---
id: adbc-driver-sqlite
version: "1.12.0"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# adbc-driver-sqlite — An ADBC driver for working with SQLite.

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 1.4M/mo

## What it is and what it does

adbc-driver-sqlite wraps the Apache ADBC SQLite driver with a DBAPI 2.0-compatible interface, letting you query SQLite databases using standard Python database API conventions. It sits on top of adbc-driver-manager and returns results as Arrow tables rather than plain tuples, bridging SQLite with the Arrow ecosystem.

The package is built from compiled native bindings (available for macOS, Linux, and Windows), so installation requires the ADBC_SQLITE_LIBRARY environment variable to point to the native driver library. It's intended for workflows where you want SQLite's simplicity but Arrow's columnar performance and interoperability with data science tools.

Use it for:

- Query SQLite databases in Python code using standard DBAPI 2.0 cursor and connection patterns
- Retrieve query results as Arrow tables for efficient downstream processing in pandas or other Arrow-aware libraries
- Integrate SQLite into data pipelines that already use Apache Arrow for columnar data handling
- Prototype or migrate applications from other ADBC drivers to SQLite without changing the query interface

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Provides a DBAPI 2.0-compatible Python interface to SQLite via the ADBC (Arrow Database Connectivity) driver, enabling standard SQL queries with Arrow table results.

Yes, if you need DBAPI 2.0 access to SQLite with Arrow table results and are willing to manage the native library dependency. The package is actively maintained, has no known vulnerabilities, and fits naturally into Arrow-based data workflows. Not necessary if you only need standard sqlite3 module or don't require Arrow integration.

## Install

pip install adbc-driver-sqlite
uv add adbc-driver-sqlite
poetry add adbc-driver-sqlite

## Installing adbc-driver-sqlite

Before you install: Medium install friction due to platform-specific wheels and a compiled native dependency. Requires setting ADBC_SQLITE_LIBRARY environment variable before installation. Actively maintained with recent releases; last commit 2026-08-14.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing commercial and private use with minimal restrictions beyond attribution.

Quickstart:

pip install adbc-driver-sqlite

import adbc_driver_sqlite.dbapi

with adbc_driver_sqlite.dbapi.connect() as conn:
    with conn.cursor() as cur:
        cur.execute("SELECT 1")
        print(cur.fetch_arrow_table())

ADBC_SQLITE_LIBRARY environment variable must be set to the path of the native SQLite driver library before installation; requires Python >=3.10

Verify before relying:

- Whether PyArrow is required at runtime or only optional for the DBAPI interface
- Performance characteristics compared to standard sqlite3 or other ADBC drivers
- Compatibility with existing SQLAlchemy or ORM frameworks

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: medium
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 1.4M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

sqlite dbapi python, arrow database connectivity sqlite, adbc sqlite driver, sql queries with arrow, dbapi 2.0 sqlite, apache arrow sqlite, sqlite python interface, arrow-integration, dbapi-2.0

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