---
id: opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3
version: "0.65b0"
license: Apache-2.0
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: active
---

# opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3 — OpenTelemetry SQLite3 instrumentation

License: permissive · Maintenance: active · Downloads: 5.9M/mo

## What it is and what it does

This package integrates SQLite3 database operations into OpenTelemetry's distributed tracing ecosystem. It acts as a bridge between the sqlite3 standard library module and OpenTelemetry's instrumentation framework, automatically wrapping database calls to emit trace spans. When installed and activated, it captures SQL operations executed through sqlite3 and forwards them to whatever tracer and exporter your application has configured—typically for centralized observability platforms.

The package is built on top of opentelemetry-instrumentation-dbapi, which provides the generic database instrumentation layer, and depends on opentelemetry-api and opentelemetry-instrumentation for core tracing infrastructure. It is currently in beta status and supports Python 3.10 through 3.14. No known security vulnerabilities are recorded.

Use it for:

- Trace SQLite3 queries in a distributed system to correlate database operations with upstream requests and downstream services.
- Monitor SQLite3 performance in production by exporting span metrics (latency, error rates) to observability platforms.
- Debug slow or failing SQLite3 operations by inspecting detailed trace context alongside application logs.
- Validate database query patterns in integration tests by asserting on captured spans.
- Profile SQLite3 usage in embedded or edge applications where centralized logging is unavailable.

## Worth the install?

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

Adds OpenTelemetry tracing instrumentation to SQLite3 database calls, automatically capturing SQL operations and their performance metrics.

Yes, if you are already using OpenTelemetry in your application and need visibility into SQLite3 operations. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, and carries a permissive license. It is still in beta, so expect potential API changes; verify that span capture and attribute coverage meet your observability needs before relying on it in production.

## Install

pip install opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3
uv add opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3
poetry add opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3

## Installing opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel. Actively maintained as of 2026-08-14 with recent release activity. Depends on three core OpenTelemetry packages (opentelemetry-api, opentelemetry-instrumentation, opentelemetry-instrumentation-dbapi), all standard instrumentation infrastructure.

License in practice: Licensed under Apache-2.0 (permissive), allowing use in commercial and proprietary projects without viral obligations.

Quickstart:

pip install opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3

from opentelemetry.instrumentation.sqlite3 import SQLite3Instrumentor

SQLite3Instrumentor().instrument()

Requires Python 3.10 or later; an active OpenTelemetry tracer and exporter must be configured separately to capture the instrumented spans.

Verify before relying:

- Whether instrumentation automatically wraps all sqlite3 module calls or requires explicit connection/cursor wrapping.
- What specific span attributes (e.g., sql.query, db.name, db.operation) are captured and whether they can be customized.
- Whether there are known performance overheads or sampling strategies recommended for high-volume SQLite3 workloads.

## Package facts

- License: Apache-2.0 (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: active
- Downloads: 5.9M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

sqlite3 tracing instrumentation, opentelemetry database monitoring, sql query observability, sqlite3 performance metrics, distributed tracing sqlite, database call instrumentation, opentelemetry sqlite3, observability, tracing, database-instrumentation

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/opentelemetry-instrumentation-sqlite3/)