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libSQL vs Alopex DB
libSQL, a fork of SQLite: embedded replicas, the server, and built-in vector search. Also explains how it differs from Alopex DB.
Updated: Oct 12, 2026
What libSQL is
libSQL is an open-source fork of SQLite, created and maintained by Turso. It adds embedded replicas and remote access.
How it works
- Embedded replicas: the application holds a replicated database inside it.
- libSQL server: a server for remote access to SQLite.
- Vector types: FLOAT64, FLOAT32, FLOAT16, FLOATB16, FLOAT8, and FLOAT1BIT are stored as SQLite BLOBs. No extension is needed.
- Vector indexes:
libsql_vector_idxcreates a DiskANN index, and thevector_top_kfunction finds the nearest vectors.
Main features
It adds ALTER TABLE for column types and constraints and WebAssembly user-defined functions to SQLite. Official drivers exist for TypeScript, Rust, and Go.
Limits
- The README says libSQL inherits SQLite’s single-writer model.
- New features are developed in a separate project, Turso database, and the README recommends Turso for new projects.
- The Python and C drivers are experimental.
- The DiskANN index is approximate, so tables with many rows may return slightly suboptimal neighbors.
- Vector indexes work only on tables with a ROWID or a single PRIMARY KEY.
- Euclidean distance is not supported for FLOAT1BIT vectors.
How it differs from Alopex DB
Both are embedded SQL databases with vector search in the core.
Alopex DB updates table rows and vectors in the same transaction, and data lives in a single .alopex file. Full-text search and columnar tables are also in the core.
We recommend Alopex DB at the center of the design, moving between embedded and server with the same file format. The quickstart is the way in.