SQLite as a Document Database (2020)

	SQLite as a Document Database (2020)(dgl.cx)
	252 points by lioeters 16 days ago \| 56 comments
	tl;dr: SQLite 3.31.0 (Jan 2020) added generated columns, which combined with existing JSON support effectively turns it into a document database. You can insert raw JSON into a TEXT column and define VIRTUAL or STORED columns that extract fields via `json_extract`, which can then be indexed and constrained (NOT NULL, etc.) like normal columns. This enables a workflow where you dump JSON payloads (e.g. webhooks) into a table and progressively add extracted columns and indexes via ALTER TABLE as needed.
	HN Discussion: ↑Personal experience confirming SQLite works well as a document database in production ~Questions the article's example choice of extracting only one JSON field rather than storing the full document •Notes this approach isn't novel and references prior work by others like Simon Willison ↑Praises SQLite's unique versatility for combining JSON, blobs, FTS, and vector search ↓Semantic pushback questioning whether JSON storage really qualifies as a 'document database'