ShortSQL

A real SQL database, inside one shortcut.

Tables, joins, encryption and backups on your iPhone. No app to install. No server. No account. Your data never leaves your iCloud Drive.

At a glance

How it works

Run ShortSQL. That's the whole setup.

Tip: leave the prompt empty to open the menu. Type USE shop to switch database, KEY secret to unlock one, or exit to close.

Everything in the menu

Real SQL. Not a toy.

CREATE TABLE expenses (
  id     INT PRIMARY KEY AUTO_INCREMENT,
  item   VARCHAR(80) NOT NULL,
  amount DECIMAL(10,2) NOT NULL,
  tag    TEXT DEFAULT 'other',
  spent  DATE DEFAULT (CURRENT_DATE)
);

-- Where did my money go this month?
SELECT tag, COUNT(*) AS times, SUM(amount) AS total
FROM expenses
WHERE spent >= DATE_FORMAT(CURDATE(), '%Y-%m-01')
GROUP BY tag
ORDER BY total DESC;

Everything that's supported

• Databases: CREATE (plain, ENCRYPTED, PRIVATE), ALTER DATABASE … KEY / DECRYPT / PRIVATE / PUBLIC, SHOW DATABASES, DROP
• Tables: CREATE (incl. AS SELECT and LIKE), ALTER (add, drop, rename, modify, change columns, rename table), DROP, TRUNCATE, RENAME, DESCRIBE, SHOW TABLES, SHOW CREATE TABLE, SHOW INDEX
• Writing: INSERT (multi-row, SELECT, SET), INSERT IGNORE, REPLACE, ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE, UPDATE and DELETE with ORDER BY / LIMIT
• Reading: JOIN, LEFT / RIGHT / CROSS JOIN, GROUP BY, HAVING, DISTINCT, ORDER BY, LIMIT / OFFSET, subqueries (IN, EXISTS, scalar, derived tables), UNION / UNION ALL
• Expressions: CASE, CAST, BETWEEN, LIKE, REGEXP, IS NULL, <=>, DIV, MOD, INTERVAL
• Constraints: PRIMARY KEY, AUTO_INCREMENT, UNIQUE, NOT NULL, DEFAULT
• Transactions: BEGIN / COMMIT / ROLLBACK; any ; script is saved only if every statement succeeds
• Functions: text (CONCAT, SUBSTRING, REPLACE, LPAD…), numbers (ROUND, ABS, POWER…), dates (NOW, DATE_ADD, DATEDIFF, DATE_FORMAT…), logic (IF, IFNULL, COALESCE…), totals (COUNT, SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, GROUP_CONCAT)

Simple SELECT, COUNT, UPDATE and DELETE run as a few native actions, so big tables stay quick.

Your data, locked down

• CREATE DATABASE vault ENCRYPTED encrypts every table with AES-256-GCM. The key is stretched with PBKDF2 (100,000 rounds), so guessing it is slow.
• Change your mind later: ALTER DATABASE vault KEY 'new key' re-encrypts everything. It works on unencrypted databases too.
• PRIVATE databases never show up in the console list.
• Everything lives in iCloud Drive › Shortcuts › ShortSQL. Nothing is uploaded, ever.

Note: a lost key cannot be recovered. That's what makes it encryption.

Never lose a thing

Menu › Backup & restore saves one database, or all of them, into a single .ssql file. Keep it in Files, AirDrop it to a new iPhone, restore it there. Encrypted databases stay encrypted inside the backup.

For shortcut developers

Stop juggling text files. Give your shortcut a real database in three actions:

1. Text with a JSON request (or a Dictionary)
2. Run Shortcut → ShortSQL
3. Get Dictionary from Input → read rows, affected or error

{
  "db": "myapp",
  "query": "SELECT id, title FROM notes WHERE done = ?",
  "params": [0]
}

Reply:

{
  "ok": true,
  "count": 2,
  "rows": [
    { "id": "1", "title": "Buy milk" },
    { "id": "2", "title": "Call mom" }
  ]
}

Bulk insert: many rows, one call, all or nothing:

{
  "db": "myapp",
  "table": "notes",
  "rows": [
    { "title": "Buy milk" },
    { "title": "Call mom", "done": 1 }
  ]
}

ShortSQL Starter · View in Editor: install it from Menu › Developers for copy-ready blocks (setup, insert, select, update, bulk insert, encryption, private databases). The complete API guide is built into the console too.

Ideas to build

• Notes and to-do apps with search, tags and due dates
• Expense and habit trackers with monthly totals
• Inventory, collections and reading lists
• Settings storage for your own shortcuts: INSERT … ON DUPLICATE KEY UPDATE
• Logs from automations, queried later with GROUP BY

FAQ

Do I need the internet?
No. Everything runs on your iPhone. When you happen to be online, ShortSQL checks once in a while for a new version.

Will updating delete my data?
Never. Your databases live in iCloud Drive, not inside the shortcut.

Can other people's shortcuts read my databases?
Any shortcut you run can call ShortSQL. That's how the API works. Use ENCRYPTED for anything sensitive: without the key, the data is unreadable.

What isn't supported?
Users and GRANT, views, triggers and stored procedures. It's a personal database with one request at a time, not a server.

Does the name matter?
Yes. Keep it named ShortSQL exactly, so other shortcuts can find it.

Support & community

ShortSQL · Developed by Anup