The complete SQLite stack for Go

A pure-Go, drop-in replacement for mattn/go-sqlite3, modernc.org/sqlite, and the glebarez/sqlite gorm dialector — with first-class typed APIs for everything you’d otherwise stitch together from four separate modules.

The CGo-free, mattn-API + glebarez-gorm drop-in driver is just the floor. Stacked on top of that:

import sqlite "gosqlite.org"

// One-line presets, no DSN string:
db, _ := sqlite.OpenWAL("app.db")   // production: WAL + busy_timeout + foreign_keys
mem, _ := sqlite.OpenInMemory()     // tests / scratch

// Or the typed Config (pragmas, encryption, pool tuning in one value):
db2, _ := sqlite.Open(sqlite.Config{
  Path:         "myapp.db",
  Pragmas:      sqlite.RecommendedPragmas(),
  MaxOpenConns: 8,
})

Plain database/sql works too: sql.Open("sqlite", "file:app.db"). Full setup in Configuration; start-to-finish in Getting started.

Reach for an ORM? LiteORM is the one built for this stack: a type-safe, CGo-free ORM — generics, declarative models, AutoMigrate — with what no other Go ORM ships, native vector, full-text, and hybrid (RRF) search running straight on this driver’s vec / fts / fusion packages. Search isn’t bolted on, it’s the same engine: declare the indexes on your model, the FTS5 + vec0 sidecars are provisioned and kept in sync on every write, and typed helpers return ranked results — no hand-written KNN SQL.

import (
  "liteorm.org/dialect/sqlite" // the gosqlite-backed SQLite backend
  "liteorm.org/dialect/sqlite/search"
  "liteorm.org/orm"
)

type Article struct {
  ID        int64
  Title     string
  Body      string
  Embedding []float32 `orm:"-"` // sidecar-only, not a base-table column
}

func (Article) SearchIndexes() []orm.SearchIndex {
  return []orm.SearchIndex{
    orm.FullText("Title", "Body"),
    orm.Vector("Embedding", 5).WithMetric(orm.Cosine),
  }
}

db, _ := sqlite.Open("app.db")    // *liteorm.DB, gosqlite under the hood
orm.AutoMigrate[Article](ctx, db) // provisions the FTS5 + vec0 sidecars

// vector / full-text / hybrid — typed, ranked, no hand-written KNN SQL:
hits, _ := search.For[Article](db).Hybrid(ctx, queryVec, search.Term("space"), 4)

One ORM across SQLite, Postgres, MySQL, and SQL Server, in its own module (go get liteorm.org) — so the gosqlite core stays dependency-free. Already invested in gorm.io/gorm? The gosqlite.org/gorm dialector keeps it running as a CGo-free drop-in — but for new code, LiteORM is the one to reach for.

One module covers what otherwise takes four — a column of green where every other Go SQLite driver leaves gaps.

See the full comparison & performance notes →