| title | libSQL |
|---|---|
| description | libSQL is a production-ready fork of SQLite, maintained by Turso. |
libSQL is a fork of SQLite, created because SQLite is open-source but not open-contribution. libSQL is production-ready, fully backwards compatible with SQLite, and adds features like native vector search.
libSQL represents where we started. Today, our focus is [Turso Database](/tursodb/quickstart), a full rewrite of SQLite built from scratch, designed for the highest density of databases with no need for servers or connectivity. If you're starting a new project, we recommend [Turso Database](/tursodb/quickstart). For mission-critical workloads that need a battle-tested foundation today, libSQL is the right choice.Browse the libSQL source code on GitHub, report issues, feature requests and contribute using pull requests.
Join the community on Discord to talk about the development of libSQL.
libSQL is a fork of SQLite. It maintains the same file format, the same API, and full backwards compatibility. It extends SQLite with features the ecosystem has long needed but couldn't contribute upstream.
Turso Database is a different approach: a ground-up rewrite of SQLite. It reimplements SQLite's semantics with a modern architecture designed for concurrent writes, async I/O, and the highest database density in the industry.
| libSQL | Turso Database | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Fork of SQLite | Full rewrite of SQLite |
| Maturity | Production-ready | Evolving (beta) |
| SQLite compatibility | Full (same file format and API) | Backwards compatible |
| Best for | Mission-critical workloads today | New projects, agents, smart devices, high-density use cases |
Both are open-contribution and maintained by Turso. Turso Cloud currently runs on libSQL and will integrate the Turso Database engine in the future.
If you're looking to enable vector extensions, you should instead consider using the native [libSQL vector datatype](/features/ai-and-embeddings).A full list of supported extensions can be found here.