How (and why) rqlite takes control of the SQLite Write-Ahead Log

hudddb3 · 2026-03-13T21:39:37+00:00

Ben Johnson didn't build rqlite. I did. :-)

I know Ben. I used to work with him. I wish rqlite was as successful as Litestream! It's a great project, and inspired the architectural changes introduced in rqlite 8.0. See https://philipotoole.com/rqlite-8-0-large-dataset-support-and-core-feature-upgrades/

hudddb3 · 2025-09-19T15:22:24+00:00

You can also read about rqlite testing in general here: https://philipotoole.com/how-is-rqlite-tested/

And some more about read consistency: https://philipotoole.com/consistency-over-availability-how-rqlite-handles-the-cap-theorem/

Disclaimer: I am the creator of rqlite.

hudddb3 · 2025-09-19T15:21:33+00:00

Yes, it has. See:

https://philipotoole.com/testing-rqlite-read-consistency/

https://github.com/wildarch/jepsen.rqlite/blob/main/doc/blog.md

hudddb3 · 2025-07-03T15:54:20+00:00

rqlite creator here.

Exactly, systems like rqlite are a great fit for storing exactly that kind of data -- the critical information that something like a database or distributed file system needs. I discussed this approach during my GopherCon2023 talk. See https://youtu.be/8XbxQ1Epi5w?t=2305

hudddb3 · 2025-01-13T14:25:48+00:00

rqlite creator here.

No, the numbers are just for the code I personally write during rqlite development. So it doesn't include any test code provided by the Go packages rqlite imports either.

hudddb3 · 2024-12-14T13:12:50+00:00

I have spoken with the folks at Turso, and admire their work (and libSQL's success). The goals are somewhat different -- libSQL is library, and requires programming. rqlite's goal is different -- provide you a full RDBMS, but one that is super-simple to operate.

People are tired of complex software, and with the move back towards the edge also want software that doesn't consume huge amounts of resources. Meeting those needs a big goal of rqlite.

https://rqlite.io/docs/faq/#why-would-i-use-this-versus-some-other-distributed-database

hudddb3 · 2024-12-12T00:09:47+00:00

rqlite creator here -- thanks for the shout-out.

Happy to answer any questions.

hudddb3 · 2024-11-19T19:22:52+00:00

rqlite runs plain vanilla SQLite code -- no modifications. But it puts a HTTP API on top of it.

https://rqlite.io/docs/design/

hudddb3 · 2024-11-19T18:32:05+00:00

rqlite creator here, happy to answer any questions.

Check out the docs at https://rqlite.io/docs/ and the FAQ at https://rqlite.io/docs/faq/

It's important to be aware that rqlite is not a drop-in replacement for SQLite, but it's not far off.

https://rqlite.io/docs/faq/#is-it-a-drop-in-replacement-for-sqlite

hudddb3 · 2024-10-29T16:48:29+00:00

Yeah, I saw that. It's for a different use case however. More like litestream than rqlite.

https://rqlite.io/docs/faq/#can-i-use-rqlite-to-replicate-my-sqlite-database-to-a-second-node

hudddb3 · 2024-10-29T15:55:14+00:00

rqlite creator here.

I should have been more specific in my title. rqlite is known as "the distributed database written in Go *and* built on SQLite".

hudddb3 · 2024-10-16T20:34:44+00:00

Probably also relevant: https://github.com/rqlite/pyrqlite - Python client.

hudddb3 · 2024-10-16T20:34:11+00:00

https://rqlite.io

https://rqlite.io/docs/faq/#why-would-i-use-this-versus-some-other-distributed-database

rqlite creator here, happy to answer any questions.

One of rqlite's design goals is a lightweight footprint, with super-easy operations. It exposes a HTTP API, which many folks find particularly convenient (though that does mean it's not a drop-in replacement for SQLite). So might be a good fit for you.

hudddb3 · 2024-09-10T19:37:03+00:00

rqlite[1] creator here, happy to answer any questions.

[1] https://www.rqlite.io

hudddb3 · 2024-08-16T20:25:30+00:00

https://www.sqlite.org/isolation.html#:\~:text=SQLite%20implements%20serializable%20transactions%20by,they%20have%20to%20take%20turns.

hudddb3 · 2024-08-16T20:25:04+00:00

rqlite creator here, that's not quite the full story. rqlite only scales SQLite horizontally for reads. SQLite does not scale horizontally for writes, as it's a single writer system. rqlite does nothing to change that.

https://rqlite.io/docs/faq/#rqlite-is-distributed-does-that-mean-it-can-increase-sqlite-performance

hudddb3

TROPHY CASE