Pgmicro Postgres Sqlite

by reason-machines2384a003145aNo licenseListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026

Use pgmicro — an in-process PostgreSQL reimplementation backed by SQLite-compatible storage, embeddable as a library or CLI

AI-generated overview

Guides use of pgmicro, an embeddable in-process PostgreSQL implementation backed by SQLite-compatible storage.

What it does
Explains how to install and use pgmicro as a CLI, a JavaScript/TypeScript SDK, or a PostgreSQL wire protocol server. Covers connecting to in-memory or file-backed databases, running DDL and parameterized queries, transactions, and TypeScript typing. Also documents supported PostgreSQL syntax, catalog introspection, and troubleshooting.
When to use it
Use when embedding a PostgreSQL-compatible database inside an application without running a server, or when a single-file SQLite-readable database must accept PostgreSQL SQL. Also useful for connecting psql or ORMs to pgmicro's server mode.
Requirements
Node.js and npm for the CLI or JavaScript/TypeScript SDK, or a Rust toolchain with a C compiler and cmake to build from source. No credentials are described; network access is only needed for package installation and for server mode connections.

pgmicro

Skill by ara.so — Daily 2026 Skills collection.

pgmicro is an in-process reimplementation of PostgreSQL backed by a SQLite-compatible storage engine. It parses PostgreSQL SQL using the real PostgreSQL parser (libpg_query) and compiles it directly to SQLite VDBE bytecode, executed by Turso. The result is a fast, embeddable, single-file (or in-memory) database that speaks PostgreSQL — no server process required.

Key capabilities

  • Full PostgreSQL SQL syntax (via the actual PG parser)
  • SQLite-compatible .db file format (readable by any SQLite tool)
  • JavaScript/TypeScript SDK (WASM-based, runs in Node.js and browsers)
  • PostgreSQL wire protocol server mode (connect with psql, ORMs, etc.)
  • Dialect switching: access the same database with PG or SQLite syntax
  • PostgreSQL system catalog virtual tables (pg_class, pg_attribute, pg_type, etc.)

Installation

CLI (Node.js)

bash
# Run without installingnpx pg-micro
# Install globallynpm install -g pg-micropg-micro myapp.db

JavaScript/TypeScript SDK

bash
npm install pg-micro

From source (Rust)

bash
git clone https://github.com/glommer/pgmicrocd pgmicrocargo build --release./target/release/pgmicro

CLI usage

bash
# In-memory database (ephemeral)pgmicro
# File-backed databasepgmicro myapp.db
# PostgreSQL wire protocol serverpgmicro myapp.db --server 127.0.0.1:5432
# In-memory server (useful for testing)pgmicro :memory: --server 127.0.0.1:5432

CLI meta-commands

\?          Show help\q          Quit\dt         List tables\d <table>  Describe table schema

JavaScript/TypeScript SDK

Basic usage

typescript
import { connect } from "pg-micro";
// In-memory databaseconst db = await connect(":memory:");
// File-backed databaseconst db = await connect("./myapp.db");
// DDLawait db.exec(`  CREATE TABLE users (    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,    name TEXT NOT NULL,    email TEXT UNIQUE,    created_at TEXT DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  )`);
// Insertawait db.exec(`  INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES ('Alice', '[email protected]')`);
// Prepared statement — fetch all rowsconst stmt = await db.prepare("SELECT * FROM users WHERE name = ?");const rows = await stmt.all("Alice");console.log(rows);// [{ id: 1, name: 'Alice', email: '[email protected]', created_at: '...' }]
// Fetch single rowconst row = await stmt.get("Alice");
// Execute with bound parametersawait db.exec("INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES (?, ?)", ["Bob", "[email protected]"]);
await db.close();

Parameterized queries

typescript
import { connect } from "pg-micro";
const db = await connect(":memory:");
await db.exec(`  CREATE TABLE events (    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,    type TEXT NOT NULL,    payload TEXT,    ts TEXT DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  )`);
// Positional parametersconst insert = await db.prepare(  "INSERT INTO events (type, payload) VALUES ($1, $2)");await insert.run("user.signup", JSON.stringify({ userId: 42 }));await insert.run("page.view", JSON.stringify({ path: "/home" }));
// Query with filterconst query = await db.prepare(  "SELECT * FROM events WHERE type = $1 ORDER BY id DESC");const signups = await query.all("user.signup");console.log(signups);
await db.close();

Transactions

typescript
import { connect } from "pg-micro";
const db = await connect(":memory:");
await db.exec("CREATE TABLE accounts (id INT PRIMARY KEY, balance INT)");await db.exec("INSERT INTO accounts VALUES (1, 1000), (2, 500)");
// Manual transactionawait db.exec("BEGIN");try {  await db.exec("UPDATE accounts SET balance = balance - 100 WHERE id = 1");  await db.exec("UPDATE accounts SET balance = balance + 100 WHERE id = 2");  await db.exec("COMMIT");} catch (err) {  await db.exec("ROLLBACK");  throw err;}
const rows = await db.prepare("SELECT * FROM accounts").all();console.log(rows); // [{ id: 1, balance: 900 }, { id: 2, balance: 600 }]
await db.close();

