Expo SQLite Driver

The Expo SQLite driver wraps expo-sqlite for use with PomegranateDB's SQLiteAdapter. Works on iOS, Android, and web.

Installation

npx expo install expo-sqlite

Usage

import { Database, SQLiteAdapter } from 'pomegranate-db';
import { createExpoSQLiteDriver } from 'pomegranate-db/expo';

const db = new Database({
  adapter: new SQLiteAdapter({
    databaseName: 'myapp',
    driver: createExpoSQLiteDriver(),
  }),
  models: [Post, Comment],
});

await db.initialize();

Try It In Expo Snack

The live Snack below uses the same pomegranate-db + expo-sqlite setup shown in this guide. The embed automatically switches between the light and dark Snack themes to match the docs theme.

With Suspense

Wrap your app in <Suspense> so the database initializes in the background while showing a fallback:

import { Suspense } from 'react';
import { DatabaseSuspenseProvider, SQLiteAdapter } from 'pomegranate-db';
import { createExpoSQLiteDriver } from 'pomegranate-db/expo';

const adapter = new SQLiteAdapter({
  databaseName: 'myapp',
  driver: createExpoSQLiteDriver(),
});

export default function App() {
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<Text>Preparing database…</Text>}>
      <DatabaseSuspenseProvider adapter={adapter} models={[Post, Comment]}>
        <MyApp />
      </DatabaseSuspenseProvider>
    </Suspense>
  );
}

Features

• Uses expo-sqlite's openDatabaseAsync API
• Enables WAL journal mode for better concurrent read performance
• Supports exclusive transactions via withExclusiveTransactionAsync
• Lazy-loads expo-sqlite so this module can be imported without it installed (e.g., in tests)
• Web support via wa-sqlite (WASM) — see below

Configuration

interface ExpoSQLiteDriverConfig {
  openOptions?: {
    enableChangeListener?: boolean;
  };
}

const driver = createExpoSQLiteDriver({
  openOptions: { enableChangeListener: true },
});

Web Support (WASM)

Since expo-sqlite v14, web is supported through wa-sqlite, a WebAssembly build of SQLite. When running on web, expo-sqlite automatically uses wa-sqlite — no additional driver setup is needed.

Expo Router / Metro Web

If you're using Expo Router or npx expo start --web, web support works out of the box. Expo's Metro web bundler handles the WASM assets automatically.

Webpack (custom config)

If you're using a custom webpack config (e.g., via @expo/webpack-config), you may need to configure WASM file handling:

// webpack.config.js
module.exports = {
  // ...
  experiments: {
    asyncWebAssembly: true,
  },
  module: {
    rules: [
      {
        test: /\.wasm$/,
        type: 'asset/resource',
      },
    ],
  },
};

Storage on Web

On web, expo-sqlite uses the Origin Private File System (OPFS) when available (modern browsers), falling back to IndexedDB for persistence. Data survives page reloads but is origin-scoped.

When to Use

• Expo managed projects — the natural choice
• Expo dev builds — works with EAS Build
• Cross-platform — iOS, Android, and web with a single driver
• Expo web — full SQLite on the web via WASM, no config needed

Limitations

• Requires Expo SDK 52+ (expo-sqlite v14+). We recommend SDK 54+ (expo-sqlite 16).
• No built-in encryption (use pomegranate-db/encryption/react-native for JS-level encryption)
• Slightly slower than JSI-based options on native due to async API overhead
• Web WASM is slower than native SQLite, but fine for typical app workloads