Turso Database
An in-process SQL database, compatible with SQLite, and now with a Postgres frontend too.
About
Turso is an in-process SQL database written in Rust, compatible with SQLite. It runs in production today at multiple organizations.
Turso is also a virtual machine. Like SQLite, it compiles SQL into bytecode for that machine, the VDBE, and then runs the bytecode. That design is what lets one engine host more than one SQL dialect. SQLite is the first and primary frontend that compiles to it, and Postgres is now a frontend of its own, with its own dialect and wire protocol. More will follow. Our goal is to be for databases what LLVM is to compilers, with one modern and reliable core, and many frontends compiled down onto it.
How general is that core? General enough to run Doom on it.
See the FAQ for where the project stands on its way to 1.0.
Features and Roadmap
- SQLite compatibility for SQL dialect, file formats, and the C API, tracking SQLite version 3.50.4 [see document for details]
BEGIN CONCURRENT for improved write throughput using multi-version concurrency control (MVCC).- Change data capture (CDC) for real-time tracking of database changes.
- Multi-language support for
- Asynchronous I/O support on Linux with
io_uring
- Cross-platform support for Linux, macOS, Windows and browsers (through WebAssembly)
- Vector support support including exact search and vector manipulation
- Improved schema management including extended
ALTER support and faster schema changes.
The database has the following experimental features:
- Postgres compatibility for SQL dialect and wire protocol, see the see compatibility reference for details.
- Encryption at rest for protecting the data locally.
- Incremental computation using DBSP for incremental view maintenance and query subscriptions.
- Full-Text-Search powered by the awesome tantivy library
- Multi-process WAL coordination via the
.tshm sidecar for cross-process WAL readers and writers.
The following features are on our current roadmap:
Getting Started
Please see the Turso Database Manual for more information.
💻 Command Line
You can install the latest `turso` release with:
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -LsSf \
https://github.com/tursodatabase/turso/releases/latest/download/turso_cli-installer.sh | sh
Then launch the interactive shell:
$ tursodb
This will start the Turso interactive shell where you can execute SQL statements:
Turso
Enter ".help" for usage hints.
Connected to a transient in-memory database.
Use ".open FILENAME" to reopen on a persistent database
turso> CREATE TABLE users (id INT, username TEXT);
turso> INSERT INTO users VALUES (1, 'alice');
turso> INSERT INTO users VALUES (2, 'bob');
turso> SELECT * FROM users;
1|alice
2|bob
You can also build and run the latest development version with:
cargo run
If you like docker, we got you covered. Simply run this in the root folder:
make docker-cli-build && \
make docker-cli-run
🦀 Rust
cargo add turso
Example usage:
let db = Builder::new_local("sqlite.db").build().await?;
let conn = db.connect()?;
let res = conn.query("SELECT * FROM users", ()).await?;
✨ JavaScript
npm i @tursodatabase/database
Example usage:
import { connect } from '@tursodatabase/database';
const db = await connect('sqlite.db');
const stmt = db.prepare('SELECT * FROM users');
const users = stmt.all();
console.log(users);
🐍 Python
uv pip install pyturso
Example usage:
import turso
con = turso.connect("sqlite.db")
cur = con.cursor()
res = cur.execute("SELECT * FROM users")
print(res.fetchone())
🦫 Go
go get turso.tech/database/tursogo
go install turso.tech/database/tursogo
Example usage:
import (
"database/sql"
_ "turso.tech/database/tursogo"
)
conn, _ = sql.Open("turso", "sqlite.db")
defer conn.Close()
stmt, _ := conn.Prepare("select * from users")
defer stmt.Close()
rows, _ = stmt.Query()
for rows.Next() {
var id int
var username string
rows.Scan(&id, &username)
fmt.Printf("User: ID: %d, Username: %s\n", id, username)
}
️#️⃣ .NET
Example usage:
using Turso;
using var connection = new TursoConnection("Data Source=:memory:");
connection.Open();
connection.ExecuteNonQuery("CREATE TABLE t(a, b)");
var rowsAffected = connection.ExecuteNonQuery("INSERT INTO t(a, b) VALUES (1, 2), (3, 4)");
Console.WriteLine($"RowsAffected: {rowsAffected}");
using var command = connection.CreateCommand();
command.CommandText = "SELECT * FROM t";
using var reader = command.ExecuteReader();
while (reader.Read())
{
var a = reader.GetInt32(0);
var b = reader.GetInt32(1);
Console.WriteLine($"Value1: {a}, Value2: {b}");
}
☕️ Java
We integrated Turso Database into JDBC. For detailed instructions on how to use Turso Database with java, please refer to
the README.md under bindings/java.
