SQLite in Production: Optimizing WAL Mode, Concurrency, and VFS Layers

SQLite can be effectively used in production for low-latency applications by enabling Write-Ahead Logging (WAL) mode, which allows concurrent reads and writes by separating transaction data into a .sqlite-wal file instead of blocking database access. The article argues that modern hardware with fast NVMe SSDs makes SQLite competitive with traditional client-server databases by eliminating network roundtrip latency, though achieving this requires careful tuning of WAL checkpointing strategies, busy handlers, and custom VFS layers to manage concurrency and prevent latency spikes.