Editing Portal:Databases (section)

=== SQLite and embedded relational databases ===

'''SQLite''' became important because it brought SQL into the same lightweight local space that DBM and Berkeley DB had once occupied. Instead of running a database server, a Perl program could use a single local database file while still getting a relational model, SQL queries, transactions, indexes, and portability.

The `DBD::SQLite` module is described as a Perl DBI driver for SQLite that includes the SQLite engine in the distribution. Its documentation notes that a Perl project can get a fast, transaction-capable relational database by installing the module and nothing else.<ref>MetaCPAN, “DBD::SQLite,” https://metacpan.org/pod/DBD%3A%3ASQLite, accessed July 3, 2026.</ref>

SQLite is especially natural for Perl scripts, command-line tools, desktop utilities, small web applications, test fixtures, import/export workflows, and local indexes. It is also useful when replacing older ad hoc file formats. A Perl script that once wrote delimited files or DBM hashes can often be modernized to use SQLite while remaining simple to deploy.