When SQLite is the right answer (and when it isn't)

"Just use Postgres" is fine advice. It's also a thought-terminator. Sometimes Postgres is wrong.

SQLite is right when - Single-writer or read-heavy workload. - Embedded in a desktop app, mobile app, or edge function. - You want zero ops. No server, no migrations service, no managed plan. - Data fits comfortably on one disk (which is more data than people think — multiple terabytes).

Postgres is right when - Multiple concurrent writers. - You need rich types, JSON columns with indexes, full-text search, geospatial. - Multiple services share a database. - You want the deepest tooling ecosystem on earth.

The new kids Turso, Neon, PlanetScale, Cloudflare D1 — each solves a specific deployment pain. Pick them when you've felt the pain, not because they're new.