Turso is rewriting SQLite in Rust

Jan 30, 2025

Glauber Costa, co-founder and CEO of Turso, is reshaping database technology with Limbo, a transformative rewrite of SQLite in Rust. He delves into the limitations of SQLite's public domain status and the innovative LibSQL project designed for open contributions. Their use of Deterministic Simulation Testing ensures robust development, while engaging the community keeps the project dynamic. Glauber highlights the technical challenges of maintaining compatibility and introduces exciting enhancements like asynchronous I/O, all while paving the way for the future of database innovation.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Testing with DST

Deterministic Simulation Testing (DST) and Antithesis are key for robust testing in Limbo's rewrite.
This approach enables thorough bug detection and deterministic reproduction of complex failure scenarios.

INSIGHT

DST Implementation

Using DST requires writing code specifically for it and minimizing external dependencies.
Limbo prioritizes writing IO and timer functionalities to ensure deterministic simulation.

INSIGHT

Compatibility Goals

Limbo aims for compatibility with SQLite's features, language, ABI, and file format.
It prioritizes offering the same functionalities while allowing for new features and improvements.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Glauber Costa, co-founder and CEO of Turso, joins us to discuss libSQL, Limbo, and how they’re rewriting SQLite in Rust. We discuss their efforts with libSQL, the challenge of SQLite being in the public domain but not being open for contribution, their choice to rewrite everything with Limbo, how this all plays into the future of the Turso platform, how they test Limbo with Deterministic Simulation Testing (DST), and their plan to replace SQLite.

Join the discussion

Changelog++ members save 6 minutes on this episode because they made the ads disappear. Join today!

Sponsors:

Retool – The low-code platform for developers to build internal tools — Some of the best teams out there trust Retool…Brex, Coinbase, Plaid, Doordash, LegalGenius, Amazon, Allbirds, Peloton, and so many more – the developers at these teams trust Retool as the platform to build their internal tools. Try it free at retool.com/changelog
Temporal – Build invincible applications. Manage failures, network outages, flaky endpoints, long-running processes and more, ensuring your workflows never fail. Register for Replay in London, March 3-5 to break free from the status quo.
Notion – Notion is a place where any team can write, plan, organize, and rediscover the joy of play. It’s a workspace designed not just for making progress, but getting inspired. Notion is for everyone — whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or freelance designer, starting a new startup or a student juggling classes and clubs.
Fly.io – The home of Changelog.com — Deploy your apps close to your users — global Anycast load-balancing, zero-configuration private networking, hardware isolation, and instant WireGuard VPN connections. Push-button deployments that scale to thousands of instances. Check out the speedrun to get started in minutes.

Featuring:

Glauber Costa – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, X
Adam Stacoviak – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X
Jerod Santo – Website, GitHub, LinkedIn, Mastodon, X

Show Notes:

Something missing or broken? PRs welcome!