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A generatedata alternative with nothing to install

generatedata is an open-source application you can host yourself. This is a static page that generates in your browser. The choice is mostly about where the code runs.

Self-hosted application versus a static page

generatedata's defining property is that you can run your own copy. That is genuinely valuable: an instance inside your network is auditable, modifiable and yours, which is the answer when policy says data tooling cannot be a third-party website.

The property here is that there is nothing to run. The generator is client-side JavaScript on a static page, so the data is produced on your machine whether or not you trust the site — there is no server that could receive a schema, because generation never leaves the tab. It is the same privacy goal reached from the other end: instead of controlling the server, there isn't one.

Which argument wins depends on what your policy is actually about. "Our data must not reach a third party" is satisfied by both. "All tooling must run on infrastructure we control" is satisfied only by self-hosting. "We need this working in ten minutes" is satisfied only by the page.

Side by side

Where the code runs, and who has to run it
 Fun Data Playgroundgeneratedata
Where generation happensYour browser, on a static pageA copy of the application you host
SetupOpen the pageInstall the application and its database
Who operates the infrastructureNobody has to — there is no serverYou do
Modifying the generatorNot possible; it is a pageOpen source, so anything
Working fully offlineAfter the first visit, from the service worker cacheYes, once installed on your network
Server-side or scripted generationNot availableAvailable
Data leaving your machineIt cannot — generation never leaves the tabIt does not, because the server is yours

Structural differences only — how each tool is used, not what it currently offers. Check the other tool's own documentation before deciding.

Where self-hosting is the better answer

  • Air-gapped or restricted networks, where the browser cannot reach an external site at all.
  • You need to modify the generator — add a data type specific to your domain, or swap the reference data for your own.
  • Compliance requires infrastructure you control, independently of where computation happens.
  • You want generation on a server, driven by a script rather than a person.

Tools change. This page sticks to structural differences — how each one is used rather than what it currently offers — but check the current documentation of whichever you are comparing rather than trusting any comparison page, including this one.

Where no install wins

  • Nothing to maintain. A self-hosted instance is a thing to update, patch and eventually migrate.
  • It works offline anyway. After the first visit the page is cached by a service worker, so a flaky connection is not a blocker.
  • Shareable schemas. A schema encodes into the URL, so sending a colleague the exact setup is a link rather than an export and an import.
  • Nothing to explain to anyone. No hostname to justify, no service to add to a diagram.

What transfers directly

The vocabularies are close: named columns, a data type per column, options per type, a row count and a format. Rebuilding a schema is a few minutes of picking types. Two things shorten it further — the builder can infer a schema from a CSV sample, so exporting a small file from your existing instance and uploading it reproduces the column names and guessed types in one step; and the templates cover the usual shapes (users, orders, employees, sensor readings, transactions) if you were using something similar.

What you give up

Everything runs in one browser tab, which sets real limits: 100,000 rows per export rather than millions, no server-side generation, and no multi-table relational output resolved in one pass. That last one is a two-pass job here — generate parents, feed their IDs into a Custom List for the children — which the database guide walks through.

Common questions

Do I need to install or host anything?

No. It is a static page; the generator is client-side JavaScript. That is also why your schema and generated rows never reach a server — there is no server to reach.

Is this open source?

The generated data is public domain and the site is inspectable in your browser like any static page, but it is not currently a self-hostable distribution. If running your own copy is the requirement, that is a reason to choose a self-hosted tool.

Can I use it offline?

Yes. After the first visit a service worker caches the page, so it keeps working without a connection.

How do I move an existing schema over?

Export a small sample as CSV from your current tool and upload it — the builder infers column names and types from it, which is usually faster than rebuilding by hand. Review the guessed types afterwards.

What are the limits compared to a self-hosted instance?

Everything runs in one browser tab: 100,000 rows per export, no server-side generation, and no single-pass multi-table output with foreign keys resolved for you.

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