SQLite

The embedded database inside every phone and browser: zero config, single file, and the base of the local-first movement.

SQLite is the most deployed database in the world: a single file, no server, no configuration, public domain, embedded directly into the application. It powers every phone, most browsers and a remarkable share of the software that never mentions a database.

Why founders use it: for the first years of most products, SQLite is simply enough, zero operations, zero connection management, transactions included, and backups become file copies. The modern extensions, WAL mode, Litestream replication to object storage, and the libSQL forks with serverless distribution, have pushed its ceiling far beyond prototypes into production SaaS.

A realistic setup: an embedded SQLite file as the primary store, WAL mode enabled, Litestream streaming backups to S3, and a restore drill you have actually run. For read-heavy edge products, Turso's model replicates the same file worldwide.

Trade-offs: a single writer means write scaling has a ceiling, and concurrent multi-process writes want discipline. Compare with Postgres when many writers and rich analytics arrive, and with Turso when the same data must be near every user.