File extension
.sqlite
SQLite database file
.sqlite files are SQLite databases: a complete relational database contained in a single cross-platform file, the most widely deployed database engine, embedded in browsers, phones, and applications everywhere.
Known meanings
Formats and reference material for .sqlite
SQLite database file
Self-contained, single-file relational (SQL) database
Details
Format notes
SQLite Database
SQLite is a self-contained, serverless relational database engine whose entire database — tables, indexes, views, triggers, and the data itself — lives in a single ordinary file. There is no separate server process: applications link the SQLite library and read and write the file directly. This simplicity, combined with a small footprint and a permissive public-domain license, has made SQLite the most widely deployed database in the world, embedded in web browsers, mobile operating systems, aircraft, and countless desktop and server applications. It is also endorsed as a recommended format for long-term data archiving.
The file format is stable, openly documented, and cross-platform. A database is a
sequence of fixed-size pages beginning with a 100-byte header that starts with the
string SQLite format 3\000. Pages hold B-tree structures for tables and indexes,
and the schema itself is stored as rows in an internal table. SQLite is transactional
(ACID): a rollback journal or write-ahead log (WAL) ensures that changes are atomic
and durable even across crashes, and readers can access the file while a writer works.
Use And Preservation Notes
Because a whole database is one portable file, SQLite is ideal as an application file
format and for shipping datasets. Its documented, backward-compatible format and
independence from any server make it well suited to preservation; keeping the schema
(which is embedded) means the data remains interpretable with any SQLite-capable
tool. The common media type is application/vnd.sqlite3.
Security Notes
An SQLite file is data, but opening one runs SQL against it, and the file can define triggers and views; untrusted database files should be opened with care, using current library versions and appropriate limits, since malformed files have historically exposed parser bugs. Applications must also use parameterized queries to avoid SQL injection.
Further Reading
- SQLite database file format:
https://www.sqlite.org/fileformat2.html - SQLite as an archival format:
https://www.sqlite.org/locrsf.html