I’m currently building my first Tauri app and needed a persistent data storage solution. After some research, I came across the SQL Plugin on the Tauri website. However, I have zero experience with Rust, and let's just say I spent a few hours banging my head against the wall trying to make it work! 😅
To save you time (and maybe some frustration), here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get SQLite working with Tauri 2.0 and a React frontend. 😉
.
Step 1: Create a Tauri App
Start by creating a new Tauri project using the npm initializer.
npm create tauri-app@latest
Select the following options:
Framework: React
Language: Typescript
Once the project is created, navigate into the project folder and install the initial dependencies:
cd my-tauri-app
npm install
Step 2: Install the Tauri SQL Plugin
We will use the Tauri SQL Plugin for managing SQLite connections and executions.
- To add the SQL plugin to your project, run:
npm run tauri add sql
Navigate to the src-tauri directory and add the tauri-plugin-sql crate with the sqlite feature enabled:
cd src-tauri
cargo add tauri-plugin-sql --features sqlite
Step 3: Configure Permissions
To allow SQL operations in Tauri, we need to update the permissions in src-tauri/capabilities/default.json.
- Open
src-tauri/capabilities/default.jsonand add the following permissions:
{
"$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
"identifier": "default",
"description": "Capability for the main window",
"windows": ["main"],
"permissions": [
"core:default",
"shell:allow-open",
"sql:default",
"sql:allow-load",
"sql:allow-execute",
"sql:allow-select",
"sql:allow-close"
]
}
This ensures the application is allowed to connect with SQLite and perform necessary CRUD operations.
Step 4: Define Database Migrations
Now that the plugin is set up, let's define the migrations to initialize the SQLite database with a table for users.
- Open
src-tauri/src/lib.rs. - Add the following code to define a basic migration for a
userstable:
use tauri_plugin_sql::{Migration, MigrationKind};
#[tauri::command]
fn greet(name: &str) -> String {
format!("Hello, {}! You've been greeted from Rust!", name)
}
#[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)]
pub fn run() {
let migrations = vec![
Migration {
version: 1,
description: "create users table",
sql: "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
email TEXT
)",
kind: MigrationKind::Up,
}
];
tauri::Builder::default()
.plugin(
tauri_plugin_sql::Builder::default()
.add_migrations("sqlite:test.db", migrations)
.build()
)
.plugin(tauri_plugin_shell::init())
.invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![greet])
.run(tauri::generate_context!())
.expect("error while running Tauri application");
}
Here, we define a migration that creates a users table with columns for id, name, and email.
Note: The migration ensures the table is created only if it doesn't already exist, using the
IF NOT EXISTSclause.
Step 5: React Integration
Let's now create the React frontend to interact with the SQLite database.
- Open
src/App.tsxand replace its content with the following code:
import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import Database from "@tauri-apps/plugin-sql";
import "./App.css";
type User = {
id: number;
name: string;
email: string;
};
function App() {
const [isLoadingUsers, setIsLoadingUsers] = useState(true);
const [users, setUsers] = useState<User[]>([]);
const [name, setName] = useState<string>("");
const [email, setEmail] = useState<string>("");
const [error, setError] = useState<string>("");
async function getUsers() {
try {
const db = await Database.load("sqlite:test.db");
const dbUsers = await db.select<User[]>("SELECT * FROM users");
setError("");
setUsers(dbUsers);
setIsLoadingUsers(false);
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
setError("Failed to get users - check console");
}
}
async function setUser(user: Omit<User, "id">) {
try {
setIsLoadingUsers(true);
const db = await Database.load("sqlite:test.db");
await db.execute("INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES ($1, $2)", [
user.name,
user.email,
]);
getUsers().then(() => setIsLoadingUsers(false));
} catch (error) {
console.log(error);
setError("Failed to insert user - check console");
}
}
useEffect(() => {
getUsers();
}, []);
return (
<main className="container">
<h1>Welcome to Tauri + SQLite</h1>
{isLoadingUsers ? (
<div>Loading users...</div>
) : (
<div style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", gap: "0.5rem" }}>
<form
className="row"
onSubmit={(e) => {
e.preventDefault();
setUser({ name, email });
getUsers();
}}
>
<input
id="name-input"
onChange={(e) => setName(e.currentTarget.value)}
placeholder="Enter a name..."
/>
<input
type="email"
id="email-input"
onChange={(e) => setEmail(e.currentTarget.value)}
placeholder="Enter an email..."
/>
<button type="submit">Add User</button>
</form>
<div style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", gap: "2rem" }}>
<h1>Users</h1>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>ID</th>
<th>Name</th>
<th>Email</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
{users.map((user) => (
<tr key={user.id}>
<td>{user.id}</td>
<td>{user.name}</td>
<td>{user.email}</td>
</tr>
))}
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
)}
{error && <p>{error}</p>}
</main>
);
}
export default App;
What This Does:
- This is a very quick and dirty test page, so please change it to suit your needs 😉
- It displays a list of users from the
userstable in SQLite. - You can add new users to the database through the form.
- The React app communicates with SQLite using the Tauri SQL plugin.
Step 6: Build and Run
Now you are ready to build and run the complete Tauri application.
- Run the development server:
npm run tauri dev
- If you've configured everything correctly, the Tauri window will open, connecting to the SQLite database and rendering the user interface.
Note: The SQL connection will not work with
npm run dev, because it will use the invoke function from Tauri, which is only available in the Tauri window.
🎉 Conclusion
You've successfully set up Tauri 2.0 with SQLite and a React frontend!
- We installed the Tauri SQL Plugin, created basic SQLite migrations for a
userstable, and integrated it with React to view and add users.
Feel free to fork this setup and make it your own for more complex applications. Happy coding! 🚀
Be sure to check out more Tauri Documentation if you want to dive deeper into its capabilities and explore other plugins.
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