n8n-nodes-sqlite3

This is an n8n community node. It lets you use SQLite3 in your n8n workflows.

SQLite3 is a lightweight, self-contained SQL database engine that stores all data in a single file and requires no server setup. It is ideal for embedded applications, local storage, and small to medium-sized projects.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

For local development:

npm run build
npm link
cd ~/.n8n/nodes
npm link n8n-nodes-sqlite3

Credentials

The node uses a SQLite credential to store the database path. Configure it with an absolute path to your SQLite file:

/home/user/data/mydb.sqlite

The directory will be created automatically if it does not exist. The file will be created on first write if it does not exist.

Operations

All operations are available under the Database resource.

| Operation | Description | |-----------|-------------| | Select | Query rows from a table with optional WHERE filters and column selection | | Insert | Insert one or more rows into a table | | Update | Update rows matching a WHERE condition | | Delete | Delete rows matching a WHERE condition | | Upsert | Insert or replace rows based on a conflict key | | Execute Query | Run arbitrary SQL, including multi-statement scripts |

Execute Query

Use this operation for DDL statements (CREATE TABLE, DROP, ALTER) or any SQL not covered by the structured operations. Multiple statements separated by ; are all executed in a single call.

CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS employees (
    id   INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
    name TEXT NOT NULL,
    age  INTEGER
);

Parameterized queries

When using Execute Query, use positional placeholders $1, $2, $3, … in the SQL and provide the corresponding values as a comma-separated string in Options → Query Parameters:

INSERT INTO employees (name, age) VALUES ($1, $2);

Query Parameters: Alice, 30

Placeholders are replaced in order — $1 maps to the first value, $2 to the second, and so on.

Spread results

The Select operation has a Spread Results option. When enabled, each returned row becomes a separate n8n item instead of returning all rows as a single array item.

Compatibility

Requires n8n with community node support. The native better-sqlite3 binding is pre-compiled for the musl-based Docker image shipped by n8n (node-v127-linux-musl-x64). If you run n8n outside that environment you may need to rebuild the binding (see below).

Building the native binding

The pre-built binary targets node-v127-linux-musl-x64 (the default n8n Docker image). To rebuild for a different target:

docker build -t better-sqlite3-builder .

docker run --rm -it \
  -v ./.tmp:/app \
  -v ./native/node-v127-linux-musl-x64:/output \
  better-sqlite3-builder

Replace the output path with the appropriate ABI/platform directory for your target environment.

Resources

• n8n Community Nodes documentation
• SQLite documentation
• better-sqlite3

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Open an issue or pull request on GitHub.