A database foryour $5 VPS.

SQLite, with types that mean something.
For TypeScript, Rust, Go and the command line.

CREATE TABLE invoices (
  id INT64 PRIMARY KEY,
  amount DECIMAL(12,2),
  issued_at INSTANT
);

SELECT CAST('0.1' AS DECIMAL)
     + CAST('0.2' AS DECIMAL);

0.1 + 0.20.3

Example result · exact decimal arithmetic

npm install @boxdb/client

TypeScriptRustGo CLI

Exact by design.

Decimals, instants, UUIDs and more. Validate the meaning of your data, right where it lives.

Explore the types

One file. Two ways.

Binary SQLite for your application. Readable YAML for small datasets you want to keep in Git.

Choose your storage

Fits your stack.

One Rust core, four ways in. The same types, migrations and files across every client.

Find your integration

Your first query, in TypeScript.

Full TypeScript guide

Node.js 22.18+ or Bun · macOS ARM64 or Linux x64/ARM64 with glibc 2.35+

app.ts

import { BoxDB } from "@boxdb/client";

const db = await BoxDB.open("app.db");
try {
  await db.exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS notes(body TEXT NOT NULL)");
  await db.query`INSERT INTO notes(body) VALUES(${"Hello, BoxDB."})`;
  console.log(await db.query`SELECT body FROM notes`);
} finally {
  await db.close();
}

Your first query, in Rust.

Full Rust guide

Stable Rust · native build tools and libclang

src/main.rs

use boxdb::{Database, Format, Value};

fn main() -> boxdb::Result<()> {
    let mut db = Database::open("app.db", Format::Binary)?;
    db.execute("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS notes(body TEXT NOT NULL)")?;
    db.execute_params(
        "INSERT INTO notes(body) VALUES(?)",
        &[Value::Text("Hello, BoxDB.".into())],
    )?;
    println!("{:?}", db.execute("SELECT body FROM notes")?[0].rows);
    Ok(())
}

Your first query, in Go.

Full Go guide

Go 1.23+ · cgo and a matching native library — follow the installation guide first

main.go

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "log"
    boxdb "github.com/lebedev-nikita/boxdb/packages/go"
)

func main() {
    db, err := boxdb.Open("app.db")
    if err != nil { log.Fatal(err) }
    defer db.Close()
    if _, err = db.Exec("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS notes(body TEXT NOT NULL)"); err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    if _, err = db.Exec("INSERT INTO notes(body) VALUES(?)", "Hello, BoxDB."); err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    var body string
    if err = db.QueryRow("SELECT body FROM notes LIMIT 1").Scan(&body); err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    fmt.Println(body)
}

Your first query, in CLI.

Full CLI guide

Homebrew on macOS or Linux · no Node.js required

terminal

boxdb app.db -e "
  CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS notes(body TEXT NOT NULL);
  INSERT INTO notes(body) VALUES('Hello, BoxDB.');
  SELECT body FROM notes;
"

# Open the interactive SQL shell
boxdb app.db

SQL, with a little
more meaning.

Declare what belongs in a column. BoxDB checks it. Exact decimal and temporal arithmetic runs in the engine.

SQL and types

DECIMAL(12,2)Exact amounts. Explicit rounding.

INSTANTA point in time, normalized to UTC.

ENUM('todo','done')A known set of string values.

UUIDIdentifiers with native validation.

TEXT[]Collections with typed elements.

Bring the tools
you already use.

Keep your application patterns. BoxDB adapters connect the client to your existing libraries.

DrizzleQueries, transactions & migrations Better AuthAuthentication storage & initial schema db0A connector for your client or transaction

Small server.
Real database tools.

SQL migrations, schema export, file diagnostics and recovery. Built-in full-text and vector search. Binary replication with Litestream.

Deployment and backups

Built in the open. Still experimental.

BoxDB is version 0. APIs and storage contracts can change. Native values and indexes require BoxDB’s patched SQLite engine. Read the tradeoffs before you adopt it.

Is BoxDB a fit?

Start with one file.

Create your first database