Documentation Source Text

<li> <a href='onefile.html'>Single-file database</a>
<li> <a href='copyright.html'>Public domain source code</a>
<li> All source code in one file (<a href='amalgamation.html'>sqlite3.c</a>)
<li> <a href='footprint.html'>Small footprint</a>
<li> Max DB size: <a href='limits.html'>140 terabytes</a>
     (2<sup><small>47</small></sup> bytes)
<li> Max row size: <a href='limits.html'>1 gigabyte</a>
<li> <a href='fasterthanfs.html'>Faster than direct file I/O</a>
<li> <a href='testing.html'>Aviation-grade quality and testing</a>
<li> <a href='zeroconf.html'>Zero-configuration</a>
<li> <a href='transactional.html'>ACID transactions, even after power loss</a>
<li> <a href='fileformat.html'>Stable, enduring file format</a>
<li> <a href='doclist.html'>Extensive, detailed documentation</a>
<li> <a href='lts.html'>Long-term support</a>
</div>

size of the SQLite library can be reduced below 300KiB.  SQLite can also
be made to run in minimal stack space (4KiB) and
very little heap (100KiB), making SQLite a popular database engine 
choice on memory constrained gadgets such as cellphones, PDAs, and MP3 players.
There is a tradeoff between memory usage and speed.  
SQLite generally runs faster the more memory
you give it.  Nevertheless, performance is usually quite good even
in low-memory environments.  Depending on how it is used, SQLite be
[faster than the filesystem|faster than direct filesystem I/O].</p>

<p>SQLite is 
<a href="testing.html">very carefully tested</a> prior to every
release and has a reputation for being very reliable.
Most of the SQLite source code is devoted purely to testing and
verification.  An automated test suite runs millions and millions of
test cases involving hundreds of millions of individual SQL statements

    Great for use as an [application file format].</li>
<li>Supports terabyte-sized databases and gigabyte-sized strings
    and blobs.  (See <a href="limits.html">limits.html</a>.)
<li>Small code [footprint]: 
    less than 500KiB fully configured or much less
    with optional features omitted.</li>
<li>Simple, easy to use <a href="cintro.html">API</a>.</li>
<li>Fast:  In some cases, SQLite is 
    [faster than the filesystem|faster than direct filesystem I/O]
<li>Written in ANSI-C.  <a href="tclsqlite.html">TCL bindings</a> included.
    Bindings for dozens of other languages available separately.</li>
<li>Well-commented source code with
    [test coverage |100% branch test coverage].</li>
<li>Available as a 
    <a href="amalgamation.html">single ANSI-C source-code file</a> 
    that is [how to compile|easy to compile] and hence is easy

<li>Every Dropbox client
<li>Every TurboTax and QuickBooks
<li>PHP and Python
<li>Most television sets and set-top cable boxes
<li>Most automotive multimedia systems
<li>Countless millions of other applications
</ul>

<p>Since SQLite is used extensively in every smartphone, and there are
roughly 3.5 billion smartphones in active use, each holding hundreds of
SQLite database files, it is seems likely that there are over one trillion
SQLite databases in active use.

<h2>Most Widely Deployed Software Module of Any Type?</h2>

<p>SQLite is probably one of the top five most deployed
software modules of any description.  
Other libraries with similar reach include:

<li>realloc()
<li>free()
</ul>
<p>But those routines are optional can can be omitted
using a [SQLITE_ZERO_MALLOC|compile-time option].

<p>
Defaultbuilds of SQLite contain appropriate [VFS|VFS objects] for talking
to underlying operating system, and those VFS objects will contain
operating system calls such as open(), read(), write(), fsync(), and
so forth.  All of these interfaces are readily available on most platforms,
and custom VFSes can be designed to run SQLite on even the most
austere embedded devices.