🤖 MCP Server Mode
The Turso CLI includes a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants to interact with your databases.
Start the MCP server with:
tursodb your_database.db --mcp
Configuration
Add Turso to your MCP client configuration:
{
"mcpServers": {
"turso": {
"command": "/path/to/.turso/tursodb",
"args": ["/path/to/your/database.db", "--mcp"]
}
}
}
The MCP server provides nine tools for database interaction:
open_database - Open a new databasecurrent_database - Describe the current databaselist_tables - List all tables in the databasedescribe_table - Describe the structure of a specific tableexecute_query - Execute read-only SELECT queriesinsert_data - Insert new data into tablesupdate_data - Update existing data in tablesdelete_data - Delete data from tablesschema_change - Execute schema modification statements (CREATE TABLE, ALTER TABLE, DROP TABLE)
Once connected, you can ask your AI assistant:
- "Show me all tables in the database"
- "What's the schema for the users table?"
- "Find all posts with more than 100 upvotes"
- "Insert a new user with name 'Alice' and email '[email protected]'"
MCP Clients
Claude Code
If you're using Claude Code, you can easily connect to your Turso MCP server using the built-in MCP management commands:
Quick Setup
Add the MCP server to Claude Code:
claude mcp add my-database -- tursodb ./path/to/your/database.db --mcp
Restart Claude Code to activate the connection
Start querying your database through natural language!
Command Breakdown
claude mcp add my-database -- tursodb ./path/to/your/database.db --mcp
# ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
# | | | |
# Name | Database path MCP flag
# Separator
my-database - Choose any name for your MCP server-- - Required separator between Claude options and your commandtursodb - The Turso database CLI./path/to/your/database.db - Path to your SQLite database file--mcp - Enables MCP server mode
Example Usage
# For a local project database
cd /your/project
claude mcp add my-project-db -- tursodb ./data/app.db --mcp
# For an absolute path
claude mcp add analytics-db -- tursodb /Users/you/databases/analytics.db --mcp
# For a specific project (local scope)
claude mcp add project-db --local -- tursodb ./database.db --mcp
Managing MCP Servers
# List all configured MCP servers
claude mcp list
# Get details about a specific server
claude mcp get my-database
# Remove an MCP server
claude mcp remove my-database
Claude Desktop
For Claude Desktop, add the configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"turso": {
"command": "/path/to/.turso/tursodb",
"args": ["./path/to/your/database.db", "--mcp"]
}
}
}
Cursor
For Cursor, configure MCP in your settings:
- Open Cursor settings
- Navigate to Extensions → MCP
- Add a new server with:
- Name:
turso
- Command:
/path/to/.turso/tursodb
- Args:
["./path/to/your/database.db", "--mcp"]
Alternatively, you can add it to your Cursor configuration file directly.
