Node.js Built-in SQLite with node:sqlite

Node.js includes a built-in node:sqlite module for working with SQLite databases without installing a third-party package. SQLite stores relational data in a local file or in memory, making it useful for command-line tools, tests, desktop apps, prototypes, and lightweight services.

Use Node.js 22.13 or later for these examples without the experimental SQLite flag. Save the code in sqlite-demo.cjs so require() works even in an ES-module project.

Import DatabaseSync

Example:

const { DatabaseSync } = require('node:sqlite');

DatabaseSync provides a synchronous API. That keeps examples simple, but long-running database work can block the event loop, so use it thoughtfully in servers.

Create a Database

Example:

const { DatabaseSync } = require('node:sqlite');

const db = new DatabaseSync(':memory:');

db.exec(`
  CREATE TABLE users (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
    name TEXT NOT NULL
  )
`);

:memory: creates a temporary database. The remaining snippets continue this same script; keep a single DatabaseSync import at the top. Use a filename such as app.db for persistent storage.

Insert Data Safely

Prepared statements keep values separate from SQL text and help prevent SQL injection.

Example:

const insert = db.prepare(
  'INSERT INTO users (name) VALUES (?)'
);

insert.run('Asha');
insert.run('Noah');

Read Rows

Example:

const rows = db
  .prepare('SELECT id, name FROM users ORDER BY id')
  .all();

for (const row of rows) {
  console.log(row.id, row.name);
}

Output:

1 Asha
2 Noah

Read One Row

Example:

const user = db
  .prepare('SELECT id, name FROM users WHERE id = ?')
  .get(1);

console.log(user ? user.name : "Not found");

Use get() when you expect one row and all() when you need all matching rows.

Use Transactions

Example:

db.exec('BEGIN');

try {
  insert.run('Mia');
  insert.run('Ravi');
  db.exec('COMMIT');
} catch (error) {
  db.exec('ROLLBACK');
  throw error;
}

A transaction keeps related changes together so they either all succeed or all roll back.

Close the Database

Example:

db.close();

Use bound parameters for external values instead of concatenating user input into SQL strings.

Run the assembled script with node sqlite-demo.cjs. The Node.js 22 SQLite module may print an experimental warning separately from the query output.

Conclusion

The built-in node:sqlite module gives Node.js a direct way to use SQLite for local relational storage. Start with prepared statements and in-memory databases, then move to file-backed databases and transactions when the application needs persistent data.