rqlite reaches 1 million Docker downloads
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, fault-tolerant database built on SQLite and Raft. It’s a reached a new milestone this week – 1 million Docker downloads.
Philip O'Toole
Software engineering, distributed systems, databases, and the teams that build them
Philip O'Toole
Software engineering, distributed systems, databases, and the teams that build them
Philip O'Toole
rqlite v10.1: Schema management via the Web Console
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft. Version 10.1.0 has been released with improvements to the built-in web console. The web console now support directly examining the schema of your database tables, and basic…
Humanoid robots won’t surprise us when they arrive
Today at Lowe’s I passed a Simbe robot doing inventory. A tall pole on a wheeled base, moving the aisles, looking at shelves. I was startled, but only because it appeared behind me. And then I felt nothing. No one…
Taking control of the SQLite WAL
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, fault-tolerant relational database built on SQLite and Raft. Version 10 is out now. rqlite uses SQLite as its storage engine and has a particular relationship with the SQLite Write-Ahead Log (WAL). SQLite, left to itself, manages its…
rqlite 10.0: Better clustering and better management
rqlite is a lightweight, user-friendly, open-source, distributed relational database. It’s written in Go, employs Raft for distributed consensus, and uses SQLite as its storage engine. rqlite v10.0 has been released and introduces improved cluster and management features, including a new…
Unified Telemetry Management Plane at Google Cloud Next
It was great to present with Keith Chen on Google Cloud’s unified telemetry ingestion and routing solution at Google Cloud Next Our new solution – comprising the Unified Management Plane and Telemetry Router – streamlines telemetry management for Google Cloud customers and…
New guide for working with rqlite clusters
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft. I’ve published a new guide for client applications, explaining the various techniques you can use to access rqlite clusters. You can check it out here.
Antithesis chooses rqlite to demonstrate AI-assisted testing
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft. Antithesis is an autonomous software testing company that runs software inside a deterministic hypervisor, injecting faults and exploring edge cases that the usual testing cannot reach.
Speaking at GCP Next 2026
I will be speaking at the GCP Next next month in Las Vegas, NV. My colleague Keith Chen and I will present on GCP’s latest Telemetry management solutions, with OpenTelemetry at the center. You can learn more about the session…
Native Linux packages for rqlite
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft. Starting with v9.4.1 rqlite now ships native Linux packages (.deb and .rpm) for easier installation and upgrades. Both amd64 and arm64 packages are available.
The source code was the moat. But not anymore
Last week I started using some of the new coding agents properly. Not in a careful, experimental way, but properly — for three days on rqlite. Claude Code. Copilot CLI. Tools I had yet to fully integrate into how I…
Discovering git worktrees
While working with Claude Code, I quickly needed it to operate on multiple versions of the rqlite codebase at the same time. Cloning the repository repeatedly would have worked, but it felt wasteful.
Agentic coding with Claude and Copilot
After many months of direct ChatGPT use, I’ve finally started coding with the help of Copilot and Claude Code. It’s definitely an intriguing experience. The biggest difference so far? I’m going to hit my Claude Code Pro limits pretty quickly,…
Why talking to LLMs has improved my thinking
I’ve been surprised by – and enjoy – one aspect of using large language models more than any other. They often put into words things I have long understood, but could not write down clearly. When that happens, it feels…
Common misunderstandings about large software companies
I sometimes read commentary about large software companies and notice a recurring pattern. People correctly identify real characteristics of large organizations, criticize them, but show little appreciation for why those characteristics exist in the first place.
Start your meetings at 5 minutes past
I work as an Engineering Manager at Google, and my teams practice a simple habit – we book all meetings to start at five minutes past the hour (or half hour).
rqlite 9.3.5 to 9.3.10: Snapshot Robustness, WAL Handling, and Shell Improvements
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft. Versions 9.3.5 through 9.3.10 focus on internal correctness and operational robustness, particularly around Raft snapshotting, WAL handling, and testing. These releases also include improvements to logging, the…
rqlite 9.3.1 to 9.3.4: Parser Updates, Static Analysis Fixes, and Non-Root Docker Images
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft. Versions 9.3.1 through 9.3.4 deliver a set of targeted fixes and internal improvements, most of them aimed at code quality, security posture, and correctness. The only user-facing…
Balancing SQLite’s WAL, SYNCHRONOUS=OFF, and fsync for fast rqlite recovery
rqlite is a lightweight, user-friendly, distributed relational database. It’s written in Go, employs Raft for distributed consensus, and uses SQLite as its storage engine. The newly released rqlite 9.2 introduces a major improvement to startup performance – nodes can now resume from where they…
rqlite images now available on GitHub Container Registry
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source distributed relational database implemented in Go, and which uses SQLite as its storage engine. rqlite container images are now mirrored to GitHub Container Registry (GHCR). Images on Docker Hub and GHCR carry the same tags and digests; you can…
rqlite reaches 17,000 stars on GitHub
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source distributed relational database implemented in Go, and which uses SQLite as its storage engine. It has reached a new milestone in the open-source community by surpassing 17,000 stars on GitHub. Thanks to everyone for the ongoing support.
Driving Open Standards in Cloud Observability
My teams recently delivered support for the OpenTelemetry Protocol (OTLP) into Google Cloud Observability. This marks a significant step toward open, vendor-neutral observability. By adopting OTLP, customers gain interoperability across tools, simpler data pipelines, and a future-proof path as the…
Tokens & Tactics: Scaling Yourself Horizontally with AI
I was recently interviewed by Noah Brier for his BRXND Tokens & Tactics AI newsletter. Noah and I used to work together a few years ago at Percolate so it was good to connect again. You can check out the…
rqlite 9.0: Real-time Change Data Capture for Distributed SQLite
rqlite is a lightweight, user-friendly, open-source, distributed relational database. It’s written in Go, employs Raft for distributed consensus, and uses SQLite as its storage engine. rqlite 9.0 introduces Change Data Capture (CDC), enabling you to stream the changes occurring to the…
On the way to rqlite 9.0
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database written in Go, which uses SQLite as its storage engine. Development for the 9.0 release has started, and should be an important release. The main goals for 9.0 include: Change Data Capture…