Direct JSON-RPC Usage
The MCP server runs as a single process that handles multiple JSON-RPC requests over stdin/stdout. Here's how to interact with it directly:
Example with In-Memory Database
cat << 'EOF' | tursodb --mcp
{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "initialize", "params": {"protocolVersion": "2024-11-05", "capabilities": {}, "clientInfo": {"name": "client", "version": "1.0"}}}
{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 2, "method": "tools/call", "params": {"name": "schema_change", "arguments": {"query": "CREATE TABLE users (id INTEGER, name TEXT, email TEXT)"}}}
{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 3, "method": "tools/call", "params": {"name": "list_tables", "arguments": {}}}
{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 4, "method": "tools/call", "params": {"name": "insert_data", "arguments": {"query": "INSERT INTO users VALUES (1, 'Alice', '[email protected]')"}}}
{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 5, "method": "tools/call", "params": {"name": "execute_query", "arguments": {"query": "SELECT * FROM users"}}}
EOF
Example with Existing Database
# Working with an existing database file
cat << 'EOF' | tursodb mydb.db --mcp
{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 1, "method": "initialize", "params": {"protocolVersion": "2024-11-05", "capabilities": {}, "clientInfo": {"name": "client", "version": "1.0"}}}
{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "id": 2, "method": "tools/call", "params": {"name": "list_tables", "arguments": {}}}
EOF
Contributing
We'd love to have you contribute to Turso Database! Please check out the contribution guide to get started.
FAQ
Is Turso Database ready for production use?
Yes — Turso powers production applications today at multiple organizations, including Turso Cloud, the Kin AI assistant, and Spice.ai. Reliability is our top priority: Turso is extensively tested by a collection of tools including a native Deterministic Simulation Testing suite and Antithesis.
That said, we have not yet reached 1.0. The project is under active development, and some features are explicitly marked experimental. Our bar is SQLite-level reliability — one of the most rigorously tested pieces of software in the world — and until we declare 1.0, we recommend the same discipline you would apply to any database: keep independent backups.
How compatible is Turso Database with SQLite?
Turso is compatible with SQLite at the SQL dialect, file format, and C API levels, and existing SQLite database files work as-is. We are not at 100% yet, so some differences are still expected — COMPAT.md tracks the details — but the gap is closing quickly, and full compatibility is a requirement for 1.0.
Is Turso a SQLite database or a Postgres database?
It is one engine with more than one SQL frontend. SQLite is the original and primary frontend, with its dialect, its file format, and its C API, and if that is what you use, nothing changes for you. Postgres is a newer and still experimental frontend that speaks the Postgres dialect and wire protocol. They share everything below the SQL: the storage, the concurrency, the query compiler, and the VM. Postgres is additive.
What do you mean by "the LLVM of databases"?
Like SQLite, Turso compiles a query into bytecode for a virtual machine called the VDBE, and runs that bytecode. SQL is just one language that compiles to it. Our goal is to make that VM a general target, with one modern and rigorously tested core, and many database frontends compiled onto it: SQLite, Postgres, and others over time. LLVM did this for compilers, where a stable intermediate representation let many languages share one backend, and we think databases deserve the same. The bytecode is general enough to run Doom, if you want proof.
How is Turso Database different from Turso's libSQL?
Turso Database is a project to build the next evolution of SQLite in Rust, with a strong open contribution focus and features like native async support, vector search, and more. The libSQL project is also an attempt to evolve SQLite in a similar direction, but through a fork rather than a rewrite.
Rewriting SQLite in Rust started as an unassuming experiment, and due to its incredible success, replaces libSQL as our intended direction. Both run in production today: libSQL has been battle-tested for longer, while Turso Database is where our development effort is focused and is evolving rapidly. More details here.
Publications
- Pekka Enberg, Sasu Tarkoma, Jon Crowcroft Ashwin Rao (2024). Serverless Runtime / Database Co-Design With Asynchronous I/O. In EdgeSys ‘24. [PDF]
- Pekka Enberg, Sasu Tarkoma, and Ashwin Rao (2023). Towards Database and Serverless Runtime Co-Design. In CoNEXT-SW ’23. [PDF] [Slides]
- Alperen Keles, Ethan Chou, Harrison Goldstein, Leonidas Lampropoulos (2026). DIRT: Database-Integrated Random Testing. In DBTest '26. [PDF]
License
This project is licensed under the MIT license.
Contribution
Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted
for inclusion in Turso Database by you, shall be licensed as MIT, without any additional
terms or conditions.
Partners
Thanks to all the partners of Turso!
Contributors
Thanks to all the contributors to Turso Database!
Turso is an in-process SQL database written in Rust, compatible with SQLite, with an experimental Postgres frontend. Like SQLite it runs inside your application, and it is already used in production at multiple organizations.