csvq
TLDR
Query a CSV file with SQL
SYNOPSIS
csvq [options] [query]
DESCRIPTION
csvq is a command-line tool that enables SQL queries against CSV files. It treats CSV files as database tables, supporting SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, and complex queries with JOINs, subqueries, and aggregate functions.
Column names come from the CSV header row (or can be specified for headerless files). Standard SQL syntax is supported including WHERE, GROUP BY, HAVING, ORDER BY, LIMIT, UNION, and window functions.
Multiple CSV files can be queried together with JOINs. Results can be output in various formats including CSV, JSON, and formatted tables, making it useful for data transformation pipelines.
PARAMETERS
-f, --format format
Output format: csv, tsv, json, text, fixed, ltsv, box.-d, --delimiter char
Field delimiter character.-o, --out file
Output to file instead of stdout.-e, --encoding encoding
Input file encoding.-w, --without-header
CSV has no header row.-n, --line-break type
Line break type: crlf, cr, lf.--write-encoding encoding
Output file encoding.-q, --quiet
Suppress output except results.
SQL FEATURES
Aggregates: COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX
String: CONCAT, SUBSTR, UPPER, LOWER, TRIM
Date: NOW, DATETIME, DATE_FORMAT
Conditionals: CASE, IF, COALESCE, NULLIF
Window functions: ROW_NUMBER, RANK, LAG, LEAD
CAVEATS
Large CSV files are loaded into memory. Complex queries on big files may be slow compared to proper databases. Column names with spaces or special characters require quoting. The tool is single-threaded.
HISTORY
csvq was created by Mithrandie and released as an open-source project written in Go. It was designed to bring the familiarity of SQL to ad-hoc CSV data analysis, filling a gap between simple command-line tools like awk and full database imports. The project continues to be maintained with regular updates adding SQL features.
