SQLite journal files: a question

Suppose the user of a Web app gets an exception in the middle of a Transaction, so the Transaction fails to Commit or Rollback. My experience shows that if this happens, a SQLite journal file will be left in that folder. Sounds right. Further suppose, after testing this locally, I have that file hosted by a CubeSQLServer installation. I’m pretty sure that automatically makes the SQLite file run in WAL Mode, in case that matters.

What happens when that file is hosted by CubeSQLServer and a similar event happens, leaving a journal file in its folder? I assume the main file will end up locked. No?

It will eventually time out (the default time can be set by you), allowing other writes to proceed.

Thanks, David. Can I assume two things:

  1. When the next write occurs (after the Timeout period), the journal file will disappear.

  2. Uncommitted writes that were in that journal file will not be committed.


You can set the Lock timeout with CubeSQL Admin.

Thanks, David. Yes, I noticed that setting after I read you prior post and left it to 800 ms. But I was wondering what happens to that journal file after 800 ms. I now see that changes in that journal file are not committed and the file is removed. At least that’s what I surmise by the Dealing with hot journals sub section of this section in the SQLite documentation:

https://www.sqlite.org/lockingv3.html