SQLite is a software library that implements a self-contained, server less, zero-configuration, transactional SQL database engine. All of the source code for SQLite is in a single file (a “single” archive), and it compiles into an 8,000-line C program. It is an embedded SQL database engine and unlike client-server databases such as Oracle, PostgreSQL, MySQL etc., all SQL statements are executed by a single process, which is the “database engine”. This means that if an SQLite database connection is lost due to a power outage, the connection is automatically re-established when power is restored and the database engine starts back up again.
Why SQLite?
- It’s really light and quick to install on a dev machine
- It’s fast and it keeps getting faster all the time.
- It is self-contained- no external dependencies, no installation hassles.
- The software library is extremely simple.
- It is easy to integrate into other software. Moreover, there are no configuration files or command-line arguments to worry about.
- SQLite databases can be shared by multiple applications, simultaneously.
- Data in its databases is protected from corruption by robust transaction support.
- Clients can connect over a network from a wide variety of operating systems, unlike other database software which is more limited.
- Uses approximately 100 times less disk space than Microsoft Access.
- There are no required installation procedures, making it easy to deploy.