@nextlyhq/adapter-sqlite

@nextlyhq/adapter-sqlite

SQLite database adapter for Nextly. Built on better-sqlite3 for synchronous file-based persistence.

Nextly is in alpha. APIs may change before 1.0. Pin exact versions in production.

SQLite is for local demos and quick experiments only. It is single-writer, file-based, has no SSL, and emulates several features (see Dialect notes below). The adapter exists so you can try Nextly without provisioning a database server. For any real project, even local development, use @nextlyhq/adapter-postgres. The fastest way to run Postgres locally is docker compose up -d postgres.

What it is

The SQLite adapter for Nextly. Use this for one-off local demos or quick experiments where setting up a database server would be friction.

For any project beyond a quick demo, use @nextlyhq/adapter-postgres. PostgreSQL has the full feature set Nextly is designed around; SQLite emulates a subset.

Installation

pnpm add @nextlyhq/adapter-sqlite better-sqlite3

Quick usage

Nextly selects the adapter from your .env file. Install the package and set:

DB_DIALECT=sqlite
DATABASE_URL=file:./data/nextly.db

The path can be relative (resolved against the project root) or absolute. The directory must exist.

Required environment variables

Variable	Required?	Default	Notes
DATABASE_URL	yes	(none)	file:./path/to/db.sqlite or absolute path.
DB_DIALECT	recommended	(auto-detected from URL)	Set explicitly to silence the warning at boot.

Programmatic usage (advanced)

For test harnesses or scripts:

import { createSqliteAdapter } from "@nextlyhq/adapter-sqlite";

const adapter = createSqliteAdapter({
  url: process.env.DATABASE_URL!,
});

await adapter.connect();

Most users do not need this.

Supported SQLite versions

• SQLite 3.38 or newer required (bundled with better-sqlite3)

Dialect notes

• Single writer. SQLite serializes writes; concurrent transactions queue. Fine for one user, painful for production traffic.
• No SSL or TLS. Not applicable to a local file.
• Limited types. No native arrays, no JSONB; JSON is stored as TEXT. ILIKE is emulated as LOWER(...) LIKE LOWER(...).
• Savepoints. Supported.
• RETURNING clause. Supported (SQLite 3.35+).

Main exports

• SqliteAdapter: the adapter class
• createSqliteAdapter: factory for programmatic use
• isSqliteAdapter: type guard
• Type exports: SqliteAdapterConfig

Compatibility

Tool	Version
Node.js	20+
better-sqlite3	11+
nextly	0.0.x

Documentation

• SQLite adapter docs
• Database support and version policy

Related packages

• @nextlyhq/adapter-postgres: recommended for production
• @nextlyhq/adapter-mysql

License

MIT