v2.52.3 · single binary · single database file

A SQL database
in one binary.
Zero dependencies.

An embedded ACID engine with SQL, an HTTP API, and a binary RPC protocol. The whole database lives in a single .fdb file — like SQLite. Connect as if it were real PostgreSQL or MySQL — just change the port.

Download Documentation →
34,000+ lines of Go 300+ tests 0 dependencies 11.6 MB binary
$ ./filedb -data ./databases -addr :8080 → FileDB v2.52.3 listening on :8080 $ ls ./databases shop.fdb $ psql -h localhost -p 8080 filedb=> CREATE TABLE users (id INT PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT); CREATE TABLE
Privacy and data ownership

The engine, the HTTP API and the admin panel are one process on your own infrastructure. No telemetry, nothing phoned home — not while running, not while building dashboards.

The whole database is one .fdb file

Like SQLite: no database server, no data directory full of files. Copy the file, copy the whole database. Convenient for backups, moving between environments, and version control.

Download FileDB

linux
x86_64 · 2.52.1 · 11.7 MB
Download
windows
x86_64 · 2.52.1 · 12.1 MB
Download
chmod +x filedb && ./filedb -data ./databases -addr :8080
Need Docker / systemd / a Windows service? See the deployment guide · Source code is coming later.

6 ways to work with FileDB

One engine — whichever protocol you already use.

Web UI
Built-in admin: database list, SQL console, /admin, /embeddings, /import.
Native drivers
Python, Go, Node.js, PHP — drop-in replacement for sqlite3 / psycopg2 / pymysql.
HTTP API
REST + JSON, token authentication.
Binary RPC
Compact TCP protocol for high throughput.
PostgreSQL / MySQL wire
Connect with psql, mysql, JDBC — just change the port.
PG/MySQL SQL dialects
Syntax translator for $1/?, ON CONFLICT/ON DUPLICATE KEY.
Updated in v2.44

Analytics dashboards, built into the admin panel

Datasets, charts, a No-Code query builder, and an AI assistant — build a dashboard without writing a line of SQL. Publish it via a link with a password and an expiry: visitors see only the data, never the SQL or the database schema.

No-Code builderAI assistantWidgets & filtersPublic links
Read about Dashboards →
New

AI, built into the database

A conversational SQL assistant, a read-only tool-calling agent, smart export, and semantic search — work with any OpenAI-compatible provider. Nothing runs without your confirmation.

AI ChatAI AgentSmart ExportSemantic search
More about AI features →
DDL
DML
SELECT
Functions
Transactions
CREATE TABLE users ( id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, email TEXT NOT NULL, created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT now() ); CREATE INDEX idx_users_email ON users(email); ALTER TABLE users ADD COLUMN active BOOLEAN DEFAULT true;
Crash recovery
WAL — every committed transaction survives a crash.
RBAC
admin/write/read roles — shared across HTTP, Web UI, and the wire protocols.
Security
PBKDF2-100k, constant-time compare, path-traversal protection.
Backups
Local disk, SFTP, S3-compatible storage (AWS, Yandex, MinIO, R2).
Semantic search

4 embedding providers (OpenAI, Voyage, Gemini, Yandex Cloud), cosine similarity, vector search out of the box.

OpenAIVoyageGeminiYandex Cloud
File import

Drag-and-drop CSV/TSV/JSON/JSONL, column mapping, filters, dry-run before applying.

CSVTSVJSONJSONL

FileDB vs PostgreSQL/MySQL

Covers ~90% of a typical OLTP API. Full table in the documentation.

FeatureFileDB
PG/MySQL wire protocol✅ yes
ACID transactions✅ yes
Single database file (like SQLite)✅ yes
MVCC✅ yes
Replication❌ no
764/s
Engine INSERT (1.3 ms)
430K/s
SELECT full scan
11 μs
PK lookup

Try FileDB in 2 minutes

One binary. One database file. No dependencies.

Download Read the docs