WordPress officially requires MySQL or MariaDB, but it is possible to run it on SQLite instead. SQLite is a file-based database that requires no server process, no configuration, and no separate installation. For simple sites, development environments, or low-traffic deployments, it offers a much lighter footprint than a full MySQL setup. There are currently two plugins that make this possible, each with a different history and maintenance status.
The first option is wp-sqlite-db by Evan Mattson, available at github.com/aaemnnosttv/wp-sqlite-db. This plugin is a single-file drop-in based on the original SQLite Integration plugin by Kojima Toshiyasu. Installation is manual: you download db.php from the repository and place it directly in wp-content/. No activation is required. WordPress picks it up automatically as a database drop-in. The SQLite database is stored at wp-content/database/.ht.sqlite by default. The plugin went through a period of apparent inactivity but has been recently updated, with version 1.3.3 resolving a significant compatibility issue with WordPress Site Health that affected older versions. Version 1.2.0 caused the Site Health page to crash entirely on SQLite sites because WordPress Site Health runs MySQL-specific queries internally that the older drop-in could not handle gracefully. Updating to 1.3.3 fixes this.
The second option is the official SQLite Database Integration plugin, maintained by the WordPress core team and available at wordpress.org/plugins/sqlite-database-integration. This plugin emerged from the WordPress Playground project and represents the direction the WordPress team is moving toward for SQLite support. It is more actively developed, tracks WordPress core releases more closely, and handles a broader range of MySQL query compatibility issues through a more sophisticated translation layer. It stores the database in the same default location as wp-sqlite-db, wp-content/database/.ht.sqlite, which makes migration between the two relatively straightforward. The intent is for this plugin to eventually land in WordPress core.
Both plugins serve the same fundamental purpose and are broadly compatible with standard WordPress functionality. The choice between them is mainly a question of timing and risk tolerance. If your sites are running smoothly on wp-sqlite-db 1.3.3, there is no urgent reason to switch. The official plugin is the better long-term bet given its core team backing and development momentum, but it is still described as a feature plugin under active development rather than a finished product. For anyone setting up new SQLite-based WordPress sites today, the official plugin is the recommended starting point. For existing sites on wp-sqlite-db that are working correctly, updating to the latest version and monitoring for future compatibility issues is a reasonable approach before committing to a full migration.