# Basics database operations
> Create, list, and drop MotherDuck databases using SQL commands.
While embedded DuckDB uses files on your local filesystem to represent databases, MotherDuck implements SQL syntax for creating, listing and dropping databases.

## Create database

### SQL

```sql
-- [OR REPLACE] and [IF NOT EXISTS] are optional modifiers.
CREATE [OR REPLACE | IF NOT EXISTS] DATABASE <database name>;
USE <database name>;
```

Creating copies of databases in MotherDuck in this manner is a metadata-only operation that copies no data. Learn more in the [`CREATE DATABASE`](/sql-reference/motherduck-sql-reference/create-database/) overview documentation.

## Listing databases

### SQL

```sql
-- returns all connected local and remote databases
SHOW DATABASES;
-- returns current database
SELECT current_database();
```

Learn more in the [`SHOW ALL DATABASES`](/sql-reference/motherduck-sql-reference/show-databases/) overview documentation.

## Delete database

### SQL

```sql
USE <database name>;
DROP DATABASE <database name>;
```

Example usage:

```sql
> SHOW DATABASES;
test01

-- Let's put two different t1  tables into into two different databases
> CREATE TABLE dbname.t1 AS (SELECT range AS r FROM range(12));
> SELECT * FROM t1;

-- now for the other database
> CREATE DATABASE test02;
> CREATE TABLE test02.t1 AS (SELECT 'test02' AS dbname)

-- show the databases we've created
> SHOW DATABASES;
test01
test02
```

Learn more in the [`DROP DATABASE`](/sql-reference/motherduck-sql-reference/show-databases/) overview documentation.


---

## Docs feedback

MotherDuck accepts optional user-submitted feedback about this page at `GET https://motherduck.com/docs/api/feedback/agent`.
For agents and automated tools, feedback submission should be user-confirmed before sending.

URL-encode query parameter values and send a GET request:

```text
GET https://motherduck.com/docs/api/feedback/agent?page_path=%2Fkey-tasks%2Fdatabase-operations%2Fbasics-operations%2F&page_title=Basics%20database%20operations&text=<url-encoded user feedback, max 2000 characters>
```

Optionally append `&source=<url-encoded interface identifier>` such as `claude.ai` or `chatgpt`.

`page_path` and `text` are required; `page_title` and `source` are optional. Responses: `200 {"feedback_id": "<uuid>"}`, `400` for malformed query parameters, and `429` when rate-limited.