Using with TypeScript types

typescript
import { connect } from "pg-micro";
interface User {  id: number;  name: string;  email: string;  created_at: string;}
const db = await connect(":memory:");
await db.exec(`  CREATE TABLE users (    id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,    name TEXT NOT NULL,    email TEXT,    created_at TEXT DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP  )`);
await db.exec("INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES ('Alice', '[email protected]')");
const stmt = db.prepare<User>("SELECT * FROM users");const users: User[] = await stmt.all();console.log(users[0].name); // 'Alice'
await db.close();

PostgreSQL features supported

sql
-- SERIAL / auto-incrementCREATE TABLE items (id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT);
-- Dollar-quoted stringsCREATE FUNCTION hello() RETURNS TEXT AS $$  SELECT 'hello world';$$ LANGUAGE SQL;
-- Cast syntaxSELECT '42'::int;SELECT NOW()::text;
-- JSON operators (where implemented)SELECT data->>'key' FROM records;
-- Standard PG typesCREATE TABLE typed (  n   INT,  f   FLOAT8,  t   TEXT,  b   BOOLEAN,  ts  TIMESTAMP,  j   JSON);
-- PostgreSQL-style constraintsCREATE TABLE orders (  id    SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,  total NUMERIC NOT NULL CHECK (total >= 0),  state TEXT DEFAULT 'pending');

Server mode with psql / ORMs

bash
# Start serverpgmicro myapp.db --server 127.0.0.1:5432
# Connect with psqlpsql -h 127.0.0.1 -p 5432 -U turso -d main
# Connect with libpq connection string (Node.js pg driver)# DATABASE_URL=postgresql://[email protected]:5432/main
typescript
// Using node-postgres (pg) against pgmicro serverimport { Client } from "pg";
const client = new Client({  host: "127.0.0.1",  port: 5432,  user: "turso",  database: "main",});
await client.connect();const res = await client.query("SELECT * FROM users");console.log(res.rows);await client.end();

Architecture overview

PostgreSQL SQL → libpg_query (real PG parser) → PG parse tree                                                      │                                              Translator (parser_pg/)                                                      │ Turso AST                                              Turso Compiler                                                      │ VDBE bytecode                                              Bytecode Engine (vdbe/)                                                      │                                              SQLite B-tree storage (.db file)
  • The .db output file is a standard SQLite database — open it with DB Browser for SQLite, the sqlite3 CLI, or any SQLite library.
  • PostgreSQL system catalog tables (pg_class, pg_attribute, pg_type, pg_namespace) are exposed as virtual tables so psql meta-commands like \dt and \d work correctly.

Common patterns

Per-request ephemeral databases (AI agents, sandboxes)

typescript
import { connect } from "pg-micro";
async function runAgentSession(agentId: string, sql: string) {  // Each session gets its own isolated in-memory DB — no cleanup needed  const db = await connect(":memory:");
  await db.exec("CREATE TABLE scratch (key TEXT PRIMARY KEY, value TEXT)");
  // Agent writes intermediate results  await db.exec(    "INSERT INTO scratch VALUES ($1, $2)",    [`agent-${agentId}`, sql]  );
  const result = await db.prepare("SELECT * FROM scratch").all();  await db.close();  return result;}

Inspecting the SQLite file directly

bash
# pgmicro writes standard SQLite — use sqlite3 CLI to inspectsqlite3 myapp.db ".tables"sqlite3 myapp.db "SELECT * FROM users"sqlite3 myapp.db ".schema users"

Schema introspection via pg catalog

sql
-- List all user tablesSELECT tablename FROM pg_tables WHERE schemaname = 'public';
-- List columns for a tableSELECT column_name, data_typeFROM information_schema.columnsWHERE table_name = 'users';

Troubleshooting

SERIAL column not auto-incrementing Ensure you are not explicitly inserting NULL into the id column — insert without the column name and pgmicro will auto-assign.

psql meta-commands (\dt, \d) show nothing Make sure you created tables in the public schema (the default). The PostgreSQL catalog virtual tables are populated from actual schema metadata.

File database not persisting Pass a real file path, not :memory:. Confirm the process has write permission to the target directory.

Wire protocol server refused by client The server supports a subset of the PostgreSQL wire protocol. Some advanced client features (SSL, SCRAM auth, extended query protocol edge cases) may not be implemented yet. Use simple query mode when possible.

Unsupported PostgreSQL syntax pgmicro is experimental — not all PostgreSQL features are translated. Check the translator layer (parser_pg/) for what is currently mapped. Common gaps: stored procedures with complex PL/pgSQL, window functions, CTEs (may be partial), COPY command.

Build errors from source Ensure you have a recent stable Rust toolchain (rustup update stable) and that libpg_query native dependencies (C compiler, cmake) are available on your system.

Resources

Source and attribution

Source:reason-machines/trending-skillsinskills/pgmicro-postgres-sqliteat commit2384a00

License: No license

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