DuckDB Analytics with Bonnard

Bonnard turns DuckDB into a governed DuckDB analytics backend with a YAML-defined semantic layer. If you run DuckDB for development, testing, or production workloads (including MotherDuck for cloud-hosted DuckDB), Bonnard connects directly and exposes your metrics through MCP, React SDK, REST API, and markdown dashboards.

How does Bonnard connect to DuckDB?

Add DuckDB as a datasource in your Bonnard project. Define the connection in your datasources.yml:

# datasources.yml
datasources:
  - name: duckdb_local
    type: duckdb
    path: ./data/analytics.duckdb

  # Or connect to MotherDuck
  - name: duckdb_cloud
    type: duckdb
    path: md:analytics_db
    token: ${MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN}

Then run:

bon datasource add duckdb_local
bon deploy

Bonnard opens your DuckDB database, introspects the schema, and deploys your semantic layer. For MotherDuck, set your token and use the md: prefix. Your DuckDB data is queryable through every Bonnard surface within seconds.

What do you get?

Once connected, your DuckDB data is available through four surfaces:

MCP server. Run bon mcp and your AI agents (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor) query governed DuckDB metrics with row-level security. Generate publishable keys per tenant for customer-facing agentic analytics.

React SDK. Drop BarChart, LineChart, and BigValue components into your product. Every chart queries your DuckDB database through the semantic layer with multi-tenant access controls applied automatically.

REST API. Query metrics programmatically from any language or platform. Type-safe queries with the TypeScript SDK or raw HTTP from anywhere.

Markdown dashboards. Author dashboards in markdown, deploy with bon deploy, and share governed views with your team or customers.

How does Bonnard compare to querying DuckDB directly?

Capability	DuckDB direct	Bonnard + DuckDB
Metric definitions	SQL scripts, notebooks	YAML semantic layer (version-controlled)
AI agent access	None	MCP server with publishable keys
Embedded analytics	Build from scratch	React SDK with multi-tenant auth
Dashboards	External tools	Markdown dashboards, deployed via CLI
Multi-tenancy	Not built-in	Publishable keys + row-level security
Pre-aggregation	Manual parquet exports	Automatic pre-aggregation cache
Access control	File-level only	YAML-defined RBAC + audit logging
Cloud option	MotherDuck	MotherDuck via Bonnard

MotherDuck for cloud DuckDB

MotherDuck gives you a cloud-hosted DuckDB with collaboration features. Bonnard connects to MotherDuck the same way it connects to local DuckDB. Use the md: path prefix and your MotherDuck token. Your cloud DuckDB becomes a governed analytics backend without changing your existing workflow.

FAQ

Does Bonnard support DuckDB?

Yes. DuckDB is a first-class Bonnard datasource. Both local DuckDB files and MotherDuck cloud databases are supported. Point Bonnard at your .duckdb file or MotherDuck connection string and deploy.

Is DuckDB fast enough for production analytics?

DuckDB is built for analytical queries and handles millions of rows with sub-second performance on a single machine. Combined with the pre-aggregation cache, repeated queries are cached and served without re-scanning your data.

Does Bonnard work with MotherDuck?

Yes. Use the md: path prefix and set your MOTHERDUCK_TOKEN. Bonnard connects to your MotherDuck database the same way it connects to local DuckDB. All Bonnard features (MCP, React SDK, dashboards, RBAC) work with MotherDuck.

When should I use DuckDB vs a cloud warehouse?

DuckDB is ideal for development, prototyping, small-to-medium datasets, and local-first workflows. For petabyte-scale production data, use Snowflake, BigQuery, or Databricks. Bonnard works with all of them, so you can start with DuckDB and migrate to a cloud warehouse without changing your semantic layer.