A lightweight, serverless .NET NoSQL embedded database stored in a single data file.
LiteDB is a small, fast, and lightweight NoSQL document database for .NET applications, designed as an embedded, serverless solution. It stores all data in a single file and provides a MongoDB-like API, making it ideal for local storage, application file formats, and small-scale data persistence without requiring a separate database server.
.NET developers building desktop/local applications, small web applications, or applications needing a per-user/account data store with a simple, file-based database. It's also suitable for developers creating custom application file formats.
Developers choose LiteDB for its zero-configuration, embedded nature with a single DLL under 450kb, offering ACID transactions, LINQ and SQL-like queries, and cross-platform .NET support. Its unique selling point is combining MongoDB-like document storage with SQLite's single-file simplicity in a lightweight, serverless package.
LiteDB - A .NET NoSQL Document Store in a single data file
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No database server needed; runs embedded within the application with zero configuration, ideal for local storage and small web apps as highlighted in the philosophy.
All data is stored in one portable file, similar to SQLite, making deployment, backup, and sharing straightforward, as emphasized in the key features.
Ensures data integrity with full transaction support and write-ahead logging for recovery after write failures, providing robustness for small-scale applications.
Supports both LINQ for C# developers and a SQL-like syntax with indexing, allowing flexible querying as demonstrated in the code examples and new v5 features.
In v5, write operations are locked per collection, which can bottleneck applications with high concurrent writes across multiple collections, as noted in the release notes.
As an embedded, serverless database, it lacks features like automatic replication or sharding, making it unsuitable for distributed or high-availability systems.
While plugins exist, the ecosystem is smaller compared to databases like MongoDB or SQLite, affecting tool availability and community support, as seen in the limited plugin list.