SQLite Single-Writer Pattern

Problem

SQLite supports one writer at a time. When multiple processes (not threads) attempt concurrent writes, you get SQLITE_BUSY errors. This skill provides a cross-platform locking pattern that:

•Serializes writes across processes
•Keeps reads concurrent and fast
•Provides diagnostic errors on timeout
•Automatically releases locks on crash

Architecture

code

┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐
│  Process 1  │  │  Process 2  │  │  Process 3  │
└──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘  └──────┬──────┘
       │                │                │
       └────────────────┼────────────────┘
                        │
              ┌─────────▼─────────┐
              │  Write Lock File  │  ← flock/LockFileEx
              │   (db.lock)       │
              └─────────┬─────────┘
                        │
              ┌─────────▼─────────┐
              │  SQLite (WAL)     │  ← Concurrent reads OK
              │   (data.db)       │
              └───────────────────┘

Implementation Steps

1. Enable WAL Mode

WAL (Write-Ahead Logging) allows concurrent reads while writes are serialized.

sql

PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL;
PRAGMA busy_timeout=500;      -- Fallback timeout (ms)
PRAGMA synchronous=NORMAL;    -- Faster, still safe with WAL

Run these on every database open.

2. Create Lock File

Use a separate lock file (not the database file) for coordination:

code

project/
├── data.db        # SQLite database
├── data.db-wal    # WAL file (auto-created)
├── data.db-shm    # Shared memory (auto-created)
└── db.lock        # Write lock file

3. Lock Acquisition Pattern

code

acquire(timeout):
    open("db.lock", CREATE | RDWR)
    deadline = now + timeout
    backoff = 5ms
    
    loop:
        if try_exclusive_lock():      # Non-blocking
            write_holder_info()       # PID + timestamp
            return SUCCESS
        
        if now > deadline:
            holder = read_holder_info()
            return TIMEOUT_ERROR(holder)
        
        sleep(backoff)
        backoff = min(backoff * 2, 50ms)  # Exponential, capped

4. Platform-Specific Locking

Unix (flock):

flock(fd, LOCK_EX | LOCK_NB)  // Acquire
flock(fd, LOCK_UN)            // Release

Windows (LockFileEx):

LockFileEx(handle, LOCKFILE_EXCLUSIVE_LOCK | LOCKFILE_FAIL_IMMEDIATELY, ...)
UnlockFileEx(handle, ...)

Both auto-release on process exit/crash.

5. Holder Info for Diagnostics

Write to lock file when acquired:

code

pid:12345
time:2025-01-15T10:30:45Z

On timeout, read and report:

code

write lock timeout after 500ms
  holder: pid:12345 since 2025-01-15T10:30:45Z
  try again or check if holder process is stuck

6. Wrap Write Operations

Every write method should:

•Acquire lock (with timeout)
•Execute write
•Release lock (in finally/defer)

Language-Specific References

See references for implementation details:

•go.md - Go implementation with flock/LockFileEx
•rust.md - Rust implementation with fs2/windows-sys
•python.md - Python implementation with fcntl/msvcrt
•javascript.md - Node.js implementation with proper-lockfile

Key Parameters

Parameter	Recommended	Notes
Lock timeout	500ms	Enough for small writes, fails fast
Initial backoff	5ms	Start small
Max backoff	50ms	Cap to avoid long waits
Busy timeout	500ms	SQLite fallback, match lock timeout

Failure Modes

Failure	Behavior	User Action
Lock timeout	Error with holder info	Retry or check stuck process
Process crash	Lock auto-released by OS	None needed
Stale lock file	Content stale, lock released	None (flock is source of truth)

Testing

Spawn N processes doing M writes each. Verify:

•All N×M writes succeed (no lost writes)
•Timeout errors include diagnostic info
•Lock released after crash (kill -9 a holder)

bash

# Example stress test
for i in {1..5}; do
    (for j in {1..10}; do ./app write "p$i-w$j"; done) &
done
wait
./app count  # Should be 50

Common Mistakes

•Locking the database file - Use separate lock file; SQLite manages its own locks
•Forgetting WAL mode - Without WAL, readers block on writers too
•Too long timeout - 500ms is plenty; fail fast, let caller retry
•No holder info - Without diagnostics, debugging contention is painful
•Thread locks for processes - Mutex/RwLock don't work across processes; use flock
•Network filesystems - flock may not work on NFS/SMB; use local filesystems only
•Ignoring EINTR - Unix flock can be interrupted by signals; retry on EINTR