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This SDK is currently in an alpha release.The SDK is largely built on our stable Web SDK, so that functionality can be considered stable. However, the Capacitor Community SQLite integration for mobile platforms is in alpha for real-world testing and feedback. There are known limitations currently.
Built on the Web SDKThe PowerSync Capacitor SDK is built on top of the PowerSync Web SDK. It shares the same API and usage patterns as the Web SDK. The main differences are:
  • Uses Capacitor-specific SQLite implementation (@capacitor-community/sqlite) for native Android and iOS platforms
  • Certain features are not supported on native Android and iOS platforms, see limitations below for details
All code examples from the Web SDK apply to Capacitor — use @powersync/web for imports instead of @powersync/capacitor. See the JavaScript Web SDK reference for ORM support, SPA framework integration, and developer notes.

SDK Features

  • Real-time streaming of database changes: Changes made by one user are instantly streamed to all other users with access to that data. This keeps clients automatically in sync without manual polling or refresh logic.
  • Direct access to a local SQLite database: Data is stored locally, so apps can read and write instantly without network calls. This enables offline support and faster user interactions.
  • Asynchronous background execution: The SDK performs database operations in the background to avoid blocking the application’s main thread. This means that apps stay responsive, even during heavy data activity.
  • Query subscriptions for live updates: The SDK supports query subscriptions that automatically push real-time updates to client applications as data changes, keeping your UI reactive and up to date.
  • Automatic schema management: PowerSync syncs schemaless data and applies a client-defined schema using SQLite views. This architecture means that PowerSync SDKs can handle schema changes gracefully without requiring explicit migrations on the client-side.

Installation

Install Package

Add the PowerSync Capacitor NPM package to your project:
  • npm
  • yarn
  • pnpm
npm install @powersync/capacitor
This package uses @powersync/web as a peer dependency. For additional @powersync/web configuration and instructions see the Web SDK README.

Install Peer Dependencies

You must also install the following peer dependencies:
  • npm
  • yarn
  • pnpm
npm install @capacitor-community/sqlite @powersync/web @journeyapps/wa-sqlite
See the Capacitor Community SQLite repository for additional instructions.

Sync Capacitor Plugins

After installing, sync your Capacitor project:
npx cap sync

Getting Started

Before implementing the PowerSync SDK in your project, make sure you have completed these steps:

1. Define the Schema

The first step is defining the schema for the local SQLite database. This schema represents a “view” of the downloaded data. No migrations are required — the schema is applied directly when the local PowerSync database is constructed (as we’ll show in the next step).
Generate schema automaticallyIn the dashboard, the schema can be generated based off your sync rules by right-clicking on an instance and selecting Generate client-side schema.Similar functionality exists in the CLI.
The types available are text, integer and real. These should map directly to the values produced by the Sync Rules. If a value doesn’t match, it is cast automatically. For details on how Postgres types are mapped to the types below, see the section on Types in the Sync Rules documentation. Example:
Note on imports: While you install @powersync/capacitor, the Capacitor SDK extends the Web SDK so you import general components from @powersync/web (installed as a peer dependency). See the JavaScript Web SDK schema definition section for more advanced examples.
// AppSchema.ts
import { column, Schema, Table } from '@powersync/web';

const lists = new Table({
  created_at: column.text,
  name: column.text,
  owner_id: column.text
});

const todos = new Table(
  {
    list_id: column.text,
    created_at: column.text,
    completed_at: column.text,
    description: column.text,
    created_by: column.text,
    completed_by: column.text,
    completed: column.integer
  },
  { indexes: { list: ['list_id'] } }
);

export const AppSchema = new Schema({
  todos,
  lists
});

// For types
export type Database = (typeof AppSchema)['types'];
export type TodoRecord = Database['todos'];
// OR:
// export type Todo = RowType<typeof todos>;
export type ListRecord = Database['lists'];
Note: No need to declare a primary key id column, as PowerSync will automatically create this.

2. Instantiate the PowerSync Database

Next, you need to instantiate the PowerSync database — this is the core managed database. Its primary functions are to record all changes in the local database, whether online or offline. In addition, it automatically uploads changes to your app backend when connected. Example:
The Capacitor PowerSyncDatabase automatically detects the platform and uses the appropriate database drivers:
import { PowerSyncDatabase } from '@powersync/capacitor';

// Import general components from the Web SDK package
import { Schema } from '@powersync/web';
import { Connector } from './Connector';
import { AppSchema } from './AppSchema';

/**
 * The Capacitor PowerSyncDatabase will automatically detect the platform
 * and use the appropriate database drivers.
 */
export const db = new PowerSyncDatabase({
  // The schema you defined in the previous step
  schema: AppSchema,
  database: {
    // Filename for the SQLite database — it's important to only instantiate one instance per file.
    dbFilename: 'powersync.db'
  }
});
When using custom database factories, be sure to specify the CapacitorSQLiteOpenFactory for Capacitor platforms:
import { PowerSyncDatabase } from '@powersync/capacitor';
import { WASQLiteOpenFactory, CapacitorSQLiteOpenFactory } from '@powersync/capacitor';
import { Schema } from '@powersync/web';

const db = new PowerSyncDatabase({
  schema: AppSchema,
  database: isWeb 
    ? new WASQLiteOpenFactory({ dbFilename: "mydb.sqlite" })
    : new CapacitorSQLiteOpenFactory({ dbFilename: "mydb.sqlite" })
});
Once you’ve instantiated your PowerSync database, you will need to call the connect() method to activate it.
export const setupPowerSync = async () => {
  // Uses the backend connector that will be created in the next section
  const connector = new Connector();
  db.connect(connector);
};

