.sqlite

What is a .sqlite file?

SQLite is a self-contained relational database in a single file — the most widely deployed database engine in the world.

Safe format
Type Data
By D. Richard Hipp
MIME application/vnd.sqlite3

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What is it

SQLite is in your phone right now. It's in your browser. It's in your TV, your car, your watch, and your thermostat. The SQLite engine is embedded in virtually every application that needs local data storage, and the .sqlite file is the entire database — tables, indexes, views, and data — in a single portable file.

Unlike PostgreSQL or MySQL, SQLite has no server process. The database is just a file. Copy it, email it, put it in Git — it's completely self-contained. This simplicity makes it the default choice for mobile apps, desktop applications, embedded systems, and any situation where a client-server database is overkill.

DB Browser for SQLite (free, cross-platform) is the standard GUI for opening and querying SQLite databases. The `sqlite3` command-line tool comes pre-installed on macOS and most Linux distributions. For programmatic access, every major programming language has a SQLite library — Python's `sqlite3` module is part of the standard library.

Technical details
Full Name
SQLite Database
MIME Type
application/vnd.sqlite3
Developer
D. Richard Hipp
Magic Bytes
53 51 4C 69 74 65 20 66 6F 72 6D 61 74 20 33 00
Safety
.sqlite is a known, safe format. Database file. Contains structured data only — no executable code. However, maliciously crafted databases could exploit SQLite parser bugs.
What opens it
DB Browser for SQLite
FREE Windows / Mac / Linux
sqlite3 (CLI)
FREE Mac / Linux (pre-installed)
DBeaver
FREE Windows / Mac / Linux
FAQ
How do I open a SQLite database?
DB Browser for SQLite (free) provides a visual interface for browsing tables and running queries. The `sqlite3` command-line tool (pre-installed on Mac/Linux) opens databases directly. Python's sqlite3 module works programmatically.
Is SQLite a 'real' database?
Yes. SQLite supports most of SQL (joins, subqueries, triggers, views, CTEs), handles databases up to 281 TB, and processes billions of transactions daily worldwide. It's not a toy — it's the most deployed database in existence.
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