ActiveAdmin
Better knownThe long-standing Rails admin framework, mounted at /admin
No ratings yet# Gemfile
gem "activeadmin"ActiveAdmin vs SQLite Dashboard
Both replace Retool. ActiveAdmin is the better-known of the two (9,600 stars), while SQLite Dashboard also stands in for Metabase Cloud.
Browse and query your SQLite databases from inside the app
No ratings yet# Gemfile
gem "sqlite_dashboard"
# config/routes.rb
mount SqliteDashboard::Engine, at: "/sqlite_dashboard"What ActiveAdmin does
ActiveAdmin has been the default answer to "we need an admin" in Rails for over a decade, and it is still maintained. A DSL for registering resources Filters, scopes, batch actions and CSV export Custom pages and dashboard sections Authorization adapters for CanCan and Pundit The DSL is powerful and opinionated. Deviating from it costs more than it does in Administrate, where you are editing ordinary generated views.
Read the full ActiveAdmin listing →
Why you might pick it
- It also replaces Forest Admin.
- It has substantially more adoption — 9,600 stars against 80.
What SQLite Dashboard does
Rails 8 put SQLite in production. This gives you somewhere to look at it. Automatic discovery of the SQLite databases in config/database.yml Multiple databases, switchable from the sidebar — including the Solid Queue, Solid Cache and Solid Cable databases A SQL editor with CodeMirror syntax highlighting and autocomplete Paginated results, exportable to CSV or JSON Read-only mode by default: DROP and ALTER are blocked, and DML is configurable Works with importmap — no build step required.
Read the full SQLite Dashboard listing →
Why you might pick it
- It also replaces Metabase Cloud.
Side by side
Rows where the two differ are marked.
| ActiveAdmin | SQLite Dashboard | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Admin and internal tools | Admin and internal tools |
| Replaces (differs) | Forest Admin, Retool | Metabase Cloud, Retool |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars (differs) | 9600 | 80 |
| Gem (differs) | activeadmin | sqlite_dashboard |
| Mounts at (differs) | /admin | /sqlite_dashboard |
| Member rating | — | — |
What each one gets off your invoice
Questions
- What is the difference between ActiveAdmin and SQLite Dashboard?
- Both replace Retool. ActiveAdmin is the better-known of the two (9,600 stars), while SQLite Dashboard also stands in for Metabase Cloud.
- Can I mount both ActiveAdmin and SQLite Dashboard in the same Rails app?
- Technically yes — engines mount at different paths — but they overlap, so running both usually means two sets of tables doing one job. Pick one.
- Do ActiveAdmin and SQLite Dashboard replace the same SaaS product?
- Both are listed as replacements for Retool.