How to query and export a local SQLite database
Open a local unencrypted SQLite file, create an empty database or load the sample. Inspect tables and views, run one SQL statement at a time, and export the changed database. SQLite runs in a persistent browser Worker using a WASM engine served by this site.
How do you do it?
- Open a database up to 25 MiB, or choose New database / Sample database. Replacing it discards unexported changes.
- Enter one statement up to 64 KiB and select Run. Inspect the table or JSON preview; use LIMIT for large queries.
- Export the database to save edits. Download JSON for the current preview; closing the tab or stopping the Worker discards in-memory changes.
Query adult users in the sample
The sample database contains Ada (32), Linus (17) and Grace (40). This query selects two adult rows. INSERT, UPDATE and DELETE change only the in-memory database until you export it.
Input:
SELECT name, age FROM people WHERE age >= 18 ORDER BY age;
Output:
name | age
Ada | 32
Grace | 40When is this workflow useful?
Use this workspace to inspect and make small changes to local SQLite files without a server. Use SQL Formatter for formatting alone and a desktop SQLite client for large files, encrypted databases, transactions, exact 64-bit integer workflows or durable storage.
What should you check before relying on the result?
Data lives only in this tab, without automatic saving. Open/create/sample replaces the current database. Stop or the 15-second timeout closes it and discards unexported changes. Input files: 25 MiB; database growth is limited to about 64 MiB. One SQL statement per run, no file attachments, transaction-control commands, VACUUM or general PRAGMA (table/index/foreign-key introspection is supported). BLOB previews show 32 bytes, text cells 4096 characters; long cells are marked. Integers use JavaScript number precision. Large operations may still exceed browser memory; work on copies.
What can go wrong?
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| The database cannot be opened. | It is encrypted, not a SQLite file, corrupt or larger than 25 MiB. Choose an unencrypted SQLite database. A server connection URL or a SQL dump is not a database file; no remote connection is attempted. |
| A query fails or results are truncated. | SQL syntax, unsupported control statements or preview limits prevent a full result. Run one ordinary statement, reduce selected columns and add LIMIT. The preview is capped at 500 rows, 64 columns and about 2 MiB; exported databases retain the full data. |
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to upload data or sign in?
No. Processing runs in the current browser. This site serves the page and required static engine assets.
Why does the result disappear after I edit the input?
The tool clears stale output so a previous result cannot be mistaken for the new one. Run again after changing input or settings.
References
First edition: steps checked against the current tool interface, with examples and known limits.