Turso Launches to Modernize SQLite with Rust, Vector Search and Asynchronous I/O
Turso, a new database engine, has been launched to address limitations of SQLite. While SQLite powers billions of devices, its architectural constraints and lack of modern features hinder its use in today's apps.
SQLite's single-writer architecture locks the entire database for writes, causing 'database is locked' errors and making it unsuitable for high throughput data ingestion. Contributing to SQLite is challenging due to its 'open source, but not open contribution' model and proprietary test suite, slowing its evolution. Adding vector search to SQLite required invasive changes and less intuitive syntax.
Turso, a Rust-based rewrite of SQLite, maintains full compatibility while enabling architectural innovations for modern workloads. It follows an asynchronous I/O architecture, allowing it to be used natively in challenging environments like web browsers. Unlike SQLite, Turso's API does not block other operations once an operation starts, making it easier to port to different environments and replace its backing storage with object storage. It also addresses SQLite's lack of features like change data capture (CDC), encryption, and vector search, which are common in modern databases.
Turso was started to create a lightweight, fast, and embeddable database engine using Rust, aiming to combine SQLite's simplicity with Rust's safety and performance features. It aims to power AI agents in real time, stream analytics at the edge, and meet the demands of today's apps that SQLite cannot easily provide.
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