Feature Request: Add Database Health Monitoring Dashboard and Query Bookmarking

[Chaitanya-Varun]

Summary

As a database administrator managing high-traffic PostgreSQL databases, I need quick access to connection health metrics and the ability to save/bookmark frequently used
monitoring queries. Currently, Adminer lacks built-in health monitoring capabilities and convenient query management features.

Problem Statement

When troubleshooting connection pool issues, transaction timeouts, or database performance problems, I need to repeatedly:

1. Navigate to "SQL command"
2. Paste complex monitoring queries from external files
3. Execute and analyze results
4. Repeat this process every few minutes for real-time monitoring

This workflow is inefficient and error-prone, especially during production incidents.

Proposed Solution

Option A: Built-in Health Monitoring Dashboard (Preferred)

Add a new "Health" or "Monitoring" menu item in the left sidebar that displays:

Connection Health Panel:

• Current connections vs max connections (with percentage bar)
• Active / Idle / Idle-in-transaction breakdown
• Connection utilization graph (simple text-based or basic SVG)
• Stale connection count (connections idle > 5 minutes)

Top Queries Panel:

• Currently running queries (auto-refresh every 5 seconds)
• Long-running queries (> 30 seconds)
• Queries waiting on locks

Application Breakdown:

• Connections grouped by application_name
• State distribution per application

Quick Actions:

• "Kill stale connections" button (with confirmation)
• "Refresh" button for manual updates
• Auto-refresh toggle (5s, 10s, 30s intervals)

Option B: Query Bookmarking System

Enhance the existing "SQL command" page with:

1. Save Query Button:

   • After executing a query, show a "Save" button
   • Prompt for query name/description
   • Store in browser localStorage or session cookies

2. Saved Queries Dropdown:

   • Add a "Load Saved Query" dropdown at top of SQL command page
   • List all saved queries with names
   • Click to load into editor

3. Query Categories:

   • Allow organizing saved queries into categories (e.g., "Monitoring", "Performance", "Backups")
   • Import/export saved queries as JSON

4. Quick Templates:

   • Pre-built query templates for common tasks:
     • Connection health check
     • Slow query detection
     • Lock monitoring
     • Cache hit ratio
     • Table sizes

Use Case Examples

Scenario 1: Production Incident

During a connection exhaustion event, I need to:

1. Quickly see current connection count (one click)
2. Identify which application is using too many connections
3. Kill stale connections if needed
4. Monitor recovery in real-time

Current workaround: Manually run queries repeatedly, copy-pasting from text files.

Scenario 2: Daily Health Checks

Every morning, I check:

• Connection pool utilization
• Slow queries from yesterday
• Lock contention incidents

Current workaround: Maintain a separate file of SQL queries, manually execute each one.

Technical Considerations

For Health Dashboard:

• Use PostgreSQL system views: pg_stat_activity, pg_stat_database, pg_locks
• Auto-refresh using JavaScript setInterval()
• Minimal CSS for compact display
• Optional: Make it collapsible/expandable

For Query Bookmarking:

• Store in browser localStorage (no backend changes needed)
• JSON format for import/export
• Keep Adminer's lightweight philosophy

Similar Features in Other Tools

• pgAdmin 4: Has a "Dashboard" tab showing connection graphs
• phpMyAdmin: Has "Query bookmarks" feature for saved queries
• DBeaver: Has "SQL templates" and connection monitoring

Benefits

1. Faster troubleshooting: No need to maintain external query files
2. Real-time monitoring: Auto-refresh eliminates manual re-execution
3. Reduced errors: Pre-built queries prevent SQL syntax mistakes
4. Better DBA experience: Aligns Adminer with modern database tools

Alternative Workarounds (Current State)

Users currently must:

1. Create database views (CREATE VIEW v_connection_health AS ...)
2. Use browser bookmarks with query parameters in URL
3. Maintain external .sql files
4. Use third-party monitoring tools (Grafana, pgwatch2)

However, these workarounds defeat Adminer's purpose as a lightweight, all-in-one database management tool.

Mockup (Optional)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Adminer - Schema: public │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Left Sidebar: │
│ • Alter schema │
│ • Database schema │
│ • SQL command │
│ • Import │
│ • Export │
│ ★ Health Monitor (NEW) │
│ • Create table │
│ │
│ Health Monitor Page: │
│ ┌─ Connections ──────────────────────────┐ │
│ │ 847 / 2000 (42%) [████████░░░░░░░░░░] │ │
│ │ Active: 45 Idle: 302 In-Txn: 2 │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌─ By Application ───────────────────────┐ │
│ │ core-py: 450 (250 active, 200 idle) │ │
│ │ api: 80 (8 active, 72 idle) │ │
│ │ core-go: 25 (5 active, 20 idle) │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ ┌─ Active Queries ───────────────────────┐ │
│ │ PID | App | Duration | Query │ │
│ │ 1234 | core-py | 2.5s | SELECT ... │ │
│ └────────────────────────────────────────┘ │
│ │
│ [Refresh] [Auto-refresh: 5s ▼] [Kill Stale]│
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Implementation Priority

• High Priority: Query bookmarking (simpler to implement, high value)
• Medium Priority: Basic health monitoring dashboard
• Low Priority: Advanced features (graphing, alerting)

Compatibility

• PostgreSQL: Full support (uses pg_stat_activity)
• MySQL/MariaDB: Partial support (uses SHOW PROCESSLIST)
• SQLite: Limited (no multi-connection concept)

Willingness to Contribute

I am willing to contribute a pull request if this feature is accepted. Please provide guidance on:

1. Preferred approach (Option A, B, or both?)
2. Code structure/conventions
3. Testing requirements

Environment

• Adminer Version: 4.8.1
• Database: PostgreSQL 16 (TimescaleDB)
• Browser: Chrome 131
• Use Case: Production database with 2000 max connections, 50+ concurrent workers

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Thank you for considering this feature request!