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Alex Spinov
Alex Spinov

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Turso Has a Free API: SQLite at the Edge with Built-in Replication

#database #sqlite #serverless #webdev

What is Turso?

Turso is a distributed SQLite database built on libSQL (their open-source fork of SQLite). It runs your database at the edge — replicating data to 30+ locations worldwide — so reads are always fast, no matter where your users are.

Why Turso?

  • Free tier — 9GB storage, 500 databases, 25 billion row reads/month
  • Edge replicas — data replicated to 30+ global locations
  • Embedded replicas — sync database INTO your app for zero-latency reads
  • SQLite compatible — same SQL, same tools, same ecosystem
  • Multi-tenancy — 500 databases on free tier (one per customer)

Quick Start 

# Install Turso CLI
curl -sSfL https://get.tur.so/install.sh | bash

# Create database
turso db create my-app

# Get connection URL
turso db show my-app --url
# libsql://my-app-username.turso.io

# Get auth token
turso db tokens create my-app
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import { createClient } from '@libsql/client';

const db = createClient({
  url: 'libsql://my-app-username.turso.io',
  authToken: 'your-token'
});

// Create table
await db.execute(`
  CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    email TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
    name TEXT,
    created_at DATETIME DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
  )
`);

// Insert
await db.execute({
  sql: 'INSERT INTO users (email, name) VALUES (?, ?)',
  args: ['alex@example.com', 'Alex']
});

// Query
const result = await db.execute('SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = ?', ['alex@example.com']);
console.log(result.rows[0]);
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Embedded Replicas (Zero-Latency Reads) 

import { createClient } from '@libsql/client';

// Sync a local copy of the database INTO your app
const db = createClient({
  url: 'file:local-replica.db',  // Local SQLite file
  syncUrl: 'libsql://my-app-username.turso.io',  // Remote primary
  authToken: 'your-token',
  syncInterval: 60  // Sync every 60 seconds
});

// Reads are instant (local file)
const users = await db.execute('SELECT * FROM users');

// Writes go to primary, then sync back
await db.execute('INSERT INTO users (email) VALUES (?)', ['new@example.com']);
await db.sync();  // Or wait for auto-sync
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Multi-Tenant Architecture 

// Create a database per customer
const customerDb = createClient({
  url: `libsql://customer-${customerId}.turso.io`,
  authToken: getTokenForCustomer(customerId)
});

// Each customer has their own isolated database
// Turso free tier: 500 databases = 500 customers for free
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Use with Drizzle ORM 

import { drizzle } from 'drizzle-orm/libsql';
import { createClient } from '@libsql/client';

const client = createClient({ url: TURSO_URL, authToken: TURSO_TOKEN });
const db = drizzle(client);

const users = await db.select().from(usersTable).where(eq(usersTable.active, true));
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Turso vs Alternatives

Feature Turso Neon Supabase PlanetScale
Engine SQLite PostgreSQL PostgreSQL MySQL
Free DBs 500 1 2 Deprecated
Edge replicas 30+ locations Read replicas None None
Embedded replica Yes No No No
Storage free 9GB 0.5GB 500MB N/A
Multi-tenant Native Manual Manual Branching

Real-World Impact

A SaaS analytics tool needed per-customer databases with global access. Traditional approach: PostgreSQL per customer = $7/month/customer = unsustainable at scale. With Turso: SQLite per customer, embedded replicas in the edge function, reads under 1ms. Cost at 200 customers: $0 (free tier). Same setup in PostgreSQL would cost $1,400/month.

Building multi-tenant or edge applications? I help teams architect globally distributed data systems. Contact spinov001@gmail.com or explore my data tools on Apify.

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