Bamboo
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A LITTLE BAMBOO. A LOT OF DATA.

Parquet data,
made accessible.

Open a file, see your data, write your first SQL query.
From local files to the cloud, spend more time exploring.

Choose your computer: macOS Windows Linux

Bamboo light interface: orders.parquet, fulfilled orders filtered with SQL and sorted by amount.Bamboo dark interface: orders.parquet, fulfilled orders filtered with SQL and sorted by amount.

Where your files are, your workbench follows.

Less setup. More discovery.

Your files. Your SQL.
One lightweight workbench.

No database setup or scripts. Open Parquet or local CSV/TSV and start exploring. 

SELECT city, amount
FROM data
WHERE fulfilled = true
ORDER BY amount DESC
LIMIT 12;

Know SQL? You're ready.

Preview, filter and sort. Join and aggregate across files with SQL. Export the current page or complete result as CSV, TSV, JSON or JSONL, with cancellation.

Request full-query column statistics, then build and export a COUNT/SUM/AVG/MIN/MAX pivot. Analysis is complete, never a page-only summary.

Local or cloud. Equally simple.

Open a file or an entire folder on your computer, or connect directly to Amazon S3 and Cloudflare R2. Switch between workspaces in one window.

Set app zoom from 75% to 200% and adjust data text size. Your choices restore after restart.

Open + first 100 rows; excludes UI rendering. Local: historical median of 3. S3 / R2: medians of 5 randomized rounds each. Cloud includes connection setup; caches and network uncontrolled.
File size Local time S3 time R2 time
128MB 37.0 ms 1.50 s 1.57 s
512MB 36.2 ms 1.38 s 1.76 s
1GB 38.0 ms 1.16 s 1.57 s
2GB 39.8 ms 1.34 s 1.63 s

Big files. Fast previews.

Read the Parquet data you need without loading the whole file into memory. Preview GB-scale Parquet quickly, with control over memory and temporary disk budgets. The measurements below apply only to Parquet.

From download to your first query

A few steps to understand your data.

Choose a platform for requirements and first-time installation.

  1. Download Bamboo

    Click Download for macOS to get the .dmg installer. M1, M2, M3, M4 and other Apple Silicon Macs are supported; there is no Intel build yet.

  2. Drag to Applications

    Double-click the downloaded DMG, then drag Bamboo into Applications. Once copying finishes, eject the installer disk and open Bamboo from Applications.

  3. Open a file. Write SQL.

    Drag a .parquet / .csv / .tsv file into the welcome drop zone, or click Open data. You can also open a folder or connect an S3 / R2 workspace.

Blocked by macOS on first launch? Start here.

The current release is not Apple-notarized. On first launch, macOS may say the developer cannot be verified or Apple cannot check it for malicious software. After confirming you downloaded it from the GitHub Release linked here, follow these steps to allow it to open.

  1. Try opening Bamboo from Applications once. If a verification alert appears, dismiss it.
  2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security and scroll to Security (older versions may use Security & Privacy → General).
  3. Find the message about Bamboo and click Open Anyway.
  4. Verify your identity if requested, then click Open.
Actual macOS Privacy & Security screenshot in English: Open Anyway appears beside the blocked app in the Security section
Actual macOS interface · Image: Apple Support. The “Example App” shown here represents Bamboo during installation.

If Open Anyway is missing, first make sure you just attempted to open Bamboo. Managed Macs may require an administrator. If macOS says the app will damage your computer or is damaged, stop and download it again from Releases. Report persistent problems on GitHub Issues.Read Apple's instructions ↗

A few things you may wonder

Common questions. Clear answers.

Which platforms and file formats are supported?

Bamboo supports macOS on Apple Silicon, Windows x64 and Linux x64. Published downloads are shown in the downloads section at the bottom of this page and GitHub Releases; preview builds are not stable releases. No Intel Mac or Windows/Linux ARM64 packages are provided. macOS requires version 12 or later; check your chip and OS under  → About This Mac. Open local Parquet, CSV and TSV; S3/R2 support Parquet. Export a page, complete query or pivot snapshot as CSV, TSV, JSON or JSONL.

Do files need uploading? Where are cloud credentials stored?

Bamboo has no backend server and does not receive or store your files, SQL, query results, or cloud credentials. All queries and data processing run locally on your computer, and app settings stay on your device. For S3 or R2, your computer reads directly from your own cloud storage on demand. Access credentials stay in your system vault: macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager or Linux Secret Service.

What should my first SQL query look like?

For the current file, enter SELECT * FROM data LIMIT 100; and click Run query. Folder workspaces support queries across files, for example SELECT * FROM workspace."orders.parquet" LIMIT 100;. You can also preview, filter and sort without writing SQL.

Will Bamboo modify the Parquet files I open?

No. Bamboo opens and queries Parquet files in read-only mode. Previewing, filtering, sorting and SQL queries leave the original file unchanged. Exporting results creates a new file.

How do I update Bamboo?

On macOS, Bamboo can check for updates in the background and notify you in the lower-left corner. Click the update notification and follow the prompts to confirm installation and relaunch. You can also check manually in Settings → General. Installation and relaunch always require your confirmation; Bamboo will not automatically upgrade while you work. Updates come from this project's GitHub Releases. On Windows/Linux, Check for updates opens the releases page for manual download and installation.

