Date: 2026-07-15

Git: https://gitlab.com/mort96/blog/blob/published/content/00000-home/00017-sqlite-editions.md

SQLite is an amazing database engine. I use it as a database for plenty of embedded projects, and I don't think it's an exaggeration to call it the industry standard for local data storage. Some server software even uses it; for example, lobste.rs is now running on SQLite .

Unlike traditional RDBMSes (Relational DataBase Management Systems), SQLite is not a separate process; it's an RDBMS as a library, meaning your software remains self contained. Unlike traditional file formats, you don't need to write custom serializers and parsers. In some ways, it's the best of both worlds.

There's just one huge problem though. Its defaults are all wrong.

Bad default #1: Foreign key constraints are ignored by default

You read that right.…