OmniRoute/docs/ops/SQLITE_RUNTIME.md

SQLite Runtime Resolution

OmniRoute resolves its SQLite driver at startup through a 5-step fallback chain:

1. Bundled better-sqlite3 (via dependencies in package.json) — fastest, native binary, installed by npm install when build tools are present.

2. Runtime-installed better-sqlite3 (in ~/.omniroute/runtime/) — installed lazily on first run OR by scripts/build/postinstall.mjs → scripts/postinstall.mjs. Validates native .node magic bytes (ELF / Mach-O / PE) before loading to guard against corrupt or wrong-platform binaries.

3. node:sqlite (Node ≥22.5 stdlib) — no native build needed; used when both better-sqlite3 paths fail. Limited feature set.

4. sql.js (WASM) — final fallback. Works everywhere but is slower and writes data on an interval rather than synchronously.

Why this complexity?

• Windows EBUSY: npm install -g omniroute@latest can fail if the previous version's better_sqlite3.node is locked by a running process. The runtime install in ~/.omniroute/runtime/ sidesteps the global npm cache.
• No build tools: Some environments (corporate Windows without VS Build Tools, minimal Docker images) cannot compile better-sqlite3. The runtime installer resolves a pre-built binary from the npm registry; the fallback drivers ensure OmniRoute still boots even if that fails.
• Air-gapped systems: If the npm registry is unreachable, node:sqlite or sql.js guarantee baseline functionality.

Magic-byte validation

Before loading a runtime-installed .node file, OmniRoute reads the first 8 bytes and matches against known platform magics:

Platform	Bytes (hex)	Label
Linux	7F 45 4C 46	elf
macOS 64-bit BE	FE ED FA CF	macho
macOS 64-bit LE	CF FA ED FE	macho-le
macOS fat (universal)	CA FE BA BE	macho-fat
Windows	4D 5A (MZ)	pe

A mismatched magic → file is ignored, fallback continues to the next step.

Checking the active driver

import { getDriverInfo } from "@/lib/db/core";

const info = getDriverInfo();
// { source: "bundled" | "runtime" | "runtime-installed-now" | "node-sqlite" | "sql-js",
//   kind: "better-sqlite3" | "node-sqlite" | "sql-js" }

Manual control

# Skip postinstall warm-up (for fast CI installs)
OMNIROUTE_SKIP_POSTINSTALL=1 npm install -g omniroute

# Force-reinstall runtime better-sqlite3
rm -rf ~/.omniroute/runtime
omniroute  # will reinstall on next start

# Check what driver is active
omniroute config db-info  # (if CLI command exists)

Reference

Implementation:

• bin/cli/runtime/magicBytes.mjs — binary magic-byte validation helpers
• bin/cli/runtime/sqliteRuntime.mjs — 5-step runtime resolver + lazy installer
• bin/cli/runtime/index.mjs — startup orchestrator (warmUpRuntimes())
• scripts/postinstall.mjs — npm post-install hook (non-fatal warm-up)
• src/lib/db/core.ts — ensureDbInitialized() / getDriverInfo() exports