SQLite – a database in a single file

What SQLite is

SQLite is a database stored in a single file (e.g. web.db). You don’t need to install any big server – ideal for learning and smaller projects. Data in it survives a Node.js restart.

In Node.js we’ll use the better-sqlite3 package:

cd my-server
npm install better-sqlite3

Show me: a table and the first record

In server.js (or a new database.js that you import):

const Database = require("better-sqlite3");
const db = new Database("web.db");

// Create the table if it doesn't exist yet
db.exec(`
  CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS vzkazy (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    jmeno TEXT NOT NULL,
    text TEXT NOT NULL,
    vytvoreno TEXT DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
  )
`);

// Insert one row
const vloz = db.prepare("INSERT INTO vzkazy (jmeno, text) VALUES (?, ?)");
vloz.run("Martin", "First message in the database! 🎉");

// Read all rows
const vse = db.prepare("SELECT * FROM vzkazy").all();
console.log(vse);

Run node server.js (or a short test script). You’ll see an array of objects in the console. A file called web.db appears in your project folder – that’s the entire database.

Your turn 💪

1. Install better-sqlite3 in your server folder.
2. Create a vzkazy table following the example (columns: id, jmeno, text, vytvoreno).
3. Insert 3 test messages using INSERT.
4. Stop the script, run it again, and SELECT once more – is the data still there?
5. Add web.db to .gitignore (in production, every server has its own database; sometimes it’s exported separately).

What to take away from this lesson

• SQLite = a database in the file web.db.
• CREATE TABLE, INSERT, SELECT – the basics of SQL.
• Parametrized queries (?) for safety.

© 2026 Ing. Martin Polak / AlgoRhino · Content usage terms