3. Integrate with your Backend

The PowerSync backend connector provides the connection between your application backend and the PowerSync client-side managed SQLite database. It is used to:
  1. Retrieve an auth token to connect to the PowerSync instance.
  2. Apply local changes on your backend application server (and from there, to your backend database)
Accordingly, the connector must implement two methods:
  1. PowerSyncBackendConnector.fetchCredentials - This is called every couple of minutes and is used to obtain credentials for your app backend API. -> See Authentication Setup for instructions on how the credentials should be generated.
  2. PowerSyncBackendConnector.uploadData - Use this to upload client-side changes to your app backend. -> See Writing Client Changes for considerations on the app backend implementation.
Example:
See the JavaScript Web SDK backend integration section for connector examples with Supabase and Firebase authentication, and handling uploadData with batch operations.
import { UpdateType } from '@powersync/web';

export class Connector {
  async fetchCredentials() {
    // Implement fetchCredentials to obtain a JWT from your authentication service.
    // See https://docs.powersync.com/installation/authentication-setup
    // If you're using Supabase or Firebase, you can re-use the JWT from those clients, see
    // - https://docs.powersync.com/installation/authentication-setup/supabase-auth
    // - https://docs.powersync.com/installation/authentication-setup/firebase-auth
    return {
        endpoint: '[Your PowerSync instance URL or self-hosted endpoint]',
        // Use a development token (see Authentication Setup https://docs.powersync.com/installation/authentication-setup/development-tokens) to get up and running quickly
        token: 'An authentication token'
    };
  }

  async uploadData(database) {
    // Implement uploadData to send local changes to your backend service.
    // You can omit this method if you only want to sync data from the database to the client

    // See example implementation here: https://docs.powersync.com/client-sdk-references/javascript-web#3-integrate-with-your-backend
  }
}

Using PowerSync: CRUD functions

Once the PowerSync instance is configured you can start using the SQLite DB functions.
All CRUD examples from the JavaScript Web SDK apply: The Capacitor SDK uses the same API as the Web SDK. See the JavaScript Web SDK CRUD functions section for examples of get, getAll, watch, execute, writeTransaction, incremental watch updates, and differential results.
The most commonly used CRUD functions to interact with your SQLite data are:

Fetching a Single Item

The get method executes a read-only (SELECT) query and returns a single result. It throws an exception if no result is found. Use getOptional to return a single optional result (returns null if no result is found).
// Find a list item by ID
export const findList = async (id) => {
  const result = await db.get('SELECT * FROM lists WHERE id = ?', [id]);
  return result;
}

Querying Items (PowerSync.getAll)

The getAll method returns a set of rows from a table.
// Get all list IDs
export const getLists = async () => {
  const results = await db.getAll('SELECT * FROM lists');
  return results;
}

Watching Queries (PowerSync.watch)

The watch method executes a read query whenever a change to a dependent table is made.
  • AsyncIterator approach
  • Callback approach
async function* pendingLists(): AsyncIterable<string[]> {
  for await (const result of db.watch(
    `SELECT * FROM lists WHERE state = ?`,
    ['pending']
  )) {
    yield result.rows?._array ?? [];
  }
} 
For advanced watch query features like incremental updates and differential results, see Live Queries / Watch Queries.

Mutations (PowerSync.execute, PowerSync.writeTransaction)

The execute method can be used for executing single SQLite write statements.
// Delete a list item by ID
export const deleteList = async (id) => {
  const result = await db.execute('DELETE FROM lists WHERE id = ?', [id]);
  return TodoList.fromRow(results);
}

// OR: using a transaction
const deleteList = async (id) => {
  await db.writeTransaction(async (tx) => {
    // Delete associated todos
    await tx.execute(`DELETE FROM ${TODOS_TABLE} WHERE list_id = ?`, [id]);
    // Delete list record
    await tx.execute(`DELETE FROM ${LISTS_TABLE} WHERE id = ?`, [id]);
  });
};

Configure Logging

import { createBaseLogger, LogLevel } from '@powersync/web';

const logger = createBaseLogger();

// Configure the logger to use the default console output
logger.useDefaults();

// Set the minimum log level to DEBUG to see all log messages
// Available levels: DEBUG, INFO, WARN, ERROR, TRACE, OFF
logger.setLevel(LogLevel.DEBUG);
Enable verbose output in the developer tools for detailed logs.

Limitations

  • Encryption for native mobile platforms is not yet supported.
  • Multiple tab support is not available for native Android and iOS targets.
  • PowerSyncDatabase.executeRaw does not support results where multiple columns would have the same name in SQLite
  • PowerSyncDatabase.execute has limited support on Android. The SQLCipher Android driver exposes queries and executions as separate APIs, so there is no single method that handles both. While PowerSyncDatabase.execute accepts both, on Android we treat a statement as a query only when the SQL starts with select (case-insensitive).

Additional Resources

See the JavaScript Web SDK reference for:

Troubleshooting

See Troubleshooting for pointers to debug common issues.

Supported Platforms

See Supported Platforms -> Capacitor SDK.