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Command line

Command line parameters can be passed directly to the DBeaver executable. The way to do this depends on your operating system.

Windows

You can use the dbeaverc.exe [parameters] executable. This version doesn’t spawn a new window, so you can see output messages in the same terminal.

MacOS

Parameters can be passed in two ways:

  • Use the open command with the -a flag and the app name, followed by --args and your parameters.

    Depending on the edition, use DBeaver.app, DBeaverLite.app, DBeaverEE.app, or DBeaverUltimate.app.

    Example

    open -a "DBeaver.app" --args [parameters]

    This method does not redirect logs, stdout, or stderr to the terminal.

  • Run the actual executable directly from inside the .app package.

    Example

    /Applications/DBeaver.app/Contents/MacOS/dbeaver [parameters]

    This method does redirect logs, stdout, and stderr to the terminal.

Linux

Pass parameters directly to the DBeaver executable in the terminal.

Example

/usr/bin/dbeaver-ce [parameters].

This method redirects logging messages, stdout, and stderr to the terminal.

Using dbeaver.ini

Parameters can also be added in the dbeaver.ini configuration file. These should be written at the beginning of the file, with each parameter on its own line.

Tip

Detailed instructions on finding dbeaver.ini are available in our article.

Command line parameters

DBeaver control

Name Value Example
-help Prints help message.
-stop Quits DBeaver.
-dump Prints DBeaver thread dump. Learn more about Thread Dump
-f Opens the file in DBeaver UI, if the command has -con argument, connects it to datasource. -f c:\some-path\some-file.sql
-con Opens database connection in DBeaver UI. Learn more See connection parameters table
-closeTabs Closes all open editor tabs.
-disconnectAll Closes all open connections.
-reuseWorkspace Forces reuse of single workspace by multiple DBeaver instances.
-newInstance Forces new DBeaver instance creation (do not try to reuse already running one).
-bringToFront Brings the DBeaver window on top of other applications.
-runTask Executes specified task. Learn more -runTask "@projectName:taskName".
-var Customs variables for runTask. You can change existing variables in the task. You cannot add new task variables with this parameter. You can add several parameters at once to the command line, each starting with -var. Used right before -runTask. Example: -var variableName=variableValue. -var film=sakila.film
-var actor=sakila.actor
-runTask "exportFromSakila"
PRO versions only.
-vars Path to a property file with variables. -vars c:\path\to\file.properties
For more information see the main article
-license Path to the license file. -license "/etc/licenses/dbeaver.txt".
PRO versions only.

System parameters

Name Value Example
-nl UI language and locale (affects UI translation, number/date formats). For supported values, see Supported languages. -nl "en_US"
-data Workspace path. -data "c:\ProgramData\MyWorkspace"
-nosplash Omits splash screen.
-clean Clears all Eclipse caches. Use it if DBeaver fails to start after it upgrades.
-vmargs Passes VM parameters. Learn more See VM arguments table

Important

The -data parameter only affects the workspace location. Other folders are created in the default location.

VM parameters

You can pass any advanced Java parameters supported by your local JVM. Parameters supported by HotSpot JVM (21): https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/21/docs/specs/man/java.html

Parameters supported by all JVMs:

Name Value Example
-Xms Sets initial memory available for DBeaver. -Xmx1000m
-Xmx Sets maximum memory available for DBeaver. -Xmx4000m
Connection parameters

Use the -con argument to open a database connection in the DBeaver UI.

Pass all parameters as a single string, using:

  • | to separate parameters
  • = to separate names and values

Example

-con "driver=sqlite|database=C:\db\SQLite\Chinook.db|name=SQLite"

See the table below for supported arguments.

Name Description Example
name Connection name. Test connection
driver Driver name or ID. driver=sqlite, driver=mysql, etc
url Connection URL. Optional (JDBC URL may be constructed by a driver from other parameters). url=jdbc:sqlite:C:\db\SQLite\Chinook.db
host Database host name (optional). host=localhost
port Database port number (optional). port=1534
server Database server name (optional). server=myserver
database Database name or path (optional). database=db-name
user User name (optional). user=root
password User password (optional). password=mysecret
auth Authentication model ID. See Auth models. auth=postgres_pgpass
authProp.propName Custom authentication parameters (depends on the driver and auth model). authProp.oracle.net.wallet_location=C:/temp/ora-wallet
savePassword Does not ask user for a password on connection. savePassword=true
showSystemObjects Shows/Hides system schemas, tables, etc. showSystemObjects=true
showUtilityObjects Shows/Hides utility schemas, tables, etc. showUtilityObjects=true
folder Puts a new connection in a folder. folder=FolderName
autoCommit Sets connection auto commit flag (default value depends on driver). autoCommit=true
prop.propName Advanced connection parameters (depend on driver). prop.connectTimeout=30
id Connection id. oracle_thin-16a88e815bd-70598e648cedd28c (useful in conjunction with create=false)
connect Connects to this database. connect=false
openConsole Opens the SQL console for this database (sets connect to true). openConsole=true
create Creates new connection. create=false (true by default). If it is set as false, then an existing connection configuration will be used. The name or id parameter must be specified.
save Saves new connection. When create=true, then save=false (default) makes new connection temporary, save=true means that new connection will be saved and accessible between DBeaver launches.

Tip

See how to declare external variables in a file