SQLite

SQLite is a free, open-source, C-language library that implements a relational database management system (RDBMS).

History of SQLite

• SQLite was created in the year 2000 by D. Richard Hipp, who continues to lead the development of the software today.
• SQLite was designed to be a lightweight and simple database engine that could be easily embedded into other applications.
• It was created as an alternative to more complex and heavyweight database engines, such as MY SQL & PostgreSQL.
• Over the years, SQLite has gained widespread adoption and is now one of the most widely used database engines in the world. It is used in many applications, including web browsers, mobile phones, and a wide variety of other software.
• SQLite is an open-source software project, and the source code is available under the terms of the SQLite license, which is a permissive, public domain-like license.
• This has contributed to its widespread adoption, as developers are free to use and modify the source code as they see fit.

Why Use SQLite?

There are several reasons why you might choose to use SQLite in your project:

1. Ease of use: SQLite is very easy to get started with, as it requires no setup or configuration. You can simply include the library in your project and start using it.
2. Embeddability: SQLite is designed to be embedded into other applications. It is a self-contained, serverless database engine, which means you can include it in your application without the need for a separate database server.
3. Lightweight: SQLite is a very lightweight database engine, with a small library size (typically less than 1MB). This makes it well-suited for use in applications where the database is embedded directly into the application binary, such as mobile apps.
4. Serverless: As mentioned earlier, SQLite is a serverless database engine, which means there is no need to set up and maintain a separate database server process. This makes it easy to deploy and manage, as there are no additional dependencies to worry about.
5. Cross-platform: SQLite is available on many platforms, including Linux, macOS, and Windows, making it a good choice for cross-platform development.
6. Standalone: SQLite stores all of the data in a single file on the filesystem, which makes it easy to copy or backup the database.
7. High reliability: SQLite has been widely tested and used in production systems for many years and has a reputation for being a reliable and robust database engine.

Features of SQLite

1. The transactions follow ACID properties i.e. atomicity, consistency, isolation, and durability even after system crashes and power failures.
2. The configuration process is very easy, no setup or administration is needed.
3. All the features of SQL are implemented in it with some additional features like partial indexes, indexes on expressions, JSON, and common table expressions.
4. Sometimes it is faster than the direct file system I/O.
5. It supports terabyte-sized databases and gigabyte-sized strings and blobs.
6. Almost all OS supports SQLite like Android, BSD, iOS, Linux, Mac, Solaris, VxWorks, and Windows (Win32, WinCE, etc. It is very much easy to port to other systems.
7. A complete database can be stored in a single cross-platform disk file.

Applications of SQLite

1. Due to its small code print and efficient usage of memory, it is the popular choice for the database engine in cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, set-top boxes, and other electronic gadgets.
2. It is used as an alternative for open to writing XML, JSON, CSV, or some proprietary format into disk files used by the application.
3. As it has no complication for configuration and easily stores file in an ordinary disk file, so it can be used as a database for small to medium sized websites.
4. It is faster and accessible through a wide variety of third-party tools, so it has great applications in different software platforms.

Limitations of SQLite

• Limited concurrency: SQLite uses file-based locking to control access to the database, which can lead to performance issues when multiple clients are trying to read and write to the database simultaneously. This makes it less suitable for use in highly concurrent systems.
• No support for stored procedures: SQLite does not support stored procedures, which are pre-compiled SQL statements that can be executed on the server. This means that all SQL code must be sent to the server and compiled at runtime, which can be less efficient than using stored procedures.
• No support for triggers: SQLite does not support triggers, which are database actions that are automatically triggered by specified events (such as the insertion of a row into a table). This means that you have to manually implement any logic that needs to be triggered by specific events.
• Limited support for data types: SQLite has a relatively small set of data types compared to other database engines. It does not support many of the more advanced data types, such as arrays and JSON, that are available in other databases.
• Limited scalability: SQLite is not designed to be a high-concurrency, high-transaction-rate database engine. It is more suited for use in smaller-scale, low-concurrency systems, and may not be able to scale to handle very large amounts of data or very high levels of concurrency.

Conclusion

SQLite’s lightweight nature and ease of use make it a versatile option for developers needing an embedded database solution. Its self-contained structure and ACID compliance provide reliability and simplicity for handling transactions.