SQLite Best Practices
Comprehensive performance optimization guide for SQLite. Contains rules across multiple categories, prioritized by impact to guide automated query optimization, schema design, and runtime configuration.
When to Apply
Reference these guidelines when:
- Configuring SQLite for production (WAL mode, timeouts)
- Designing schemas (Strict tables, data types)
- Optimizing queries and indexes
- Working with JSON or Full Text Search in SQLite
- Managing concurrency and transactions
- Designing backup and replication strategies
Rule Categories by Priority
| Priority | Category | Impact | Prefix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Configuration & Pragmas | CRITICAL | config- |
| 2 | Query Performance | CRITICAL | query- |
| 3 | Operations & Distributed | HIGH | ops- |
| 4 | Schema Design | HIGH | schema- |
| 5 | Data Access Patterns | MEDIUM | data- |
| 6 | JSON & Advanced | LOW | json- / fts- / advanced- |
How to Use
Read individual rule files for detailed explanations and SQL examples:
references/config-wal-mode.md
references/query-indexes.md
references/ops-continuous-wal.md
Each rule file contains:
- Brief explanation of why it matters
- Incorrect SQL/Config example with explanation
- Correct SQL/Config example with explanation
- Performance metrics or impacts
References
- https://www.sqlite.org/docs.html (Official Documentation)
- https://www.sqlite.org/syntaxdiagrams.html (Railroad Diagrams - Highly recommended for syntax)
- https://www.sqlite.org/pragma.html (Pragma Cheatsheet)
- https://www.sqlite.org/wal.html (Write-Ahead Logging)