Chapter 1
Get started
Rowan is a fast, quiet client for PostgreSQL. This chapter covers what you need, how to install Rowan, and a short tour of the window so you know where everything is.
What Rowan is#
Rowan for Postgres is a desktop app for working with PostgreSQL databases. You can browse tables with millions of rows, edit data and structure, write and run SQL, and use tools such as backup and restore, import and export, an ER diagram and a Metrics Board.
Three ideas shape everything in Rowan:
- It never freezes. Every connection runs on its own background thread, so a slow query or a big table never stops the window from responding. You can keep working, or cancel the query, at any time.
- Nothing changes until you commit. Edits to rows and to structure are staged first. You can review the exact SQL Rowan will send, then commit everything in one transaction, or discard it. See How changes are staged.
- Keyboard first. Every command has a shortcut, and you can change any of them. See Keyboard shortcuts.
Rowan works with PostgreSQL only, and it connects to any server you can reach: on your own computer, on your network, in the cloud, or through an SSH tunnel.
System requirements#
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 11, or Windows 10. The translucent sidebar needs Windows 11; on Windows 10 the sidebar is a solid color. |
| Processor | A 64-bit (x64) PC. |
| PostgreSQL | Any version the PostgreSQL project still supports. Older servers work too, and backups can read servers as old as PostgreSQL 9.2. |
| Display | Any size and scaling. Rowan draws crisply at 100%, 150% and 200%, and on screens with different scaling. |
Install Rowan#
Rowan is sold through the Microsoft Store, with a free trial.
- Open the Microsoft Store app and search for Rowan for Postgres, or go to tryrowan.app and follow the link to the Store.
- Install the free trial, or buy Rowan.
- Open Rowan from the Start menu.
The trial includes every feature. If you buy Rowan after trying it, your connections, saved queries and settings stay as they were. Updates arrive through the Store.
Your first launch#
When Rowan opens for the first time, you see the welcome window. On the left are Rowan's actions; on the right is your list of connections, which starts empty.
- Choose Create Connection, then fill in your server's host, port, user and database. See Create a connection.
- Choose Test to check the details, then Connect.
- Rowan opens a workspace on that database, ready to browse. Open a table from the sidebar to see its rows.
If you already have a connection URL, such as postgresql://app@db.example.com/shop, choose Import from URL… instead. Rowan fills in the form for you to check. See Connection URLs.
Rowan remembers the windows and tabs you had open. The next time you open it, it reopens your workspaces where you left them. You can turn this off in Settings > General.
A tour of the window#
Each window holds one or more workspaces: one connection and one database each. A workspace looks like this:
Window controls and the menu#
Rowan's window controls are the three dots at the top right: yellow to minimize, green to maximize, red to close. Hover over them to see their symbols. Hover over the green dot to see Windows 11's snap layouts.
Rowan's menus (File, Edit, View, Tools, Connection, Navigate and Help) are behind the menu button at the far left of the toolbar. You can also press Alt to open them from the keyboard.
Light and dark#
Rowan follows your Windows appearance, light or dark, and changes with it. To choose one yourself, or to pick an accent color, open Settings > Fonts & Colors. Every screenshot in this guide follows the appearance you're reading it in.
Next steps#
- Connections: SSL, SSH tunnels, tags and groups.
- Browse data: sorting, filtering and following foreign keys.
- Write SQL: the editor, results and autocomplete.
- Stay safe: protect a production database from mistakes.