pglite WASM

PGlite for in-browser PostgreSQL.

DatabaseSimple

Stack Components

DBPGlite 0.2

BasePostgreSQL 16 WASM

Client@electric-sql/pglite 0.2

Why

PG in WASM, no server, runs in browser. PostgreSQL is used by nearly 50% of professional developers, making it the most popular database (Stack Overflow 2024).

SQLite powers 1 trillion+ active databases (every iOS/Android device), and DuckDB emerged as the fastest OLAP engine for analytics, 5-10x faster than ClickHouse for single-node queries.

When

Use for client-side SQL. Avoid for large data.

How

1. npm i @electric-sql/pglite 2. Create PGlite instance 3. Execute SQL 4. Use in worker 5. Add environment configuration — cp .env.example .env && edit values 6. Run tests — npm test or pnpm test to verify setup 7. Deploy — git push to trigger CI/CD or manual deploy

Example

const pg = new PGlite() await pg.exec('CREATE TABLE users (id serial PRIMARY KEY, name text)') const result = await pg.query('SELECT * FROM users')

Common Problems

⚠WASM size — ~3MB, lazy load
⚠Worker — use for non-blocking
⚠Configuration drift between environments — use infrastructure-as-code (Terraform/Pulumi) to keep dev/staging/prod identical

Best Practices

✓Use PGlite for offline PG
✓Leverage sync with ElectricSQL
✓Set up health checks and graceful shutdown — handle SIGTERM to drain in-flight requests before exit

FAQ

What is pglite WASM and what projects is it for?

PGlite for in-browser PostgreSQL. It pairs layered technologies for end-to-end type safety and out-of-the-box deploys, fitting everything from MVPs to production SaaS.

How do I spin up a working demo with pglite WASM in 10 minutes?

Two steps: (1) npm i @electric-sql/pglite; (2) Create PGlite instance. Get the local dev server running, then wire one real data source to verify the end-to-end loop.

What is the most common pitfall with pglite WASM and how do I avoid it?

The most common pitfall is: WASM size — ~3MB, lazy load. Avoid it by adding the matching checklist to your PR template and running type-check + lint + unit tests in CI — three gates before merge.

What are the best practices for pglite WASM?

Best practices for pglite WASM include: Use PGlite for offline PG; Leverage sync with ElectricSQL; Set up health checks and graceful shutdown — handle SIGTERM to drain in-flight requests before exit. The first one — "Use PGlite for offline PG" — should be set up at project init to avoid costly rework later.

When should I NOT choose pglite WASM?

Pick something else in three cases: (1) the team has zero experience with the core framework and the deadline is tight (learning-curve risk); (2) it's a pure content/marketing site (Astro is lighter); (3) you need very high throughput (>10k RPS) or strict-consistency microservices (Go/Rust). pglite WASM shines for mid-to-high complexity full-stack and API work — don't over-engineer simple static pages with it.