Tinybird Best Practices

Guidance for Tinybird file formats, SQL rules, optimization patterns, and data modeling. Use this skill when creating or editing Tinybird datafiles.

When to Apply

• Creating or updating Tinybird resources (.datasource, .pipe, .connection)
• Writing or optimizing SQL queries
• Designing endpoint schemas and data models
• Organizing project structure and data layers
• Working with materialized views or copy pipes
• Implementing deduplication patterns
• Reviewing or refactoring Tinybird project files

Rule Files

• rules/project-files.md
• rules/build-deploy.md
• rules/datasource-files.md
• rules/pipe-files.md
• rules/endpoint-files.md
• rules/materialized-files.md
• rules/materialized-join-prefilter.md
• rules/sink-files.md
• rules/copy-files.md
• rules/connection-files.md
• rules/sql.md
• rules/endpoint-optimization.md
• rules/tests.md
• rules/deduplication-patterns.md

Quick Reference

• Project local files are the source of truth.
• Build target comes from tinybird.config.json dev_mode (local or branch).
• tb deploy targets Tinybird Cloud production.
• Commands like tb sql and tb logs default to local unless --cloud or --branch=<branch-name> is set.
• SQL is SELECT-only with Tinybird templating rules and strict parameter handling.
• Use MergeTree by default; AggregatingMergeTree for materialized targets.
• Filter early, select only needed columns, push complex work later in the pipeline.