Supercharge Arc with the VS Code Database Manager Extension

The other day we shared how you can interact with Arc using Apache Superset for visualization. Today we're even more excited to introduce Arc Database Manager, our Visual Studio Code (VS Code, for friends) extension for working with Arc.

While a standalone UI remains on the roadmap, we wanted to give engineers and developers a better way to manage Arc right now—and what better place than one of the most popular IDEs out there?

In this article I'll walk you through the feature set and show you how to get up and running. Ready? Let's go!

Features

Here's what the extension can do today.

Connection Management

Multiple saved connections with secure token storage
Quick connection switching
Connection health monitoring
Visual status indicators in sidebar and status bar

Query Execution

SQL IntelliSense with auto-completion for tables, columns, and DuckDB functions
Execute queries with Ctrl+Enter / Cmd+Enter
Interactive results view with:
- Export to CSV, JSON, or Markdown
- Automatic chart visualization for time-series data
- Table sorting and filtering
- Execution time and row count statistics

Arc Notebooks

Mix SQL and Markdown in a single document (.arcnb files)
Execute cells individually or all at once
Parameterized queries with variable substitution
Export notebooks to Markdown with results
Auto-save functionality

Schema Explorer

Browse databases and tables in sidebar
Right-click context menus for:
- Show table schema
- Preview data (first 100 rows)
- Show table statistics
- Generate SELECT queries
- Quick time filters (last hour, today)

Data Ingestion

CSV Import with guided wizard
- Auto-detect delimiters and headers
- Timestamp column selection
- Batch processing for large files
- Uses high-performance MessagePack columnar format
Bulk Data Generator with 5 presets:
- CPU Metrics
- Memory Metrics
- Network Metrics
- IoT Sensor Data
- Custom schemas

Alerting & Monitoring

Create alerts based on query results
5 condition types: greater than, less than, equals, not equals, contains
Configurable check intervals (minimum 10 seconds)
Desktop notifications when alerts trigger
Alert history tracking
Enable/disable alerts without deletion

Query Management

Automatic query history - every query is logged
Saved queries - bookmark frequently used queries
View execution time, row counts, and errors
Quick re-run from history

Token Management

Create, rotate, and delete server tokens
Verify token validity
Secure storage in system keychain
Visual token management in sidebar

Dark Mode Support

Automatic theme detection - adapts to VS Code theme
Works with Light, Dark, and High Contrast themes
Theme-aware charts and visualizations
No configuration needed

As you can see, we're not taking this lightly—ADM (Arc Database Manager) is packed with features, with more already in the works.

Installation

Arc Database Manager is live in the VS Code Marketplace. Search for Arc Database Manager, install it, and enable auto-updates so you're always running the latest release.

vscode-arc-extension

Once it's installed, connect Arc Database Manager to your Arc instance.

Connecting ADM to Arc

In the status bar (bottom left of VS Code) you'll see Arc: Not connected. Click it to open the command palette and provide:

Name: Arc Server or any label you prefer
Host: http://localhost if Arc is running locally, or https://my-arc-server behind a reverse proxy
Port: 8000 by default, or 443 for HTTPS
Protocol: http or https
Authentication Token: Grab this from the Arc logs on first run

If everything checks out, your connections list will look something like this.

vscode-arc-extension-connections

Querying Arc

As mentioned earlier, the extension lets you query Arc and browse the schema without leaving your editor.

In this example I used the telegraf database and the cpu measurement/table. (We're working on a native Telegraf integration—stay tuned!)

Once the query is ready, execute it with:

Mac: Cmd+Enter
Windows/Linux: Ctrl+Enter

Results open in a new VS Code tab.

arc-vscode-query-results

From there you can export to CSV or JSON, copy the results as Markdown, or toggle a chart view—like the one below.

arc-vscode-toogle-chart

Notebooks

Notebook support was one of the first features I wanted to include—here's how to use it.

Open the command palette (Cmd+Shift+P on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+P on Windows/Linux) and type Arc: New Notebook.

arc-vscode-new-notebook-command

Save the file—I named mine new-notebook.arcnb—and the notebook opens automatically.

arc-vscode-notebooks

From here the floor is yours. Arc makes it easy to pull data from different databases into a single view. Imagine logs and system utilization side by side in the same notebook to correlate issues in real time. Powerful.

arc-vscode-notebooks-correlation

Alerts

Alerts are one of my favorite features because they surface outliers instantly.

I set up a quick check on CPU usage. Click Active Alerts, give the alert a name, add your query (mine was select usage_system from telegraf.cpu), set the threshold, and choose how often it should run. I went with a 60-second interval.

High CPU Usage
Query: select usage_system from telegraf.cpu
Condition: greater than 0
Check Interval: 60s
Status: Enabled
Last Check: 10/23/2025, 10:12:59 AM
Last Result: 12.008733624627581
Triggered: 1 time

When the alert fires you'll see a notification like this—pretty handy, right?

arc-vscode-alerting

You can review alert history in the same panel and dive into what triggered each event.

arc-vscode-alert-history

Disabling an alert when you're done takes just a couple of clicks.

arc-vscode-alert-disabled

To conclude

This walkthrough only scratches the surface of what the Visual Studio Code extension for Arc can do. We're continuing to improve it so working with Arc feels effortless for both administrators and engineers.

Want to collaborate? The project is open source:

github.comBasekick-Labs/arc-vscode-extensionhttps://github.com/Basekick-Labs/arc-vscode-extension