SQLite to Fast SQL Migration#

Swap a bridge-based SQL plugin for @capgo/capacitor-fast-sql without losing user data.

When to Use#

TRIGGER when:

• package.json has @capacitor-community/sqlite, cordova-sqlite-storage, @capawesome-team/capacitor-sqlite, an ORM capacitor driver, or another SQLite plugin, and the user wants Fast SQL.
• Large SELECTs or sync writes are slow because every row crosses the Capacitor bridge as JSON.
• The app needs encryption, transactions, batch writes, BLOBs, or an encrypted key-value store.

Do not use for:

• @capacitor/preferences or IndexedDB-only apps -> capacitor-offline-first.
• @ionic-enterprise/secure-storage / Identity Vault -> ionic-enterprise-sdk-migration.
• Apps already on Fast SQL needing schema design or sync logic -> capacitor-offline-first.

Live Project Snapshot#

Detected SQL-related packages: !node -e "const fs=require('fs');if(!fs.existsSync('package.json'))process.exit(0);const pkg=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('package.json','utf8'));const needles=['sqlite','sqlcipher','typeorm','watermelondb','pouchdb','@capacitor-community/sqlite','@capawesome-team/capacitor-sqlite','@capgo/capacitor-fast-sql'];const out=[];for(const section of ['dependencies','devDependencies']){for(const [name,version] of Object.entries(pkg[section]||{})){if(needles.some((needle)=>name.includes(needle)))out.push(section+'.'+name+'='+version)}}console.log(out.sort().join('\n'))"

How Fast SQL Differs#

• Native SQLite is reached through a token-protected HTTP server on localhost, not the Capacitor bridge, so big result sets and batches avoid bridge serialization. This is why iOS ATS and Android cleartext config are required.
• Plugin major follows Capacitor major (v8 for Capacitor 8). Current: 8.2.x.
• Database files: iOS Documents/<database>.db, Android <filesDir>/<database>.db. Other plugins use different paths and names, so existing data is not picked up automatically.
• Web: official @sqlite.org/sqlite-wasm with OPFS persistence (bundled dependency, no sql.js install). Older versions used sql.js + IndexedDB; that data is not migrated automatically.
• Encryption: SQLCipher, opt-in per platform.

Procedure#

Step 1: Inventory#

Read package.json and grep the data layer. Record: plugin and version, database names, schema/migration mechanism (user_version, upgrade statements, ORM migrations), use of transactions, BLOBs, encryption (and where the key comes from), JSON import/export, web support, and approximate data size. Report this before changing code.

Step 2: Map the API#

import { FastSQL, KeyValueStore } from '@capgo/capacitor-fast-sql';

const db = await FastSQL.connect({ database: 'app' });            // { encrypted, encryptionKey, readOnly }
const rows = await db.query('SELECT * FROM todo WHERE done = ?', [0]);
const { rowsAffected, insertId } = await db.run('INSERT INTO todo (title) VALUES (?)', ['A']);
await db.execute('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS todo (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, title TEXT, done INTEGER DEFAULT 0)');
await db.executeBatch([{ statement: 'INSERT INTO log (m) VALUES (?)', params: ['x'] }]);
await db.transaction(async (tx) => { await tx.run('UPDATE a SET n = n - 1'); await tx.run('UPDATE b SET n = n + 1'); });
await FastSQL.disconnect('app');

Key-value data (Ionic Storage, Preferences-like wrappers) -> KeyValueStore.open({ database, encrypted, encryptionKey, store }) with set/get/has/remove/clear/keys.

Step 3: Install and configure#

npm install @capgo/capacitor-fast-sql
npx cap sync

iOS ios/App/App/Info.plist (loopback only; does not weaken ATS for other hosts):

<key>NSAppTransportSecurity</key>
<dict>
    <key>NSAllowsLocalNetworking</key>
    <true/>
</dict>

Android android/app/src/main/res/xml/network_security_config.xml, referenced by android:networkSecurityConfig="@xml/network_security_config" on <application>:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<network-security-config>
    <domain-config cleartextTrafficPermitted="true">
        <domain includeSubdomains="false">localhost</domain>
        <domain includeSubdomains="false">127.0.0.1</domain>
    </domain-config>
</network-security-config>

If the app already has a network security config, merge the domain-config instead of replacing the file.

Encryption (only if encrypted: true):

• Android: implementation 'net.zetetic:sqlcipher-android:4.13.0' (or current) in android/app/build.gradle dependencies.
• iOS (CocoaPods): pod 'CapgoCapacitorFastSql/SQLCipher', :path => '../../node_modules/@capgo/capacitor-fast-sql' in ios/App/Podfile, then pod install. For SPM projects check the plugin README for the current SQLCipher option.
• Keep the key out of JS source: store it with @capgo/capacitor-native-biometric or fetch it from your backend.

Web (only if the app ships on web): serve Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy: same-origin and Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy: require-corp, and in Vite add optimizeDeps.exclude: ['@sqlite.org/sqlite-wasm']. CapgoCapacitorFastSql.configureWeb({ ... }) before the first connect() is optional and a no-op on native.

Step 4: Preserve existing data#

Pick one with the user:

1. Dual-plugin release (safest): keep the old plugin installed for one release. On first launch, if a migrated flag is missing, read tables from the old plugin, executeBatch them into Fast SQL inside a transaction, verify counts, set the flag. Remove the old plugin in the next release.
2. File copy: copy the old .db file to Fast SQL's path before the first connect() (old community plugin files are typically named <name>SQLite.db; verify the real path on a device first). Encrypted files keep working only with the same key and a compatible SQLCipher version.
3. Re-sync from server: acceptable when local data is a cache; confirm with the user.

Step 5: Swap code and remove the old plugin#

Replace imports and calls behind the existing data-access layer; keep schema and migration steps. Then (after the carry-over release if option 1):

npm uninstall @capacitor-community/sqlite   # or the plugin in use
npx cap sync

Verification#

• rg -n "@capacitor-community/sqlite|cordova-sqlite|CapacitorSQLite|SQLiteConnection" -g '!node_modules' src returns nothing after cleanup.
• Upgrade test: install the current store build, create data, install the new build over it; row counts match.
• Smoke test on both platforms: create, read, update, delete, transaction rollback (throw inside transaction and confirm no partial writes), BLOB round-trip (Uint8Array).
• Encrypted DB: opening with a wrong key fails; file is unreadable with plain sqlite3.
• Measure a large query before/after to confirm the performance goal.

Error Handling#