Is Bamboo free? Where can I give feedback?

Bamboo is free and open source under the MIT license. Report bugs on GitHub Issues; ask questions and share ideas on GitHub Discussions . Include your app version, operating system version and steps to reproduce, and remove secrets, private paths and business data.

Make it better, together

A question or a good idea?

Leave your feedback on GitHub.
A conversation could spark Bamboo's next improvement.

GitHub Issues Report a bug · Describe a problemDiscussions Ask questions · Share ideas

Ready for your next dataset

Download Bamboo

Free and open source. For your data, and your curiosity.

Release notes and availability

Terms of Use

Effective: October 29, 2026

These terms cover the Bamboo website maintained by OldPanda and the Bamboo application it distributes. Please read them before use. Bamboo is an open-source desktop tool for opening and querying Parquet data.

1. Open-source license

Bamboo software is provided under the MIT License . Your rights to use, modify and distribute it are governed by that license; these terms do not restrict the rights granted by MIT. Third-party components, trademarks and images retain their respective licenses and rights and are not all covered by Bamboo's license.

2. Your data and responsibilities

Only access files and cloud storage you are authorized to use, and follow applicable laws and your storage provider's terms. You are responsible for credentials, access scopes, backups and exported files. Cloud providers may charge for requests, storage and transfers under your service agreement.

3. Features, performance and updates

Features and support depend on the installed release. File structure, hardware, caches and network affect performance; website benchmarks are not speed guarantees for every file or environment. Bamboo may check for new versions automatically, but installation and restart always require your confirmation.

4. Provided as is

To the extent allowed by applicable law, Bamboo is provided as is, without a promise of continuous availability, freedom from errors or suitability for a particular purpose. Software warranties and liability limitations are governed by the MIT License. Independently verify important query results. These terms do not exclude rights or liabilities that cannot legally be waived.

5. External services

GitHub, Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, Apple and other external services are operated independently, under their own terms and privacy policies. Mentioning them does not imply partnership or endorsement.

6. Changes and contact

Changes will be dated here and will not retroactively reduce your existing open-source license rights. For questions about the website or product, contact the maintainer through GitHub Issues or Discussions . Do not post passwords, keys or personal data in public feedback.

Privacy Policy

Effective: October 29, 2026

This notice explains how the Bamboo website maintained by OldPanda and the current desktop application handle information. Bamboo requires no account. The current application has no usage analytics, advertising tracking or automatic diagnostic-report uploads.

1. Visiting this website

The website has no analytics scripts, ads, tracking pixels or feedback form, and sets no tracking cookies. Browser localStorage remembers only your theme and language preferences; the page does not send them to the maintainer. Clear this site's browser data to remove these preferences.

Online visits still involve network requests. Hosting, CDN and network providers may process IP addresses, request times, URLs and browser information for delivery, security and operations. Processing and retention depend on the actual hosting configuration and provider policy, independently of whether the page includes analytics scripts.

2. Files, queries and local storage

Local Parquet, CSV, TSV data and SQL are processed on your device and are not uploaded to the Bamboo maintainer. The app saves settings, workspace paths, connection configurations and SQL drafts locally; these may contain sensitive information. Queries may use local caches and temporary disk space, and exports are saved to your chosen location. Temporary data can remain after an abnormal exit.

Closing a workspace or uninstalling the app does not necessarily remove saved configurations, credentials, temporary files or exports. Remove unwanted cloud connections in Settings and, as needed, clean up local app data, system credential entries and your exported files. Deleting a cloud connection does not delete cloud objects.

3. Cloud storage connections

Only when you connect configured Amazon S3 or Cloudflare R2 storage does the app send authenticated listing, metadata and file-read requests to that service. The provider receives those requests and necessary network metadata under your cloud service agreement. File queries execute locally.

Cloud credentials stay in the system vault: macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager or Linux Secret Service; connection configurations and SQL drafts stay on your device. Credentials are not sent to the Bamboo maintainer. Use least-privilege, read-only credentials, and delete connections and revoke access when no longer needed.

4. Update checks and downloads

On macOS, automatic update checks are enabled by default and can be disabled in Settings → General. Windows/Linux do not automatically check, download or install updates; a manual check opens the releases page in your browser. Checks and downloads access GitHub Releases and its download infrastructure over HTTPS. These services receive IP addresses and normal HTTP metadata needed for update checks. The app does not include file paths, query contents, cloud credentials or Sparkle system profiles in these requests. Installation and restart require your confirmation.

5. Feedback and external links

Feedback posted on GitHub Issues or Discussions may expose your public account, text and attachments to the maintainer and other visitors. It may be retained or copied by others. Remove keys, private paths and real business data first. Do not publicly post exploit details; read the repository's security guidance.

Visits to GitHub, X, Apple and other external links are governed by those sites' policies. GitHub downloads and feedback are subject to the GitHub Privacy Statement.

6. Your choices, contact and changes

You can avoid cloud connections, disable automatic update checks, clear website preferences and decide whether to share feedback. To request access, correction or deletion of information you voluntarily shared with the maintainer, contact the project through GitHub. Start by describing the request without publishing sensitive details. Records held by third-party platforms also require using their own request channels.

This notice will be updated and dated as the product changes. If analytics, accounts or other processing are added, this notice will be updated first, with appropriate information and choices where applicable.