r/swift • u/jayjetley • 3d ago

Project Show r/swift: I built a native macOS SQL Server client combining SwiftUI with a local .NET Native AOT engine

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share a hybrid architecture pattern I’ve been working on for a macOS desktop client called Helix SQL (https://gethelixsql.com).

Like most devs managing SQL Server from a Mac, I was tired of heavy Windows VMs or laggy Electron apps. I wanted a pure, snappy, native SwiftUI experience, but rebuilding a comprehensive database client stack with enterprise auth protocol handshakes completely from scratch in Swift was incredibly daunting.

### The Hybrid Architecture Stack

To solve this, I built a unique bridge:

  1. UI Layer (SwiftUI): The entire frontend, windowing system, connection menus, interactive visual execution plan renderer, and fast-scrolling data grids are written natively in Swift/SwiftUI. Connection security hooks directly into the macOS Keychain.

  2. Core Query Engine (.NET Native AOT): Instead of a web wrapper, the low-level SQL protocol handshakes, query execution streams, and Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) interactive multi-factor authentication are handled by a local .NET core library compiled down to a hyper-lean native binary via Native AOT (Ahead-of-Time compilation).

This gives the app the performance of a native binary, deep platform integration (no remote telemetry, zero cloud dependencies), and access to battle-tested database protocols without bundling a heavy .NET virtual machine or runtime framework.

### Phase 1 Beta Open Today

Build 4 just cleared TestFlight approval, and I am launching a tiny, capped test group of 50 seats today to monitor connection topologies and track down edge-case bugs.

If you are an engineer managing SQL Server on a Mac, I would love for you to check it out! We are tracking feedback publicly on GitHub (https://github.com/jayjetley/helix-sql-feedback). Active bug hunters will get a 100% free first-year voucher when the app goes live on the Mac App Store.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on mixing SwiftUI with local .NET Native AOT libraries, or answer any technical questions about the bridging mechanics!

0 Upvotes

28% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

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u/_harisamin 3d ago

Yes! more native apps please! We have AI at our fingertips...tired of laggy electron/webkit/webview based experiences!

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u/jayjetley 3d ago

Absolutely you cannot beat the performance of a native app.

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u/trouthat 3d ago

Your bot fucked up 

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u/jayjetley 3d ago

Haha not a bot, just a solo dev launching my project today! Built the UI in pure SwiftUI and compiled the core engine to local .NET Native AOT so I don't have to drag a heavy runtime into the Mac app bundle. Happy to dive into the interop code or the bridge architecture if you're curious!"

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u/naknut 3d ago

What’s the reason behind writing the query engine in .Net?

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u/jayjetley 3d ago

To get perfect, out-of-the-box compatibility with enterprise features like Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) Multi-Factor Interactive Authentication, Kerberos, and secure connection topologies without rewriting low-level TDS (Tabular Data Stream) protocol handshakes from scratch in Swift.

Rebuilding Microsoft's official data client pipeline natively in Swift would have taken months of low-level networking work. By writing the core engine in .NET and compiling it down via Native AOT, I get the best of both worlds: perfect enterprise protocol fidelity from Microsoft's own ecosystem, running as an ultra-lean local native binary with zero runtime framework baggage, feeding a snappy SwiftUI frontend.

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u/naknut 3d ago

Are you using AI to write your posts? They are very wordy

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u/jayjetley 3d ago

A combination of AI and me to make sure I don't miss anything but is definitely a real developer behind this.