SQLite

Connect Better Auth to SQLite for local, edge, or embedded database deployments.

SQLite is a lightweight, serverless, self-contained SQL database. Better Auth uses Kysely under the hood for SQLite, which means any database Kysely supports is also supported by Better Auth.

SQLite is a good fit for:

• Local development and testing
• Serverless edge runtimes (Cloudflare D1)
• Embedded or single-user applications

Drivers

Better Auth accepts any of the SQLite drivers listed below. Choose the one that matches your runtime.

better-sqlite3 (recommended)

The most widely used synchronous SQLite driver for Node.js.

1. Install the driver

   npm

   npm install better-sqlite3
   npm install --save-dev @types/better-sqlite3
   

   pnpm

   pnpm add better-sqlite3
   pnpm add -D @types/better-sqlite3
   

   yarn

   yarn add better-sqlite3
   yarn add --dev @types/better-sqlite3
   
2. Configure Better Auth

   auth.ts

   import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
   import Database from "better-sqlite3";
   
   export const auth = betterAuth({
     database: new Database("./sqlite.db"),
   });
   

Node.js built-in SQLite (experimental)

The node:sqlite module is experimental and may change at any time. It requires Node.js 22.5.0 or later.

Starting from Node.js 22.5.0 you can use the built-in SQLite module without installing a package:

auth.ts

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";

export const auth = betterAuth({
  database: new DatabaseSync("./sqlite.db"),
});

Bun built-in SQLite

Use bunx --bun auth@latest generate (with the --bun flag) to prevent type errors related to the bun:sqlite module.

Bun ships with a built-in SQLite module:

auth.ts

import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";
import { Database } from "bun:sqlite";

export const auth = betterAuth({
  database: new Database("./sqlite.db"),
});

Schema generation and migration

The Better Auth CLI can both generate the schema and apply migrations directly to your SQLite file.

migrate

npx auth@latest migrate

generate

npx auth@latest generate

Both schema generation and migration are supported for SQLite:

Command	Supported
npx auth@latest generate	Yes
npx auth@latest migrate	Yes

generate produces a SQL file you can inspect and apply manually. migrate runs the SQL directly against your database file.

Cloudflare D1

Cloudflare D1 is a SQLite-compatible edge database. Because D1 can only be accessed from a Cloudflare Worker, the CLI cannot run migrations against it directly. Use programmatic migrations instead:

auth.ts

import { env } from "cloudflare:workers";
import { betterAuth } from "better-auth";

export const auth = betterAuth({
  database: env.DB, // Cloudflare D1 binding
});

src/index.ts

import { getMigrations } from "better-auth/db/migration";
import { auth } from "./auth";

// Protect or remove this endpoint in production
app.post("/migrate", async (c) => {
  const { runMigrations } = await getMigrations(auth.options);
  await runMigrations();
  return c.json({ message: "Migrations completed" });
});

Experimental joins

Enabling joins allows Better Auth to use SQL JOIN clauses to fetch related data in a single query instead of multiple round-trips.

auth.ts

export const auth = betterAuth({
  experimental: { joins: true },
});

You may need to run migrations after enabling joins, as the feature may require updated schema columns.