Self-hosting Drizzle Gateway the easy way
Yulei ChenDrizzle Gateway is a free self-hosted database GUI from the Drizzle team, a beefed-up version of Drizzle Studio that runs in your browser and talks to Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, and more. Hosted database GUIs can get pricey fast once you add teammates or databases, so self-hosting is a no-brainer.
Sliplane is a managed container platform that makes self-hosting painless. With one-click deployment, you can get Drizzle Gateway up and running in minutes, no server setup, no reverse proxy config, no infrastructure to maintain.
Prerequisites
Before deploying, ensure you have a Sliplane account (free trial available).
Quick start
Sliplane provides one-click deployment with presets.
Deploy Drizzle Gateway >- Click the deploy button above
- Select a project
- Select a server. If you just signed up you get a 48-hour free trial server
- Click Deploy!
About the preset
The one-click deploy above uses Sliplane's Drizzle Gateway preset. The preset is built for a clean, stable default setup:
- Official Drizzle Gateway image (
ghcr.io/drizzle-team/gateway) - Specific version tag for stability (check the GitHub Container Registry for newer versions)
- Persistent storage mounted to
/appso your sessions and saved connections survive restarts - A randomly generated
MASTERPASSso admin access is locked down from day one - Public HTTP exposure on port
4983behind Sliplane's HTTPS edge
Next steps
Once Drizzle Gateway is running on Sliplane, access it using the domain Sliplane provided (e.g. drizzle-gateway-xxxx.sliplane.app).
On first load you'll be asked for the master password. Grab it from the MASTERPASS environment variable in your service's Settings > Environment tab and paste it in. From there you can connect to your databases and share read-only passcode access with teammates.
Configuration
Drizzle Gateway is configured entirely through environment variables:
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
PORT | 4983 | Port the gateway binds to |
STORE_PATH | /app | Where sessions and saved connections live |
MASTERPASS | (randomly generated by the preset) | Master password for admin access |
If you want to rotate the master password later, update MASTERPASS in the service settings and redeploy. See the Drizzle Gateway docs for details.
Connecting to a database
If you're running Postgres, MySQL, or any other database on Sliplane, you can connect Drizzle Gateway to it over Sliplane's private network. Use the service's internal hostname (for example postgres.internal) as the host and the credentials you set when deploying the database.
For a quick Postgres deployment, check out our 5 cheap ways to host Postgres post or our guide on how to run Postgres in Docker.
Logging
Drizzle Gateway logs to STDOUT, which means Sliplane's built-in log viewer picks everything up for free. For general Docker log tips, check out our post on how to use Docker logs.
Troubleshooting
If the gateway fails to start, the most common causes are a missing MASTERPASS, a volume that isn't writable, or a port collision. Check the service logs in Sliplane, confirm the volume is mounted at /app, and make sure PORT=4983 matches the exposed port on the service.
Cost comparison
Of course you can also self-host Drizzle Gateway with other cloud providers. Here's a pricing comparison for the most common ones:
| Provider | vCPU Cores | RAM | Disk | Estimated Monthly Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sliplane | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB | €9 | charge per server |
| Render | 1 | 2 GB | 40 GB | ~$35-$45 | VM Small |
| Fly.io | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB | ~$20-$25 | VM + volume |
| Railway | 2 | 2 GB | 40 GB | ~$15-$66 | Usage-based |
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about running Drizzle Gateway on Sliplane.
Which databases does Drizzle Gateway support?
Drizzle Gateway supports the same engines as Drizzle ORM, including Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, Turso, Neon, PlanetScale, and more. You add connections through the gateway's web UI after signing in with your master password.
How do I share access with my team without giving out the master password?
Drizzle Gateway has a passcode feature: once MASTERPASS is set, you can generate separate passcodes for teammates that let them use the gateway without being able to change the master password. See the official docs for the full flow.
How do I update Drizzle Gateway?
Change the image tag in your service settings and redeploy. Check the GitHub Container Registry for the latest stable version.
Are there alternatives to Drizzle Gateway?
Yes, popular options include pgAdmin (Postgres only), DBeaver (desktop, multi-engine), Adminer (lightweight web UI), and CloudBeaver (web version of DBeaver). Drizzle Gateway stands out by being free, multi-engine, and built with a modern Drizzle-flavored UI.
Can I run Drizzle Gateway behind my own domain?
Yes. Sliplane gives every service a free *.sliplane.app domain, but you can attach your own custom domain from the service's Domains tab. TLS certificates are issued and renewed automatically.
