Open source ETL for Java

Move data with the languages you already use

Scriptella runs SQL and other scripts against multiple data sources from one small, readable ETL file. There is no visual designer, application server, or proprietary runtime to learn.

Start the two-minute tutorial Download Scriptella

copy-customers.etl.xml

<!DOCTYPE etl SYSTEM
  "http://scriptella.org/dtd/etl.dtd">
<etl>
  <connection id="source" url="jdbc:h2:./source"/>
  <connection id="target" url="jdbc:h2:./target"/>

  <query connection-id="source">
    SELECT id, name FROM customer
    <script connection-id="target">
      INSERT INTO customer VALUES (?id, ?name)
    </script>
  </query>
</etl>

ETL without the machinery

Scriptella is a lightweight, open source ETL (extract-transform-load) and script execution tool written in Java. Its focus is simplicity: use SQL or the scripting language suited to your data source, with XML providing only the orchestration.

Connect anything

Work with several data sources in one file. Built-in providers cover JDBC, CSV, text, XML, LDAP, shell, JEXL, Velocity, Janino, and more.

Keep scripts readable

Run existing SQL directly, include external files, bind query results as variables, and add expressions only where a transformation needs them.

Run it your way

Use the command line, Ant, Maven, or the Java API. Transactions, batching, conditional execution, and structured error handling are built in.

Typical uses

A small tool for practical data work

  • Cross-database migration and table copying
  • CSV, text, and XML import or export
  • Repeatable database schema initialization and upgrades
  • Parameterized execution of SQL and other scripts
  • A focused alternative to the Ant <sql> task

Getting started

From download to first run

01 Get Scriptella Download the binary distribution. 02 Run an ETL file Follow the short hands-on tutorial. 03 Go deeper Explore syntax, integrations, and best practices.

Current baseline

Scriptella 1.3

Released July 17, 2026, Scriptella 1.3 modernizes the build, website, documentation, and release process while preserving Scriptella's established behavior and Java 8 compatibility.

Download the binary, source, and examples distributions from the download page, or use the org.scriptella modules from Maven Central.

Read the change history · Download 1.3 · Support

Previous release

Scriptella 1.2, released October 3, 2019. Download 1.2.