# Serverless SQLite

> Run hosted SQLite in the cloud in under 30 seconds. Free tier, no card. Standard SQLite SQL, web console, hibernation. Also on Layerbase Desktop and CLI.

Canonical: https://layerbase.com/db/sqlite
Last updated: 2026-08-25

The world's most-deployed database, on a connection string. Free tier, the same SQL you already know, every standard SQLite tool works.

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Engine | SQLite |
| Category | Relational |
| Upstream project | [SQLite](https://www.sqlite.org/) |
| Layerbase Cloud | Yes |
| Free tier | Yes |
| Pricing | Free plan ($0/mo, no credit card), then $5 or $15/mo flat, no meters |
| Default version | 3 |
| Versions for new databases | 3 |
| Layerbase Desktop | Yes |
| SpinDB (local CLI) | Yes |
| Best for | Embedded-style data layers exposed over the network, prototypes, edge-friendly workloads, and apps that want SQLite ergonomics without managing a file. |

## Use cases

- Spin up a network-addressable SQLite for a side project without provisioning anything
- Hand a SQLite endpoint to a serverless app instead of managing local files
- Prototype a schema in SQLite, deploy the same SQL elsewhere later
- Per-developer SQLite databases backed by the same shape as production
- Self-host on your own hardware with the Layerbase CLI when needed

## Cloud features

| Feature | Available |
| --- | --- |
| Always-on option | Yes |
| TLS encryption | Yes |
| HTTP access | No |
| IP allowlisting | Yes |
| Web query console | Yes |
| Sleeps when idle, wakes on connect | Yes |
| Automatic backups | Yes |
| Pooled connections | Yes |
| Direct connections | Yes |
| Serverless HTTP driver | No |

## SQLite on a connection string, no file to ship

Layerbase Cloud puts a real SQLite database on managed storage and exposes it over the PostgreSQL wire protocol on port 5432 with TLS, so code running anywhere can query it without passing a file around. Connect with psql, node-postgres, Drizzle, or Prisma; the SQL you write is still SQLite SQL. It hibernates when nothing is connected, wakes on the next connection, and branches when a preview deploy needs its own copy, copy-on-write once Branching is turned on in the database Settings tab.

## Alternative

Looking for the SQLite-compatible serverless driver? libSQL is the Turso-backed fork of SQLite with HTTP, WebSocket, and edge-friendly drivers. If you want SQLite semantics from an edge runtime, point your client at libSQL instead.

https://layerbase.com/db/libsql

## Common SQLite questions

### What is SQLite?

SQLite is the most widely deployed database in the world: a small embedded SQL engine that normally lives as a single file inside the application rather than as a server you connect to. It is the usual choice for embedded data layers, prototypes, and anything that wants SQL without an operational footprint. Layerbase Cloud puts a real SQLite database on managed storage and exposes it over the PostgreSQL wire protocol with TLS, so code running anywhere can query it without shipping a file around, and the SQL you write is still SQLite SQL.

### Is hosted SQLite still really SQLite?

Yes. The endpoint speaks standard SQLite SQL and behaves like a normal SQLite database, just reachable over the network. Standard tooling, standard schema, standard SQL.

### How does hosted SQLite compare to libSQL?

SQLite is the upstream embedded engine; libSQL is Turso's fork with HTTP and WebSocket drivers, designed for edge runtimes that cannot speak SQLite's native protocol. If you need an HTTP-friendly client, pick libSQL.

### Does hosted SQLite scale?

SQLite's strength is single-writer simplicity, not horizontal scale. For high write throughput, pick Postgres or MySQL. For typical app workloads SQLite scales further than people expect.

### How do backups work for hosted SQLite?

Free databases hibernate but persist their data, and Free includes 1 manual backup slot you can take and restore from the dashboard. Paid plans add scheduled snapshots on top of that.

### Can I use sqlite3 CLI and standard tooling?

Yes. The endpoint exposes a standard connection format compatible with sqlite3, better-sqlite3, sqlx, Drizzle, Prisma, and other SQLite-aware tooling.

### Can I host SQLite in the cloud?

That is what this is. Layerbase Cloud puts a real SQLite database on managed storage and exposes it over the PostgreSQL wire protocol on port 5432 with TLS, so code running anywhere can query it without shipping a file around. You connect with a Postgres client such as psql, node-postgres, Drizzle, or Prisma, and the SQL you write is SQLite SQL.

### Is hosted SQLite serverless?

In the scale-to-zero sense, yes. A free SQLite database hibernates after 15 minutes with no connections and paid plans wait 6 hours. It keeps its hostname, port, and volume while it sleeps, so the next connection wakes it in roughly 1 to 5 seconds. Pricing is flat rather than per-request, so idle time costs nothing either way.

### What does hosted SQLite cost?

SQLite is on the Free plan at $0/mo with no card: 2 databases, 5 GB of storage, up to 20 concurrent connections. Solo is $5/mo and Pro is $15/mo. There is no per-row-read meter and no bandwidth charge on any plan.

## Links

- [SQLite on Layerbase](https://layerbase.com/db/sqlite)
- [Create a SQLite database](https://layerbase.com/create/sqlite)
- [Connecting to SQLite](https://layerbase.com/docs/cloud/connecting/sqlite)
- [Pricing](https://layerbase.com/pricing) (markdown: https://layerbase.com/pricing.md)