SQLite database support #

This page is for anyone who wants to try Exponential, develop on a laptop, run automated tests, or host a small site on a plan that offers no MySQL. With SQLite, a complete Exponential site runs from one file on disk, with no database server to install, configure or secure.

SQLite support arrived in January 2024 (releases 6.0.1 to 6.0.3, see the January 2024 chronicle) and has been refined since. Everything below describes the code as it is now; a note says where a setting came in a later release than the first driver.

Supported databases (Exponential 6.0.x), in order of preference: 1. SQLite 3 (the default) · 2. PostgreSQL · 3. MongoDB · 4. MariaDB · 5. Oracle · 6. MySQL. Microsoft SQL Server is known to be possible with additional work at this time. Details: Database support.

What you get #

• A kernel database driver, eZSQLite3DB (lib/ezdb/classes/ezsqlite3db.php), selected with the implementation alias sqlite3.
• A schema handler, eZSQLiteSchema (lib/ezdbschema/classes/ezsqliteschema.php), so the setup wizard, the package installer and schema tools such as bin/php/ezsqldumpschema.php and bin/php/ezsqlinsertschema.php can create and read tables.
• SQLite-flavoured SQL files in kernel/sql/sqlite/ (schema.sql, cleandata.sql), used by the setup wizard for a clean install.
• A setup wizard that lists SQLite as a database choice, tests that the PHP sqlite3 extension is loaded and explains what to do if it is not.

Try it in five minutes #

1. Check that PHP has the extension:

   php -m | grep -i sqlite3

   It must print sqlite3. If it prints nothing, install your distribution's php-sqlite3 package (or enable extension=sqlite3 in php.ini) and reload PHP-FPM.

2. Open the setup wizard in the browser (/setup). On the database page choose SQLite. The wizard preselects it when the PHP sqlite3 extension is present (setting [DatabaseSettings] DefaultType=sqlite3 in settings/setup.ini, see below). If the extension is missing the wizard says so and falls back to the first available database system.

3. Give the database a name (the wizard proposes sqlite.db, constant SQLITE_DEFAULT_FILE_NAME). A name without a path is created as a file in var/storage/sqlite3/:

   ls -l var/storage/sqlite3/

4. Finish the wizard as usual. The site now runs from that single file.

Settings #

The driver's built-in PRAGMA defaults (also later releases) are synchronous=NORMAL, cache_size=-65536 (64 MB), mmap_size=268435456, temp_store=MEMORY and busy_timeout=5000, and the journal runs in WAL mode. See the driver specification.

Using a database file that another application shares #

Since April 2026 (cefe8f13a2) the driver accepts an absolute path in Database, and registers the eZSQLite3DB class in the kernel autoload array. That lets a legacy bridge point Exponential at the very file a Symfony/Doctrine application uses, so both stacks see the same data:

# settings/siteaccess/<name>/site.ini.append.php
[DatabaseSettings]
DatabaseImplementation=sqlite3
Database=/absolute/path/to/shared.db

The directory of a new database is created recursively (ae5feaf6a7), so a nested path works on first use.

Limits and good practice #

• SQLite allows one writer at a time. Many editors publishing at the same moment queue behind each other (see SQLiteTransactionWait); for a busy editorial team choose MySQL, PostgreSQL or MongoDB.
• Do not put the database file inside a directory the web server serves directly. In the shipped .htaccess only a short list of var/ paths (public images, public caches, preview images of packages) is served as files; the rest goes to index.php. Verify on your own host that the database file is not downloadable: curl -sI https://www.example.com/var/storage/sqlite3/sqlite.db. A status other than 200 is what you want.
• Run ANALYZE once after a big import so the query planner has statistics.
• Back up with sqlite3 <file> ".backup <target>", not by copying the file while the site is busy.

Related pages #

• Specifications: SQLite3 database driver, database drivers and installers, 16 to 30 September 2026, SQLite and Oracle driver behaviour (October 2026), platform SQLite installer
• SQLite: transactions queue for the write lock
• Install in one command, SQLite for Exponential Platform, MongoDB database support
• PHP 8 support (the countable and is_countable fixes that came out of the SQLite test runs)
• Changelogs: 6.0.1 (the driver), 6.0.13 (absolute paths, autoload), 6.0.14 (schema reading)
• History: January 2024, first half, January 2024, second half, April 2026, June 2026, second half (dropping indexes)