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SQLite Maintenance: Safe Backups, VACUUM Reclaiming Space, WAL Checkpoints and Integrity Checks

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Self-Hosting & Infra intermediate 6 min read $0.01 Updated 2026-10-20

Executed on SQLite 3.37: a 2180 KB file not shrinking after deleting half the rows then dropping to 1092 KB after VACUUM, backup() producing an identical copy, journal_mode WAL creating -wal and -shm files, wal_checkpoint(truncate) emptying the WAL, and integrity_check returning ok.

Back up a live SQLite database with the backup API instead of copying files, reclaim space after deletes with VACUUM, understand the -wal and -shm files, truncate the WAL with a checkpoint and verify with integrity_check.

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#sqlite#backup#vacuum#wal#database

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