I recently appeared on the Bug Bash podcast to talk about rqlite, software testing, and the impact of Agentic coding.
You check out the audio podcast on Apple Podcasts, and the video on YouTube.
Philip O'Toole
Software engineering, distributed systems, databases, and the teams that build them
Philip O'Toole
Software engineering, distributed systems, databases, and the teams that build them
Claude redesigns rqlite.io
rqlite
is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft.
rqlite.io is the Hugo-based website for rqlite, built on the Docsy theme. It introduces people to the database, as well as serving all the technical documentation. Last month I decided to ask Claude Code to redesign the website.
Codex for Open Source
OpenAI has given me six months of ChatGPT Pro through its Codex for Open Source programme, which backs maintainers of projects the wider ecosystem depends on. I will be putting it to work on rqlite — primarily coding and PR review, as well as the routine maintenance that keeps releases moving.
Many thanks to OpenAI for supporting the work.
Proving to Fable I maintain the repo
rqlite
is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft.
After my initial experience with Fable, it got me thinking. I created rqlite, I maintain it. Why won’t Fable help me find and fix bugs in the software? Why does it refuse to identify potential bugs? Because it doesn’t know for sure I am who I say I am.
First impressions of Claude Fable
Today I tried Anthropic’s latest model, Fable, for the the first time. I asked it to run a full code review of the core Go code of rqlite.
Fable reject my first prompt as unsafe – review the rqlite code base for potential bugs – and Claude Code fell back to Opus 4.8.
rqlite v10.2: Improving the web console
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft.
Version 10.2.0 has been released with more improvements to the built-in web console and mutual TLS support.
rqlite reaches 1 million Docker downloads
rqlite
is a lightweight, open-source, fault-tolerant database built on SQLite and Raft.
It’s reached a new milestone this week – 1 million Docker downloads. Thanks to the entire rqlite community for their support and engagement with rqlite.
rqlite v10.1: Schema management via the Web Console
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft.
Version 10.1.0 has been released with improvements to the built-in web console. The web console now support directly examining the schema of your database tables, and basic schema management.
Humanoid robots won’t surprise us when they arrive
Today at Lowe’s I passed a Simbe robot doing inventory. A tall pole on a wheeled base, moving the aisles, looking at shelves. I was startled, but only because it appeared behind me. And then I felt nothing. No one else even looked up. The novelty collapsed immediately, because every part of it was already familiar.
Continue reading “Humanoid robots won’t surprise us when they arrive”
Taking control of the SQLite WAL
rqlite
is a lightweight, open-source, fault-tolerant relational database built on SQLite and Raft. Version 10 is out now.
rqlite uses SQLite as its storage engine and has a particular relationship with the SQLite Write-Ahead Log (WAL). SQLite, left to itself, manages its own WAL: it checkpoints when the WAL grows, it checkpoints when the last connection closes, and it decides when frames move from the WAL into the main database file.
rqlite 10.0: Better clustering and better management
rqlite is a lightweight, user-friendly, open-source, distributed relational database. It’s written in Go, employs Raft for distributed consensus, and uses SQLite as its storage engine.
rqlite v10.0 has been released and introduces improved cluster and management features, including a new console application served by rqlite itself.
Be sure to download rqlite 10.0 and try it out today. Check out the docs and discussion is welcome on Slack.
Unified Telemetry Management Plane at Google Cloud Next
It was great to present with Keith Chen on Google Cloud’s unified telemetry ingestion and routing solution at Google Cloud Next
Our new solution – comprising the Unified Management Plane and Telemetry Router – streamlines telemetry management for Google Cloud customers and developers. The design utilizes OpenTelemetry standards to ensure interoperability and avoid vendor lock-in. You can find the video here.
New guide for working with rqlite clusters
Antithesis chooses rqlite to demonstrate AI-assisted testing
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft.
Antithesis is an autonomous software testing company that runs software inside a deterministic hypervisor, injecting faults and exploring edge cases that the usual testing cannot reach.
Continue reading “Antithesis chooses rqlite to demonstrate AI-assisted testing”
Speaking at GCP Next 2026
I will be speaking at the GCP Next next month in Las Vegas, NV. My colleague Keith Chen and I will present on GCP’s latest Telemetry management solutions, with OpenTelemetry at the center.
You can learn more about the session here.
Native Linux packages for rqlite
The source code was the moat. But not anymore
Last week I started using some of the new coding agents properly. Not in a careful, experimental way, but properly — for three days on rqlite. Claude Code. Copilot CLI. Tools I had yet to fully integrate into how I write software.
Continue reading “The source code was the moat. But not anymore”
Discovering git worktrees
While working with Claude Code, I quickly needed it to operate on multiple versions of the rqlite codebase at the same time. Cloning the repository repeatedly would have worked, but it felt wasteful.
Agentic coding with Claude and Copilot
After many months of direct ChatGPT use, I’ve finally started coding with the help of Copilot and Claude Code. It’s definitely an intriguing experience. The biggest difference so far? I’m going to hit my Claude Code Pro limits pretty quickly, whereas my Copilot Premium Requests are far from exhausted.
Why talking to LLMs has improved my thinking
I’ve been surprised by – and enjoy – one aspect of using large language models more than any other.
They often put into words things I have long understood, but could not write down clearly. When that happens, it feels less like learning something new and more like recognition. A kind of “ok, yeah” moment.
Continue reading “Why talking to LLMs has improved my thinking”
Common misunderstandings about large software companies
I sometimes read commentary about large software companies and notice a recurring pattern. People correctly identify real characteristics of large organizations, criticize them, but show little appreciation for why those characteristics exist in the first place.
Continue reading “Common misunderstandings about large software companies”
Start your meetings at 5 minutes past
I work as an Engineering Manager at Google, and my teams practice a simple habit – we book all meetings to start at five minutes past the hour (or half hour).
rqlite 9.3.5 to 9.3.10: Snapshot Robustness, WAL Handling, and Shell Improvements
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft.
Versions 9.3.5 through 9.3.10 focus on internal correctness and operational robustness, particularly around Raft snapshotting, WAL handling, and testing. These releases also include improvements to logging, the rqlite shell, and routine dependency upgrades, including a new SQLite release.
Continue reading “rqlite 9.3.5 to 9.3.10: Snapshot Robustness, WAL Handling, and Shell Improvements”
rqlite 9.3.1 to 9.3.4: Parser Updates, Static Analysis Fixes, and Non-Root Docker Images
rqlite is a lightweight, open-source, distributed relational database built on SQLite and Raft.
Versions 9.3.1 through 9.3.4 deliver a set of targeted fixes and internal improvements, most of them aimed at code quality, security posture, and correctness. The only user-facing operational change is that the official Docker image now runs the rqlite daemon as a non-root user.
Balancing SQLite’s WAL, SYNCHRONOUS=OFF, and fsync for fast rqlite recovery
rqlite is a lightweight, user-friendly, distributed relational database. It’s written in Go, employs Raft for distributed consensus, and uses SQLite as its storage engine.
The newly released rqlite 9.2 introduces a major improvement to startup performance – nodes can now resume from where they left off, instead of rebuilding their state from scratch on every restart. This change means that even if a node manages gigabytes of SQLite data, it can come back online almost instantly, with startup time no longer proportional to dataset size.
In this post, I’ll explore why this change matters, how it was implemented on top of the existing Raft system and SQLite WAL, and what it says about rqlite’s evolution.
Continue reading “Balancing SQLite’s WAL, SYNCHRONOUS=OFF, and fsync for fast rqlite recovery”