The year of SQLite

I'm calling it early - this is the year of SQLite (for me at least). If 2024 were to have a specific theme, SQLite is as good as any. This has been building up for a while, and now it's time to fully embrace it as an indie hacker.

You might consider using SQLite in your next project. My reasons for using it have multiplied over time. Here are some of them.

A database contained in a flat file is lightweight and easy to manage.

Portable and easy to backup. It's a flat file, just copy-paste it.

Performance is on par with "traditional" databases like MySQL. It can also handle millions (billions?) of records easily. I picked these up from various articles, but I don't have any concrete citations.

Over the past 1-2 years there's been a lot of chatter on the interwebs about various companies building successful products on SQLite. I'm seeing more of this as time goes by and people realize that it's a serious contender.

Easy to embed in a desktop app made with Tauri or Electron.

Taylor Otwell has been talking about making SQLite the default connection in Laravel 11. This is yet to be confirmed, and it might not even happen, but just the fact that it's being considered is a strong indicator that the community is leaning into it.

Aaron Francis has talked on a few podcasts about building a static site generator with Laravel and SQLite. The details intrigue me a lot and I'm very excited to see what he'll build. It sounds a lot like my use-case.

Here's a great article that explains the strengths (and some weaknesses) of SQLite compared to "traditional" databases like MySQL and PostgreSQL.

I've already built a small/experimental/throwaway(?) project on SQLite in 2023 and I really like it. In 2024 I would like to start working on a new idea, and it will absolutely be on SQLite.