SQLite
SQLite is a relational database management system contained in a C library. It is a popular choice as an embedded database for local/client storage in software applications due to its compact size, reliability, and availability on most platforms.
database
embedded
local-storage
c-library
relational
SQLite: Relational Database Management System
SQLite is a relational database management system contained in a C library. It is a popular choice as an embedded database for local/client storage in software applications due to its compact size, reliability, and availability on most platforms.
What is SQLite?
SQLite is an in-process library that implements a self-contained, serverless, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine. The code for SQLite is in the public domain and is thus free for use for any purpose, commercial or private.
SQLite is the most widely deployed database in the world - it is used in most smartphones, browsers and embedded systems as well as many desktop applications. Unlike client–server database management systems, the SQLite engine has no standalone processes with which it communicates. Instead, the SQLite library is linked in and thus becomes an integral part of the application program.
Key features of SQLite include:
- Self-contained: No external dependencies
- Serverless: No configuration or administration needed
- Zero-configuration: No setup or administration needed
- Transactional: Atomic commit and rollback capabilities
- Small size: Under 600KiB fully configured or under 400KiB with optional features omitted
- Reliable: Over 1 trillion rows and 800+ terabyte databases
- Full-featured: Most SQL92 features plus modern features
- Available: Public domain license, supported on all major platforms
SQLite is a popular choice as an embedded database for local/client storage in software applications such as web browsers, mobile phones, wi-fi routers, digital cameras, media players and other embedded systems. It competes with other embedded databases such as Berkeley DB, Firebird SQL, MySQL Embedded and SQL Anywhere in this space.
SQLite Features
Features
- Serverless - No separate server process needed
- Zero Configuration - No setup or administration needed
- Self-Contained - Contains entire database in a single disk file
- Full-featured - Implements core SQL92 features
- Cross-Platform - Available on all major operating systems
- Small Footprint - Library size is less than 300KB
- Reliable - Over 1 trillion database queries per day across millions of installations
- Fast - Faster than client/server RDBMS for most common operations
- Simple API - Single C library, just sqlite3.h and sqlite3.c
Pricing
- Open Source
Pros
Lightweight and fast
Serverless and zero configuration
Self-contained in a single file
Reliable and battle-tested
Available on all platforms
Simple and easy to use API
Full-featured SQL implementation
Permissive licensing
Cons
Limited concurrency without add-ons
No user management built-in
Limited data integrity features
Not suitable for high-volume OLTP apps
No network access or client-server operation
Limited reporting and analytics features
Official Links
The Best SQLite Alternatives
Top Development and Databases and other similar apps like SQLite
Here are some alternatives to SQLite:
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MongoDB
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PostgreSQL
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MySQL Community Edition
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MariaDB
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CockroachDB
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CouchDB
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Microsoft SQL Server
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PlanetScale
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SAP HANA
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Oracle Database
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IBM Lotus Approach
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HSQLDB
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H2 Database Engine
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Titan Database
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RethinkDB
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Microsoft SQL Server Compact
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Apache HBase
Apache HBase is an open-source, distributed, versioned, non-relational database modeled after Google's Bigtable. It is written in Java and runs on top of HDFS (Hadoop Distributed File System), providing Bigtable-like capabilities for Hadoop.HBase provides fast random access to large amounts of structured data. It scales linearly to handle huge tables...
QueryPie
QueryPie is a business intelligence and data visualization software designed to help companies make sense of their data. It allows users without technical or data science expertise to easily connect to databases and spreadsheets, build SQL queries visually, and create interactive dashboards containing charts, graphs, and pivot tables.Some key features...
IBM DB2
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Couchbase
Couchbase is an open source, distributed multi-model NoSQL document-oriented database that is optimized for interactive applications. It provides sub-millisecond data operations, distributed across a scalable and flexible database cluster infrastructure designed for performance, scalability, and availability.Key capabilities and features include:Document-oriented storage of JSON documents as well as support for storing...
UnQLite
UnQLite is an embedded NoSQL database engine that provides a standard Key/Value store, as well as a Document Store with support for JSON documents. Some key features of UnQLite include:Written in pure C with no external dependencies, making it simple to integrate into applicationsFast in-memory and on-disk performance for reads...
DuckDB
DuckDB is an embeddable SQL database management system that focuses on efficiency, robustness, and ease of use. It supports the SQL standard and can be embedded into applications written in languages like Python, Java, C/C++, and R.As an embedded database, DuckDB runs directly within an application instead of as a...
Sybase Advantage Database Server
Sybase Advantage Database Server is a high-performance relational database management system designed for embedding in applications that require local data management. It offers a robust SQL database engine that delivers industrial-strength data management, securing business data with ACID compliance, referential integrity, and transaction processing.Key features include:ACID compliance for data integrityReferential...
Sqlite Page Explorer
Sqlite Page Explorer is a free, open source software application used for browsing and editing SQLite database files. It provides a simple graphical interface that allows users to easily view and modify SQLite databases without needing to write SQL code.Some key features of Sqlite Page Explorer include:Viewing table schemas and...
MarkLogic
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VoltDB
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Mimer SQL
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LemonGraph
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VistaDB
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ObjectBox
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CUBRID Database
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Amazon RDS
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NuoDB
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Oracle TimesTen
Oracle TimesTen is an in-memory, relational database management system that is designed to improve application performance and reduce system overhead for transaction-intensive applications. Unlike traditional disk-based relational databases, TimesTen holds databases fully in physical memory to avoid disk I/O delays during transactions.Key features of TimesTen include:Extreme performance - By eliminating...
DBworx
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Action PSQL
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Polyhedra RDBMS
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ScimoreDB
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DeepDB
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Postgres-XC
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Valentina DB ADK
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Starcounter
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Pyzdb
pyzdb is an open-source Python library that provides an object-relational mapping (ORM) and database abstraction layer for SQL databases. It aims to simplify database access and integrate seamlessly with Python code.Some key features of pyzdb include:Intuitive Pythonic interface for interacting with databases - avoids the need to write SQL queries...
OrbitDB
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Clustrix
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DropConfig
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EdgeDB
EdgeDB is an open-source object-relational database management system designed specifically for graph-like data models, flexible schemas, and complex queries. It combines the power and query capabilities of graph databases with the reliability and performance of relational databases.Key features of EdgeDB include:Declarative query language EdgeQL based on GraphQL, allowing for complex...
SAP MaxDB
SAP MaxDB is a relational database management system originally developed by MySQL and then by SAP SE. It is optimized for use with SAP business applications such as SAP ERP, SAP CRM, SAP SCM, and SAP SRM.Some key capabilities and benefits of SAP MaxDB include:High performance for transactional and analytical...
Frontbase
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