SQLite – is a library written in C, which implements the SQL mechanism for working with data

SQLite is a library written in C, which implements the SQL mechanism for working with data, in other words, the database engine.

SQLite is not a client library that only allows you to connect an application to a database server, SQLite itself is a database server.

SQLite library writes data directly to a file on disk, and also allows you to read, update and search for data based on the SQL query language, mainly focusing on the SQL 92 standard.

The main advantages of using SQLite

Distributed for free.

Easy to install.
SQLite support is built into PHP 5 automatically (SQLite 2.8.14).

Easy administration.
And since SQLite stores data in regular files, there is no need for any additional administration tools. Each user has its own databases (in any number created by the user!) and access rights are implemented by the server file system automatically.

Easy to use.
Unlike other databases, SQLite is a non-step database. When creating a table, you only need to specify the field names, but not their type, as SQLite stores all data in a string format. The only difference in type is relevant only in case of sorting data and this difference is played within SQLite itself.

SQLite performance

Since the database engine and its interface are implemented as a single unit, a huge advantage of SQLite is its high performance – for most typical tasks an application built on SQLite is 2-3 times faster than using MySQL and 10-20 times faster than PostgreSQL! And this is despite the fact that the memory size of the server it allocates to SQLite is very, very small.

Easy portability between platforms, web servers and applications.
Database files are compatible with different platforms (Windows, UNIX). To move a database to a web server you only need to move 1 file. You can also back up your data by copying the database file.

Object-oriented interface.
Another equally important advantage of SQLite is the ability to use a powerful object-oriented interface to SQLite, which allows you to build highly efficient, easily extensible applications.

The ability to store data in a database up to 2 terabytes.

SQLite allows you to store strings and binary data in unlimited lengths.

SQLite usage restrictions

First of all, SQLite is designed for small and medium size applications. Especially relevant is the use of SQLite in the case when mainly write and read operations are performed. However, with extremely active data access or in case of frequent sorting, SQLite is slower than its competitors due to the built-in file locking mechanism (only when modifying data) and the need to check the type of fields to select the sorting method.

SQLite Tutorial For Beginners