT and WHERE yet still mishandle a dollar-quoted function, JSON containment operator, cast, range expression, or nested block comment.
Unquoted PostgreSQL identifiers are folded to lowercase. Double-quoted identifiers preserve their spelling and case, so changing customer to "Customer" is not a style cleanup: it can name a different object. This tool leaves identifier spelling and quote characters alone. The keyword-case option applies to recognized keywords, while data types and function names are preserved to reduce accidental changes to extension and user-defined names.
Dollar quoting can delimit strings with $$ or matching tags such as $function$. The body can contain single quotes, semicolons, comment markers, and another language. A PostgreSQL-aware tokenizer can keep that region together, but a query formatter is not automatically a PL/pgSQL, PL/Python, or PL/Perl formatter. Treat stored routine bodies as a high-risk diff.
- Identifiers
- Unquoted names fold to lowercase; double quotes preserve spelling.
- Casts
expression::typeis common PostgreSQL syntax.- Parameters
- Drivers commonly use positional markers such as
$1. - Dollar quoting
- Tagged delimiters can contain procedural or other embedded text.
Punctuation can carry meaning
Preserve PostgreSQL JSON, array, range, and text operators
Arrays and ranges
PostgreSQL defines containment, overlap, concatenation, and comparison behavior across array and range types. Formatting should expose expression structure without rewriting its operator.
Full-text search
Types and operators such as tsvector, tsquery, and @@ form expressions that a generic SQL vocabulary may not understand.
Extensions
Installed extensions can add data types, functions, and operators. A formatter version cannot know every local extension, so preserved name case and a careful diff remain essential.
Make complex Postgres readable
Format CTEs, FILTER clauses, windows, and RETURNING
Common table expressions become easier to review when each CTE name, column list, and query body has a visible boundary. Recursive CTEs deserve extra attention because the anchor and recursive terms have different roles. Formatting does not detect a non-terminating recursive condition or prove that materialization choices are appropriate.
PostgreSQL aggregate FILTER clauses can replace several conditional expressions with explicit per-aggregate predicates. Window functions add partition, ordering, and frame specifications whose nesting benefits from indentation. The formatter can lay these elements out; the database planner and application tests must determine whether the result means and performs what you expect.
INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and MERGE can return rows through RETURNING. A polished data-changing statement is still data-changing. Keep the original filter visible, use transactions and appropriate permissions, and never treat a successful format as permission to run it in production.
Formatting does not inspect a schema
LiveParse does not know whether a relation, column, cast, function, operator, type, role, row policy, or extension exists. It also cannot see search_path, session settings, transaction state, or parameter types.
Local by design
A private PostgreSQL query formatter
No query API
The query is passed to a worker created by this page and returned to the same page. No PostgreSQL server, formatter service, or database proxy receives it.
No URL or saved draft
Input and output are not placed in a shareable URL or browser storage. Reloading or closing the tab clears the working state held by the page.
Bounded work
Input is limited to 50,000 characters, a warning appears above 25,000, work stops after 2 seconds, and output beyond 200,000 characters is discarded.
User-controlled export
Clipboard and local .sql download actions occur only when you press their buttons. Your device and extensions remain separate privacy boundaries.
Readable is not proven correct
PostgreSQL formatting vs parsing, validation, and execution
StageWhat it can showWhat it cannot prove
FormatA consistent readable layout for recognized tokens.Complete grammar support, valid objects, types, privileges, or safe meaning.
Parse or prepareWhether the target server accepts syntax in a specific context.Correct returned data, good performance, or harmless side effects.
EXPLAINA plan estimate under a database's catalog and statistics.Exact production timing or result correctness.
Test and reviewExpected results, boundaries, permissions, and side effects in controlled cases.Every future data distribution or operational condition.
Questions answered
PostgreSQL SQL formatter FAQ
Does the PostgreSQL formatter execute my query?
No. It changes query layout in a browser worker and never connects to PostgreSQL or another database. It has no hostname, credentials, schema catalog, session, or execution permission.
Does it preserve PostgreSQL dollar-quoted strings?
The PostgreSQL profile recognizes dollar-quoted strings, including tagged delimiters, but it does not format the embedded body of a stored routine or procedural language. Always inspect the diff rather than assuming embedded text was understood.
Is successful formatting PostgreSQL validation?
No. Formatting cannot confirm full grammar coverage, relation and column names, extension operators, types, permissions, row-level security, plans, results, or side effects. Use the exact server version and established database review process.
Can it format CTEs and window functions?
Yes. It lays out common table expressions, aggregate FILTER clauses, window expressions, nested queries, and other recognized PostgreSQL structures. Formatting does not prove that a recursive CTE terminates or a window frame matches business intent.
Will uppercase keywords change my identifiers?
Recognized keywords can be uppercased, lowercased, or preserved. Identifier, function, and data-type spelling is preserved. Quoted identifiers and string content remain quoted text. Review extension and user-defined names after every automated rewrite.
Can it format stored procedures or PL/pgSQL functions?
No. Stored procedures, embedded procedural bodies, and custom-delimiter scripts—including scripts using MySQL's DELIMITER client directive—are not supported. Use specialized routine tooling and preserve unsupported text rather than trying to repair it automatically.
Why was a large query stopped?
Formatting complex generated text can consume substantial memory. LiveParse limits input to 50,000 characters and terminates the worker after 2 seconds. Split a large script at safe statement boundaries and retain the original transaction and dependency order.