Flyway vs Sqitch: What are the differences?

Introduction

Flyway and Sqitch are two popular database migration tools that help in managing and versioning database changes. While both tools share a common goal, they have some key differences in terms of their approach and functionality. In this article, we will highlight the main differences between Flyway and Sqitch.

1. Language and Syntax: Flyway uses SQL-based migrations and follows a simple convention-over-configuration approach. Developers write their database migration scripts using SQL statements and naming conventions, which Flyway then executes in the order specified by their version number. On the other hand, Sqitch uses a custom configuration language called "Squitch" to define database changes in a database-agnostic manner. It allows for more flexibility and supports different scripting languages like SQL, Perl, and more.

2. Version Control Integration: Flyway has built-in support for version control systems like Git, Subversion, and Mercurial. It can automatically detect and execute database migrations present in the version control system. In contrast, Sqitch does not have native version control integration. Instead, it treats the database itself as the version control system, tracking changes and dependencies directly in the database using its metadata tables.

3. Dependency Management: Flyway allows developers to manage dependencies between different migrations explicitly. It provides a way to specify dependencies between different migration scripts, ensuring that they are applied in the correct order. Sqitch, on the other hand, does not have built-in dependency management. However, it encourages the use of the "requires" directive in the Squitch files to define dependencies between changes, although it does not enforce them.

4. Rollbacks: Flyway supports automatic rollbacks in case of migration failures. If a migration script fails during execution, Flyway can automatically roll back the applied changes to maintain database integrity. Sqitch, on the other hand, does not provide automatic rollbacks. However, developers can manually revert or modify the changes using the same mechanisms used for applying changes.

5. Database Support: Flyway supports a wide range of databases including MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and more. It provides database-specific features and optimizations for each supported database. Sqitch, on the other hand, aims to be database-agnostic and supports multiple databases without any specific optimizations or features tailored for a particular database.

6. Community and Ecosystem: Flyway has a larger and more established community compared to Sqitch. It has been around for a longer time and has gained popularity among developers. This results in a more extensive ecosystem of plugins, extensions, and community-driven resources for Flyway. Sqitch, being a relatively newer tool, has a smaller community and a more limited ecosystem of resources compared to Flyway.

In summary, Flyway and Sqitch differ in their language and syntax, version control integration, dependency management, rollback capabilities, database support, and community/ecosystem size. These differences can help developers choose the right tool based on their specific requirements and preferences.