aiosqlite
Async SQLite library for Python — thin wrapper around sqlite3 that runs database operations in a thread pool to avoid blocking the event loop. aiosqlite features: async context manager interface (async with aiosqlite.connect()), async cursor (async for row in cursor), execute/executemany/executescript, fetchone/fetchall/fetchmany, row_factory for Row namedtuple access, connection.commit()/rollback(), WAL mode for concurrent reads, and full compatibility with sqlite3 module API. Enables SQLite use in asyncio/FastAPI applications without blocking.
Score Breakdown
⚙ Agent Friendliness
🔒 Security
Local SQLite file — filesystem permissions are the security boundary. Always use parameterized queries (? placeholder) to prevent SQL injection. SQLite file contains all data — protect with appropriate file permissions (600). Encryption: SQLite itself is unencrypted; use SQLCipher for encrypted SQLite. WAL files (.wal, .shm) may contain sensitive data — protect directory.
⚡ Reliability
Best When
Single-machine asyncio applications needing a lightweight persistent store — aiosqlite is ideal for bots, local tools, and small services where PostgreSQL overhead is unwanted.
Avoid When
High concurrent writes (use asyncpg+PostgreSQL), distributed systems, or when multiple processes need simultaneous write access.
Use Cases
- • Agent async SQLite — import aiosqlite; async def query(): async with aiosqlite.connect('db.sqlite3') as db: async with db.execute('SELECT * FROM items WHERE id=?', (item_id,)) as cursor: row = await cursor.fetchone(); return row — async query; agent queries SQLite without blocking asyncio event loop; parameterized query prevents SQL injection
- • Agent row factory — async with aiosqlite.connect('db.sqlite3') as db: db.row_factory = aiosqlite.Row; async with db.execute('SELECT id, name FROM items') as cur: rows = await cur.fetchall(); for row in rows: print(row['name'], row['id']) — named access; agent accesses columns by name; aiosqlite.Row behaves like dict and tuple
- • Agent write with transaction — async with aiosqlite.connect('db.sqlite3') as db: await db.execute('INSERT INTO items (name) VALUES (?)', ('item',)); await db.commit() — insert; agent writes to SQLite; autocommit is off; always commit() after writes; rollback() to undo; context manager does NOT auto-commit
- • Agent bulk insert — async with aiosqlite.connect('db.sqlite3') as db: data = [('a', 1), ('b', 2), ('c', 3)]; await db.executemany('INSERT INTO items (name, count) VALUES (?, ?)', data); await db.commit() — bulk write; agent inserts multiple rows efficiently; executemany is faster than individual executes in a loop
- • Agent WAL mode for concurrency — async with aiosqlite.connect('db.sqlite3') as db: await db.execute('PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL'); await db.execute('PRAGMA synchronous=NORMAL'); rows = await db.execute_fetchall('SELECT * FROM items') — WAL mode; agent enables Write-Ahead Logging for concurrent readers; execute_fetchall is shorthand for execute + fetchall
Not For
- • High-concurrency writes — SQLite has a single writer lock; for concurrent writes use PostgreSQL via asyncpg
- • Distributed databases — SQLite is single-file; for distributed use PostgreSQL/MySQL
- • Production high-traffic APIs — SQLite write locking limits throughput; for APIs use asyncpg + PostgreSQL
Interface
Authentication
No auth — local SQLite file. Filesystem permissions control access.
Pricing
aiosqlite is MIT licensed. Free for all use.
Agent Metadata
Known Gotchas
- ⚠ Context manager does NOT auto-commit — async with aiosqlite.connect('db.sqlite3') as db: ... does NOT commit on exit; agent code must explicitly await db.commit() after writes; context manager exit calls db.close() only; forgetting commit() means writes are rolled back on exit
- ⚠ Must use async with for cursor — async with db.execute(query) as cursor: rows = await cursor.fetchall() — cursor is async context manager; alternatively: cursor = await db.execute(query); rows = await cursor.fetchall(); await cursor.close() — must close cursor explicitly; async with handles close automatically
- ⚠ SQLite single-writer limitation — only one write connection at a time; concurrent writes from multiple connections (even aiosqlite) serialize via SQLite lock; agent code with multiple async workers: funnel all writes through single connection or use connection pool with WAL mode; DatabaseError: 'database is locked' on timeout
- ⚠ Parameterized queries are mandatory — db.execute(f'SELECT * FROM t WHERE id={user_id}') is SQL injection vulnerability; always use: db.execute('SELECT * FROM t WHERE id=?', (user_id,)); ? placeholder for positional; :name for named; never f-strings or format() for SQL values
- ⚠ row_factory must be set per connection — db.row_factory = aiosqlite.Row must be set after connect, before execute; not a module-level setting; agent code: set row_factory immediately after opening connection; aiosqlite.Row allows both row['col'] and row[0] access; without row_factory, rows are plain tuples
- ⚠ execute_fetchall is not a standard method — aiosqlite adds execute_fetchall() as shorthand: rows = await db.execute_fetchall('SELECT * FROM t') — returns list; this is aiosqlite-specific and not in sqlite3; agent code using this convenience method loses cursor control (can't do fetchmany for pagination); for pagination: use execute + cursor with LIMIT/OFFSET
Alternatives
Full Evaluation Report
Detailed scoring breakdown, competitive positioning, security analysis, and improvement recommendations for aiosqlite.
Scores are editorial opinions as of 2026-03-06.