node:sqlite support

[Tobbe]

Node's built-in support for sqlite is still experimental, but not behind a flag anymore.

Prisma currently uses better-sqlite3, but it's now throwing warnings and struggles with binaries (WiseLibs/better-sqlite3#1446). I'd like to explore using Node's built-in sqlite support instead. Ideally I could wait until Node promotes sqlite out of experimental, but I have no idea/indication on when that's going to happen.

If/when I do decide it's time to go down this path, here are some good links:

Here's a Prisma adapter that adds support to Prisma to use node:sqlite: https://github.com/Maxime-J/prisma-adapter-sqlite
Here's a PR on another project that vendored the node:sqlite support: https://github.com/getagentseal/codeburn/pull/76/changes

[lisa-assistant]

Implementation Plan

Goal: Evaluate whether Cedar can use Node's built-in node:sqlite (via prisma-adapter-sqlite) instead of Prisma's current better-sqlite3 dependency, and document the findings.

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Background

Prisma uses better-sqlite3 as its SQLite driver. There are two known pain points:

1. better-sqlite3 is a native binary that needs to be compiled/downloaded per platform and Node version — this causes friction with binary distribution.
2. A PR to better-sqlite3 (#1446) indicates ongoing warnings and binary issues.

Node's built-in node:sqlite module has been available since Node 22.5.0 without a feature flag (though it's still marked experimental in Node docs). Cedar already requires Node 18+ in practice and the sandbox runs Node 22.22 — so the version requirement isn't a blocker.

The community has produced a Prisma adapter that swaps out the SQLite driver: prisma-adapter-sqlite.

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Step 1 — Understand what Cedar actually controls here

Important nuance: Prisma's choice of SQLite driver is internal to Prisma, not something Cedar configures directly. Cedar doesn't depend on better-sqlite3 itself — it's a transitive dependency of @prisma/client. The prisma-adapter-sqlite approach requires using Prisma's driver adapter API, which means:

1. Enabling driverAdapters preview feature in the app's schema.prisma
2. Instantiating the adapter in api/src/lib/db.ts and passing it to PrismaClient
3. Changing the datasource URL from file:./dev.db to a node:sqlite-compatible URL

This is app-level config, not a framework-level change in Cedar's packages/ directory. Cedar's role would be to:

• (a) Document the approach
• (b) Optionally add a setup command (cedar setup sqlite-driver or similar) that patches schema.prisma and db.ts
• (c) Or wait until Prisma makes this the default

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Step 2 — Spike: manually wire up prisma-adapter-sqlite in a test app

# In a Cedar app
yarn add prisma-adapter-sqlite

// schema.prisma
generator client {
  provider        = "prisma-client-js"
  previewFeatures = ["driverAdapters"]
}

datasource db {
  provider = "sqlite"
  url      = env("DATABASE_URL")
}

// api/src/lib/db.ts
import { PrismaClient } from '@prisma/client'
import { SqliteAdapter } from 'prisma-adapter-sqlite'

const adapter = new SqliteAdapter(process.env.DATABASE_URL!)
export const db = new PrismaClient({ adapter })

Test: run migrations, run the dev server, verify queries work.

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Step 3 — Impact on Cedar's jobs package

The jobs package's PrismaAdapter checks the _activeProvider field on the Prisma client to detect SQLite:

// packages/jobs/src/adapters/PrismaAdapter/PrismaAdapter.ts:114
// It's the database provider type: 'sqlite' | 'postgresql' | 'mysql'

When using a driver adapter, _activeProvider may still report 'sqlite', but the locking query behavior might differ. Confirm that the PrismaAdapter for jobs still works correctly with the driver adapter in place.

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Step 4 — Evaluate and document

Answer these questions from the spike:

• Does prisma-adapter-sqlite work with Cedar's current Prisma version (check in packages/api/package.json or packages/jobs/package.json)?
• Does the driverAdapters preview feature cause any issues with Cedar's generated types or SDL codegen?
• Is there a performance difference? (node:sqlite is synchronous by design, same as better-sqlite3)
• Does cedar generate types (graphql codegen, prisma client generation) still work?

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Files to change (if pursuing as a Cedar feature)

File	Change
packages/cli/src/commands/setup/	New sqlite-driver setup handler that installs prisma-adapter-sqlite, patches schema.prisma and db.ts
packages/create-cedar-app/	Optionally scaffold with driver adapter from the start

If the verdict is "wait for Prisma to make it the default" — document in this issue and close as a future-tracking issue.

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Key questions to answer

1. Does prisma-adapter-sqlite work with the Prisma version Cedar currently ships?
2. Can Cedar scaffold this automatically, or is it too app-specific?
3. Is the better-sqlite3 binary issue severe enough to warrant action now, or can Cedar wait for Node to stabilize node:sqlite out of experimental status?

[lisa-assistant]

Self-fix confidence: 3/10

This is fundamentally a research and evaluation task rather than a code change. The reasons for a low score:

• Cedar doesn't control the Prisma driver: better-sqlite3 is internal to Prisma's engine, not something Cedar configures. Any change would be at the app level or require a new CLI setup command — neither of which Tobbe has asked for yet; the issue is explicitly exploratory.
• 'When to act' is unresolved: The issue says "I have no idea when Node will promote sqlite out of experimental." That's still true — node:sqlite is still marked experimental as of Node 22. Acting now means committing to an unstable API.
• Can't evaluate without a full Cedar project + database: The spike in step 2 requires running migrations, dev server, and queries end-to-end — not feasible in this sandbox.
• Prisma version compatibility unknown: prisma-adapter-sqlite requires the driverAdapters preview feature, and I haven't verified it works with the exact Prisma version Cedar ships.

I'm confident about the shape of the plan (what files to touch, how driver adapters work), but the actual implementation decision requires running the spike and getting Tobbe's call on timing.