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SQLite VS BoltDB

Compare SQLite VS BoltDB and see what are their differences

SQLite logo SQLite

SQLite Home Page

BoltDB logo BoltDB

An embedded key/value database for Go. Contribute to boltdb/bolt development by creating an account on GitHub.
  • SQLite Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-21
  • BoltDB Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-07

SQLite features and specs

  • Zero Configuration
    SQLite does not require any server setup or configuration, allowing for easy integration and deployment in applications.
  • Lightweight
    It is extremely lightweight, with a small footprint, making it ideal for embedded systems and mobile applications.
  • Self-Contained
    SQLite is self-contained, meaning it has minimal external dependencies, which simplifies its distribution and usage.
  • File-Based Storage
    Data is stored in a single file, which makes it easy to manage and transfer databases as simple files.
  • ACID Compliance
    SQLite supports Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, and Durability (ACID) properties, ensuring reliable transactions.
  • Cross-Platform
    SQLite is available on numerous platforms, including Windows, MacOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, providing a broad compatibility range.
  • Public Domain
    SQLite operates under the public domain, allowing for unrestricted use in commercial and non-commercial applications.

Possible disadvantages of SQLite

  • Limited Scalability
    SQLite is not designed to handle high levels of concurrency and large-scale databases, making it less suitable for large, high-traffic applications.
  • Write Performance
    Write operations can be slower compared to server-based databases, especially under heavy write loads.
  • Lack of Certain Features
    SQLite lacks some advanced features offered by other RDBMS like stored procedures, user-defined functions, and full-text search indexing.
  • Security
    As SQLite is file-based, it might lack some of the security features present in server-based databases, such as sophisticated access control.
  • Concurrency
    SQLite uses a locking mechanism to control access to the database, which can lead to contention and performance bottlenecks in highly concurrent environments.
  • Backup and Restore
    While it's straightforward to copy SQLite database files, it lacks the advanced backup and restore features found in more complex RDBMS.

BoltDB features and specs

  • Simplicity
    BoltDB is easy to use with a simple API, making it accessible for developers to integrate into applications without a steep learning curve.
  • Performance
    Designed for high read performance, BoltDB offers efficient access to data that makes it suitable for applications with heavy read workloads.
  • ACID Transactions
    BoltDB supports ACID transactions, ensuring data integrity and reliability across operations, which is essential for applications that require consistent state.
  • Embedded
    As an embedded key/value store, BoltDB operates within the application's memory space, reducing the overhead associated with server-based databases.
  • Go-centric
    Written in pure Go, BoltDB is optimized for applications written in Go, providing seamless integration and compatibility for Go developers.

Possible disadvantages of BoltDB

  • Write Concurrency
    BoltDB uses a single writer with multiple readers, which can become a bottleneck in write-heavy applications as concurrent writes are not supported.
  • Scalability
    Designed as an embedded database, BoltDB is not ideal for applications requiring distributed or highly scalable database solutions.
  • Deprecation
    BoltDB is no longer actively maintained in its original repository, which may deter developers from adopting it due to potential risks with unsupported software.
  • Large Dataset Handling
    BoltDB might experience performance degradation with very large datasets, as it was primarily designed for smaller, single-node applications.
  • Limited Features
    Compared to more advanced databases, BoltDB lacks features like advanced querying capabilities, caching mechanisms, and complex data types that might be needed in complex applications.

SQLite videos

SQLite | What, Why , Where

More videos:

  • Review - W20 PROG1442 3.3 UWP sqLite Review
  • Tutorial - How To Create SQLite Databases From Scratch For Beginners - Full Tutorial

BoltDB videos

No BoltDB videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to SQLite and BoltDB)
Databases
90 90%
10% 10
Relational Databases
100 100%
0% 0
NoSQL Databases
84 84%
16% 16
Graph Databases
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

SQLite might be a bit more popular than BoltDB. We know about 18 links to it since March 2021 and only 14 links to BoltDB. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

SQLite mentions (18)

  • Can I have my Lightroom catalogue pointing at two sources...?
    Yes. A Lightroom catalog file is, after all, just a SQLite database. (Srsly, make a copy of your catalog file, rename it whatever.sqlite and use your favorite SQLite GUI to rip it open and look at the tables and fields). It's just storing the pathame to the RAW file for that file's record in the database. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Building a database to search Excel files
    I use visidata with a playback script I recorded to open the sheet to a specific Excel tab, add a column, save the sheet as a csv file. Then I have a sqlite script that takes the csv file and puts it in a database, partitioned by monthYear. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Saw this on my friends Snapchat story, this hurts my heart
    Use the most-used database in the world: https://sqlite.org/index.html. Source: over 2 years ago
  • "Managing" a SQLite Database with J (Part 2)
    With this in mind, I wrote a few versions of this post, but I hated them all. Then I realized that jodliterate PDF documents mostly do what I want. So, instead of rewriting MirrorXref.pdf, I will make a few comments about jodliterate group documents in general. If you're interested in using SQLite with J, download the self-contained GitHub files MirrorXref.ijs and MirrorXref.pdf and have a look. - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • "Managing" a SQLite Database with J (Part 1)
    SQLite, by many estimates, is the most widely deployed SQL database system on Earth. It's everywhere. It's in your phone, your laptop, your cameras, your car, your cloud, and your breakfast cereal. SQLite's global triumph is a gratifying testament to the virtues of technical excellence and the philosophy of "less is more.". - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
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BoltDB mentions (14)

  • Bleve: How to build a rocket-fast search engine?
    Bleve supports a few different index types, but I found after much fiddling that the "scorch" index type gives you the best performance. If you don't pass in the last 3 arguments, Bleve will just default to BoltDB. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Announcing jammdb: a simple single-file key/value store
    This crate started out as just a way for me to learn how boltdb works, while learning Rust at the same time. But somehow people started finding and using it and seem to like the simple API, so I figured I might as well share it in case someone else finds it useful too. If you want to know more about my motivations and the history of this crate, you can read the release notes on version 0.8.0! Source: about 2 years ago
  • Polygon: Json Database System designed to run on small servers (as low as 16MB) and still be fast and flexible.
    Some example of embeddable database could be genji, badger and boltdb. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Books on designing disk-optimized data structures?
    Designing Data Intensive applications- specifically chapter 3 and 4 which deal with strategies and algorithms for storing and encoding data to be stored on disk and their pros and cons. Once you read that, I'll suggest reading the source of a simple embedded key-value database, I wouldn't bother with RDBMs as they are complex beasts and contain way more than you need. BoltDB is a good project to read the source of... - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • GitHub examples of Go that's written really well?
    Bolt db and Bolt db's author post to go with it. Source: almost 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing SQLite and BoltDB, you can also consider the following products

PostgreSQL - PostgreSQL is a powerful, open source object-relational database system.

Redis - Redis is an open source in-memory data structure project implementing a distributed, in-memory key-value database with optional durability.

MySQL - The world's most popular open source database

Aerospike - Aerospike is a high-performing NoSQL database supporting high transaction volumes with low latency.

Microsoft SQL - Microsoft SQL is a best in class relational database management software that facilitates the database server to provide you a primary function to store and retrieve data.

ArangoDB - A distributed open-source database with a flexible data model for documents, graphs, and key-values.