SQLite is a complete SQL database stored in a single file. There is no server to run, no user accounts to manage and nothing to configure. It is also, by most estimates, the most widely deployed database engine in the world.
Why it ages well
- The file format is stable, documented and backward compatible.
- The source code is in the public domain.
- The project has committed to supporting it for decades.
- A backup is just a copy of one file.
When to reach for something bigger
If many machines need to write to the same data at the same time, a client-server database such as PostgreSQL is the better fit. For almost everything else — personal tools, small sites, local apps — SQLite is simpler and faster than people expect.
sqlite3 notes.db "CREATE TABLE notes(id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, body TEXT, created TEXT DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP);"
Daniel RenInfrastructure at Bet on Future
Looks after small servers and writes down everything that broke along the way.
