SchemaSpy Docker for Informix and other DBs

SchemaSpy Docker is a Docker-based project designed to generate documentation for Informix databases and other DBs using SchemaSpy. It simplifies connecting to, analyzing, and visualizing the structure of an Informix database — all inside a lightweight, dependency-free container.

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🧩 Features

• Automatic documentation: Generates full HTML reports of the database structure, relationships, and keys.

• Docker-based execution: Everything runs in an isolated, reproducible container environment.

• Native Informix connection: Uses the Informix JDBC driver for direct connections.

• Web output: Produces browsable documentation (index.html).

• Flexible configuration: All parameters are customizable via .env files and property templates.

• Multi-database support: The project is designed to handle multiple Informix databases easily. Just copy one existing database directory and rename it, e.g.:

  db/
  ├── db-analytics/
  ├── db-inventory/
  ├── db-customers/
  

  Each database folder can have its own .env, output/, and configuration. This allows you to generate documentation for multiple databases independently.

• Centralized site folder for database links: A folder named site located in the root of the project. Its purpose is to centralize links to the index.html files generated for each database output.

  • All database outputs (output/db/index.html) should be linked in the site/index.html file.
  • When adding a new database, include its link inside the Databases Link section.
  • Update the <a href="..."> and <p> content to reflect the new database’s name and description.
  • This setup ensures that all database documentation is accessible from a single, centralized HTML page (site/index.html).

• Custom schema metadata: Inside each database folder, you can optionally include an XML file to provide manual documentation or custom descriptions for databases, tables, columns, and relationships. To do this, create the following file:

  db/db-analytics/metadata/schema.meta.xml
  

  The XML file should follow the structure of the official SchemaSpy metadata format. An example of this structure is already included in the repository for reference.

  When present, this file is automatically used by SchemaSpy to enhance the generated documentation with these descriptions.

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🚀 Installation and Usage

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/rwxce/schemaspy-informix.git
   cd schemaspy-informix

2. Make sure Docker is running

   Ensure both Docker and Docker Compose are installed and active.

3. Create your .env file

   Copy the example file and edit your connection details:

   cp ./db/db-analytics/env/.env.example ./db/db-analytics/env/.env

   Available variables:

   INFORMIX_HOST=
   INFORMIX_PORT=
   INFORMIX_SERVER=
   INFORMIX_DBNAME=
   INFORMIX_USER=
   INFORMIX_PASSWORD=
   

4. Download the Informix JDBC driver

   Go to: 🔗 https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/com/ibm/informix/jdbc/

   • Find the latest compatible version for your Informix setup.

   • Download the .jar file.

   • Place it inside:

     ./drivers/
     

5. Run SchemaSpy

   docker compose up

6. View the generated documentation

   After execution, open:

   ./db/db-analytics/output/index.html
   

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⚙️ Additional Configuration

• You can modify schemaspy.properties.template to adjust JDBC parameters, output path, or advanced settings.
• The container automatically replaces environment variables using envsubst before running SchemaSpy.
• If a metadata/schema.meta.xml file exists, SchemaSpy will automatically apply it to enrich the generated output.

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🧾 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.

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📬 Contact

For questions or suggestions, contact: 148581386+rwxce@users.noreply.github.com