Briefer — Dashboards and Notebooks for Data Teams

Introduction

Briefer is an open-source data platform that puts notebooks and dashboards in one place. Data teams can write SQL or Python in notebook-style cells, build interactive visualizations, and publish polished dashboards — all from a single collaborative interface that connects directly to production databases.

What Briefer Does

• Provides Notion-like notebooks with SQL, Python, and rich text cells
• Builds interactive dashboards with drag-and-drop layout from notebook outputs
• Connects to PostgreSQL, BigQuery, Redshift, Snowflake, MySQL, and other databases
• Supports real-time collaboration with multiple users editing simultaneously
• Schedules notebook runs and dashboard refreshes on a cron schedule

Architecture Overview

Briefer is built with TypeScript (Next.js frontend, Node.js backend) and uses PostgreSQL as its metadata store. Notebooks execute SQL queries directly against connected data sources, while Python cells run in isolated Jupyter kernels. The dashboard system takes chart outputs from notebook cells and arranges them in a responsive grid layout. Authentication and user management are built in, with SSO support via OpenID Connect.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Deploy via Docker Compose with the provided configuration files
• Connect data sources through the web UI by providing connection strings
• Configure environment variables for database storage, authentication, and email notifications
• Set up SSO via OpenID Connect for team authentication
• Schedule automated notebook runs via the built-in scheduler

Key Features

• Unified notebooks and dashboards eliminate the gap between analysis and presentation
• SQL and Python execution in the same notebook with shared context
• Drag-and-drop dashboard builder with responsive layouts
• Built-in scheduling for automated data refresh and report delivery
• Collaborative editing with real-time presence indicators

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Jupyter Notebook — code-first notebook; Briefer adds dashboards and collaboration natively
• Metabase — BI tool for dashboards; Briefer adds notebook-style code exploration
• Apache Superset — visualization platform; Briefer offers integrated notebook workflows
• Observable — reactive notebooks for the web; Briefer is self-hosted and SQL-first
• Hex — commercial notebook+dashboard platform; Briefer is free and open source

FAQ

Q: Can I use Briefer without Python, just SQL? A: Yes. SQL cells query your connected databases directly. Python cells are optional for more advanced transformations.

Q: Does it replace Jupyter for data science work? A: Briefer is optimized for data analysis and reporting. For ML model training or heavy computation, you may still want a dedicated Jupyter environment.

Q: How is authentication handled? A: Built-in email/password authentication is included. For teams, OpenID Connect SSO can be configured.

Q: Can I embed dashboards in other applications? A: Dashboard sharing via public links is supported. Embedding capabilities depend on the deployment configuration.

Sources

• https://github.com/briefercloud/briefer
• https://briefer.cloud