DoltLite: A SQLite fork with Git-style version control, built with 2k agent PRs(www.dolthub.com)
37 pointsby lbw12157 hours ago8 comments
  • WatchDog3 hours ago
    So the main feature of this project is that it's easy to fork a database, however it's 1.2x to 4x slower than sqlite, and it's level of testing and validation will be nothing like sqlite.

    The simple way to fork a sqlite db is just to copy it, but if that is too slow you could use it with a copy on write filesystem, either something native, a FUSE filesystem, or build a sqlite VFS.

    That would probably be faster to build, faster to run, and easier to validate.

    • ncrucesan hour ago
      It's easy to do a VFS that handles instant forking (snapshots).

      Here's an in-memory one I made (pretty useful for unit tests): https://github.com/ncruces/go-sqlite3/tree/main/vfs/mvcc

      The problem DoltLite solves is merging, not forking.

    • IanCal2 hours ago
      > however it's 1.2x to 4x slower than sqlite

      No? Where are you getting those figures? It feels like you may have pulled that from the 125 and 400 us numbers?

      > The simple way to fork a sqlite db is just to copy it, but if that is too slow you could use it with a copy on write filesystem, either something native, a FUSE filesystem, or build a sqlite VFS.

      That wouldn’t really solve what dolt does though.

      > and it's level of testing and validation will be nothing like sqlite.

      They’re using the other dolt tests as well as the SQLite tests. Nothing will hit the level of real world testing SQLite does.

  • vrighter3 hours ago
    Why would I trust my data to a vibe coded database, over a battle tested, tested to hell and back one?
    • throw234259an hour ago
      Look at dev process (i did), this think is "tested to hell" and "battle tested".

      But the feedback loop was automated and accelerated. Instead of 1000 loops spread over 20 years, it had 1000 loops over a few months.

      Calling it "vibe coded" just shows something about you, not the project. It is not production ready yet, but that is not for fast ai dev or for technical reasons. It needs independent reviews, independent verification, and reputation.

      • grebc44 minutes ago
        Battle tested means deployed in production.

        So when you say battle tested earlier, and then not production ready later - which one is it?

        • throw2342595 minutes ago
          Battle tested in a sense of testing edge cases.
    • dekelpilli2 hours ago
      Dolt has been around for 7 years[0]. Doltlite, like most software nowadays, has been touched by LLMs, but dismissing this project as "vibe coded" seems harsh

      [0] - https://www.dolthub.com/blog/2019-10-14-dolt-a-simple-exampl...

      • asaddhamanian hour ago
        It is vibe coded.

        But worse.

        > Gas Town is for “write-only code”, … If you adopt Gas Town, you will lose the speed benefit of multiple agents if you read the code it produces. The first time you stare at an 8,500 line Git diff and try and parse what happened, you’ve lost. Go back to a single Claude Code session. Gas Town isn’t for you.

        So none of the code has even been read by the author, it’s purposely overly verbose. “Touched by LLMs” seems to downplay just how vibe coded this is. I won’t use this database for anything.

      • Skinney2 hours ago
        > Doltlite, like most software nowadays, has been touched by LLMs, but dismissing this project as "vibe coded" seems harsh

        From the article, at the end of the second paragraph:

        > Could a team of agents pull it off? It only took about 2,000 pull requests but DoltLite going Beta proves a team of agents certainly could.

        The first PR was merged March 17th.

        "vibe coded" seems pretty fitting

        • solarkraft4 minutes ago
          If going through a strongly designed process with quality gates is vibe coding, I guess so. I thought the term was reserved fir “claude, make this happen” style development and the term for the more professional approach was “agentic development”, though this seems to be another layer higher.

          Grouping it all under “vibe coded” loses precision. Sure, it uses AI, but differently from other projects and with different implications.

  • vonnieda2 hours ago
    Psyched to see this! I've been working on my own similar thing that sucks and I don't want to - I want to write a local first music app that syncs across all my devices. This might get me there!
  • SipitenoMK3 hours ago
    Would be good, but why not to vibe code this database myself if I had a problem with my current database?
    • solarkraft9 minutes ago
      You’d have to do the relevant R&D and maintain the product.
      • Sharlin6 minutes ago
        "But Claude does that for me"
  • anon2914 hours ago
    I let agents do their things but I would not trust them with my data without extensive validation. A database efforts main product is not exotic data structures but validation.
    • Joel_Mckay4 hours ago
      One of the reasons SQLite was mostly stable over the years was it sand-boxed its closed developer environment, and clearly defined the project scope. While controversial, they did not have to deal with common accountability issues associated with screening anonymous malicious and or incompetent clown PR. =3

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Upf_B9RLQ

  • grebc5 hours ago
    Did I read that correctly that there’s no WAL?
  • michelangelo2 hours ago
    Pre 2020 HN reading this would be stoked.
  • bawolff3 hours ago
    I don't understand why you would want this.
    • IanCal2 hours ago
      A version controlled db? Have a look at dolts main page then, it’s been around for some time - this is just adding an embedded version.
      • bawolffan hour ago
        I read it, and i think i understand even less than when i started.
        • grebc41 minutes ago
          They’re probably a VC backed product in search of a solution.