flutter_db_inspector_realm

Realm adapter for Flutter DB Inspector. Browse every Realm class, filter/sort/search objects and edit primitive properties while your app runs. No per-class code is needed: the adapter works from realm.schema and Realm's dynamic API.

Deprecation notice. MongoDB deprecated the Atlas Device SDKs (including Realm for Flutter/Dart) and Device Sync in September 2024. The packages still work for local databases but are no longer actively developed. This adapter targets the final release line, realm / realm_dart 20.x (verified with 20.2.0 on Dart 3.11 / Flutter 3.41). Consider planning a migration away from Realm for new projects.

Install

dependencies:
  flutter_db_inspector: ^1.0.0
  flutter_db_inspector_realm: ^1.0.0

The adapter depends on realm_dart, which the Flutter realm package itself builds on, so it works with both Flutter apps (realm) and pure Dart programs (realm_dart). Pure Dart programs (and dart test) need the native library: dart run realm_dart install.

Register

import 'package:flutter_db_inspector/flutter_db_inspector.dart';
import 'package:flutter_db_inspector_realm/flutter_db_inspector_realm.dart';

final realm = Realm(Configuration.local([Person.schema, Address.schema]));
DbInspector.registerDatabase(name: 'realm', adapter: RealmAdapter(realm));

The adapter never closes your Realm and must be used on the isolate that opened it (like any Realm instance). Edits are made in ordinary realm.write transactions, so your changes streams and RealmResults listeners update immediately.

How Realm maps to the inspector

  • The database has the document data model. Each top-level class (ObjectType.realmObject) is a collection; embedded classes are shown inline inside their parent objects. Computed backlinks are not shown.
  • Rows are addressed by the class's primary key ({"id": 42}). ObjectId and UUID keys are exchanged as strings.
  • Value types: int → integer; double/float/decimal128 → real; string → text; bool → boolean; date → dateTime; data → blob; objectId/uuid → text; mixed → unknown (its unwrapped value); lists, sets, maps, links and embedded objects → json. A link is shown as the target object's primary key (or {"$link": "<Class>"} when the target has no primary key); embedded objects are shown as nested maps.
  • Paging indexes into live RealmResults, so only the requested page is read, whatever the collection size.
  • Filters and sorts run natively as Realm Query Language when they mean exactly the same as the generic in-memory engine: equals, notEquals, isNull, isNotNull on primitives; numeric comparisons on int/float/double; contains/startsWith/endsWith ([c], case-insensitive, ASCII patterns) on strings; sorting by int/float/double/bool/date. Everything else (text search, string sorting, ranges on text/dates, filters on collections) falls back to the in-memory engine, which scans the class in batches (bounded by maxScanDocuments).

Writes

  • Update sets primitive properties of an object found by primary key. Values are converted to the property type (e.g. "9.75" for a Decimal128, an ISO-8601 string for a date, a hex string for an ObjectId); invalid values fail with INVALID_REQUEST.
  • Insert creates the object with realm.dynamic.create and sets the given primitive properties; unset required properties get Realm's defaults. A missing ObjectId/UUID primary key is generated.
  • Delete removes the object (embedded children are removed with it); clear deletes every object of the class in one write.
  • Editing links, embedded objects, lists, sets or maps fails with UNSUPPORTED_OPERATION. The primary key cannot be changed.

Limitations

  • Classes without a primary key are read-only: they are listed, filtered and sorted, but their rows have no key, so they cannot be edited, deleted, cleared or opened with value.read.
  • No SQL console (Realm is not a SQL database).
  • Default row order is Realm's natural (storage) order.
  • Synchronized (Device Sync) realms are not tested; Device Sync is deprecated.

Libraries

flutter_db_inspector_realm
Realm adapter for Flutter DB Inspector.