Story: SQLite by default
This page is for journalists and creators who write about simple hosting, small organizations, education or developer laptops. Exponential's default database is SQLite: the whole site in one file. This page explains the story, when it fits, and what not to promise.
Contents
- The story in one paragraph
- What is new, and when
- Facts you can print
- When it fits, and when it does not
- What not to claim
- Angles and headline ideas
- Who to ask
- Related pages
The story in one paragraph
"With SQLite, a complete Exponential site runs from one file on disk, with no database server to install, configure
or secure" (SQLite database support). It arrived with the first months of the
6.0 line in January 2024 and became the default: of the setup wizard in September 2026 and of the one-command
installer (./console exp:install --apply), which installs on SQLite unless told otherwise
(Install in one command). The README calls it "an incredible
improvement to the kernel" (README, Recent improvements).
What is new, and when
| What | When | Source |
|---|---|---|
| SQLite arrives as a database that needs no server (merged 7 January 2024, first released in 6.0.1 on 29 January 2024; 6.0.0 was stable on 1 January) | January 2024 | January 2024 |
| SQLite support in releases 6.0.1 to 6.0.3, refined since | January to April 2024 | SQLite database support |
| SQLite is the setup wizard's default; one-command install on SQLite | 16 to 30 September 2026 | 6.0.15 changelog |
| A write queue: concurrent publishes wait their turn instead of failing with "database is locked" | 1 and 2 October 2026 | 6.0.15 changelog |
The 2026 changes are in the 6.0.15 line, the current release line of Exponential 6.0; their dates are dates of the changes, not a release date.
Facts you can print
| Fact | Source |
|---|---|
| SQLite 3 is first in the official database order and the default. | README |
The database is four files: the database, -wal, -shm and .writer-lock. | Database support, SQLite 3 |
| Write-ahead logging lets page views keep reading while an editor publishes. | same |
A queued transaction waits up to 25 seconds by default (SQLiteTransactionWait). | same |
| "The project's own load tests had concurrent readers scale with the number of processes and 16 concurrent writers complete without errors, queued." | same |
| Exponential Platform Legacy also offers SQLite ("now with SQLite support"). | Exponential Platform Legacy |
When it fits, and when it does not
| Fits | Choose a database server instead |
|---|---|
| One machine, any number of readers, an editorial team | More than one machine must write the database |
| Trying Exponential, a laptop, automated tests, a small site | Many editors publish large changes at the same moment all day |
| A hosting plan without MySQL | You need replication or database-level users and grants |
Source: Database support, SQLite 3 and SQLite, Limits and good practice.
What not to claim
- "SQLite is enough for every site." The sources list when to choose a server.
- "No database at all." There is a database; it is a file, not a server.
- "Faster than MySQL." The sources publish no comparison.
Angles and headline ideas
"A whole website in one file: Exponential makes SQLite the default"
"No database server to secure: the case for SQLite in a CMS"
"Sixteen writers, no errors: how Exponential queues SQLite publishes"Who to ask
| Question | Ask | Where |
|---|---|---|
| The SQLite work | 7x | [email protected], or https://exponential.earth/about/contact-us |
| Small-site experiences | the community | https://share.exponential.earth/forums |
Related pages
- Story: six databases
- Story: install in one command
- SQLite database support
- Feature stories: index
- Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.
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