db2csv

A lightweight, high-performance CLI tool written in Go to export MySQL/MariaDB tables directly to CSV files. Designed for speed, portability, and ease of use in Linux/WSL environments.

Features

• Zero Dependencies: Compiles to a single static binary. No need for Go, Python, or PHP runtimes on the target server.
• Efficient Memory Usage: Streams data row-by-row, allowing for the export of massive datasets without exhausting RAM.
• Smart Type Handling: Automatically handles MySQL types, including converting []byte (blobs/text) to strings and managing NULL values.
• Flexible Filtering: Supports raw SQL WHERE clauses via a --filter flag.
• Secure: Supports environment variables and URL-encoded credentials for safe database connections.

Installation

From Source

1. Ensure you have Go installed.
2. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/demoniodojo/db2csv.git
   cd db2csv

3. Build the binary:

   go build -o db2csv main.go

4. (Optional) Move to your path:

   sudo mv db2csv /usr/local/bin/

Usage

Basic command structure:

db2csv [flags] <database.table> <output.csv>

If output.csv is omitted then table.csv is used.

Examples

Standard Export:

db2csv --user root --password mysecret my_database.users users_backup.csv

Using a Filter:

db2csv --user admin --password pass --filter "status='active' AND created_at > '2023-01-01'" web_db.orders active_orders.csv

Remote Connection:

db2csv --host 192.168.1.50 --port 3307 --user remote_user mydb.products products.csv

Flags

• --user: Database username (required).
• --password: Database password (required).
• --host: Database hostname (default: 127.0.0.1).
• --port: Database port (default: 3306).
• --filter: Optional SQL snippet for the WHERE clause.
• --no-header: Optional, if used then no column names are included in the csv.

Technical Details

• Language: Go (Golang)
• Database Driver: github.com/go-sql-driver/mysql
• Architecture: - Uses sql.RawBytes and interface{} slices for dynamic row scanning, enabling compatibility with any table schema without pre-definition.
  • Implements Type Assertion to safely convert raw database bytes into UTF-8 strings.
  • Utilizes defer stacks for guaranteed resource cleanup (database handles and file buffers).

License

MIT

Author

Chris Carias