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Lightweight SQLite storage for development and testing

The SQLite backend is the easiest way to get started without running an external database. Its ideal for local development, testing, and single-server deployments. When youre ready for production with multiple workers, switch to PostgreSQL. Uses bun:sqlite for Bun and node:sqlite for Node.js (requires Node.js 22.5+).

Setup

import { OpenWorkflow } from "openworkflow";
import { BackendSqlite } from "openworkflow/sqlite";

const backend = BackendSqlite.connect("./openworkflow/backend.db");
const ow = new OpenWorkflow({ backend });

Note: BackendSqlite.connect() is synchronous (no await needed).

File Path

The database file is created if it doesnt exist:

// Relative path (recommended for projects)
const backend = BackendSqlite.connect("./openworkflow/backend.db");

// Absolute path
const backend = BackendSqlite.connect("/var/lib/openworkflow/data.db");

// In-memory database (data lost on restart)
const backend = BackendSqlite.connect(":memory:");

Configuration Options

const backend = BackendSqlite.connect(path, {
  // Namespace for multi-tenant isolation (default: "default")
  namespaceId: "development",

  // Whether to run migrations on connect (default: true)
  runMigrations: true,
});

Git Ignore

Add the database file and SQLite sidecar files to .gitignore:

openworkflow/backend.db*

The CLIs init command does this automatically when you choose SQLite.

When to Use SQLite

Good for:

Local development
Testing and CI
Single-server deployments
Prototyping
Small-scale production with low throughput

Consider PostgreSQL for:

Multi-server deployments
High concurrency requirements
Production workloads with many workers
Environments requiring database-level backups

Concurrency

SQLite supports concurrent reads but uses locking for writes. The backend handles this with BEGIN IMMEDIATE transactions. For single-worker setups, this works well. For multiple workers, PostgreSQL is recommended.

Namespaces

Use namespaceId to isolate environments:

const devBackend = BackendSqlite.connect("./backend.db", {
  namespaceId: "development",
});

const testBackend = BackendSqlite.connect("./backend.db", {
  namespaceId: "test",
});

See Namespaces for more details.

Config File Example

For use with the CLI, create openworkflow.config.ts:

import { defineConfig } from "@openworkflow/cli";
import { BackendSqlite } from "openworkflow/sqlite";

export default defineConfig({
  backend: BackendSqlite.connect("./openworkflow/backend.db"),
  dirs: ["./openworkflow"],
});

Development + Production Setup

A common pattern uses SQLite for development and PostgreSQL for production:

import { defineConfig } from "@openworkflow/cli";
import { BackendPostgres } from "openworkflow/postgres";
import { BackendSqlite } from "openworkflow/sqlite";

const isDev = process.env.NODE_ENV !== "production";

const backend = isDev
  ? BackendSqlite.connect("./openworkflow/backend.db")
  : await BackendPostgres.connect(process.env.OPENWORKFLOW_POSTGRES_URL!);

export default defineConfig({
  backend,
  dirs: ["./openworkflow"],
});

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