Steampipe is a zero-ETL query engine that exposes APIs and services as SQL tables without requiring a separate database.
The tool solves the problem of accessing live data from multiple cloud providers and services through a unified interface. Rather than extracting data into a database first, Steampipe translates API responses directly into queryable SQL tables. It achieves this by running a bundled PostgreSQL instance locally and mapping API endpoints to virtual tables, allowing users to write standard SQL queries against live data from AWS, Azure, GCP, Kubernetes, GitHub, and many other services. The approach emphasizes speed through concurrent API queries and simplicity through a single binary that works locally or in CI/CD pipelines.
Steampipe suits teams that need to query multiple cloud environments or APIs without building custom integration layers. It works well for cloud security auditing, infrastructure inventory, compliance checking, and ad-hoc data exploration across services. The tool is particularly valuable for DevOps and DevSecOps workflows where teams need rapid access to live cloud state. Beyond the CLI, the project offers multiple distribution options: Postgres Foreign Data Wrappers for native Postgres integration, SQLite extensions for lightweight querying, and standalone export tools that require no database at all.
The project maintains active development across its core engine and plugin ecosystem. The codebase is written in Go and designed to be extended through a documented plugin development system. The project provides clear examples and documentation for both users and contributors interested in building new plugins for additional services.
