PowerSync SDK on crates.io
The SDK is distributed via crates.io
Source Code
Refer to the
powersync-native repo on GitHubAPI Reference
Full API reference for the SDK
Example Projects
Gallery of example projects/demo apps built with Flutter and PowerSync
Changelog
Changelog for the SDK
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
Add the PowerSync SDK to your project by adding the following to yourCargo.toml file:
Getting Started
Prerequisites: To sync data between your client-side app and your backend source database, you must have completed the necessary setup for PowerSync, which includes connecting your source database to the PowerSync Service and deploying Sync Rules (steps 1-4 in the Setup Guide).1. Define the Client-Side Schema
The first step is to define the client-side schema, which refers to the schema for the managed SQLite database exposed by the PowerSync Client SDKs, that your app can read from and write to. The client-side schema is typically mainly derived from your backend source database schema and Sync Rules, but can also include other tables such as local-only tables. Note that schema migrations are not required on the SQLite database due to the schemaless nature of the PowerSync protocol: schemaless data is synced to the client-side SQLite database, and the client-side schema is then applied to that data using SQLite views to allow for structured querying of the data. The schema is applied when the local PowerSync database is constructed (as we’ll show in the next step). The types available aretext, 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 backend source database types are mapped to the SQLite types, see Types.
Example:
src/schema.rs
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. PowerSync streams changes from your backend source database into the client-side SQLite database, based on your Sync Rules. In your client-side app, you can read from and write to the local SQLite database, whether the user is online or offline.Process setup
PowerSync is based on SQLite, and statically links a SQLite extension that needs to be enabled for the process before the SDK can be used. The SDK offers a utility to register the extension, and we recommend calling it early inmain():
lib/main.rs
Database setup
For maximum flexibility, the PowerSync Rust SDK can be configured with different asynchronous runtimes and HTTP clients used to connect to the PowerSync service. These dependencies can be configured through thePowerSyncEnvironment
struct, which wraps:
- An HTTP client (using traits from the
http-clientcrate). We recommend enabling thecurl_clientfeature on that crate and then using anIsahcClient. TheH1Clientis known not to work with PowerSync because it can’t cancel response streams properly. - An asynchronous pool giving out leases to SQLite connections.
- A timer implementation allowing the sync client to implement delayed retries on connection errors. This is typically provided by async runtimes like Tokio.
- Default setup
- In-memory connection
Use
ConnectionPool::open to open a database file with multiple connections configured with WAL mode:PowerSyncDatabase::async_tasks(),
these tasks must be spawned before connecting.
- Tokio
- smol
- Other
Ensure you depend on
powersync with the tokio feature enabled.3. Integrate with your Backend
Create a connector to integrate with your backend. The PowerSync backend connector provides the connection between your application backend and the PowerSync managed database. It is used to:- Retrieve an auth token to connect to the PowerSync instance.
- Upload client-side writes to your backend API. Any writes that are made to the SQLite database are placed into an upload queue by the PowerSync Client SDK and automatically uploaded to your app backend (where you apply those changes to the backend source database) when the user is connected.
fetch_credentials- This method will be automatically invoked by the PowerSync Client SDK every couple of minutes to obtain authentication credentials. See Authentication Setup for instructions on how the credentials should be generated.upload_data- This method will be automatically invoked by the PowerSync Client SDK whenever it needs to upload client-side writes to your app backend via your backend API. Therefore, in your implementation, you need to define how your backend API is called. See Writing Client Changes for considerations on the app backend implementation.
Using PowerSync: CRUD functions
Once the PowerSync instance is configured you can start using the SQLite DB functions. The most commonly used CRUD functions to interact with your SQLite data are:- reader - run statements reading from the database.
- wroter - execute a read query every time source tables are modified.
- writer - write to the database.
Reads
To obtain a connection suitable for reads, call and awaitPowerSyncDatabase::reader().
The returned connection leased can be used as a rusqlite::Connection to run queries.
Watching Queries
Thewatch_statement method executes a read query whenever a change to a dependent table is made.
Mutations
Local writes on tables are automatically captured with triggers. To obtain a connection suitable for writes, use thePowerSyncDatabase::writer method:
The execute method executes a write query (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) and returns the results (if any).
transaction
method from rusqlite on writer.
Configure Logging
The Rust SDK uses thelog crate internally, so you can configure it with any backend, e.g. with
env_logger:
Additional Usage Examples
For more usage examples including accessing connection status, monitoring sync progress, and waiting for initial sync, see the Usage Examples page.ORM / SQL Library Support
The Rust SDK does not currently support any higher-level SQL libraries, but we’re investigating support for Diesel and sqlx. Please reach out to us if you’re interested in these or other integrations.Troubleshooting
See Troubleshooting for pointers to debug common issues.Supported Platforms
See Supported Platforms -> Rust SDK.Upgrading the SDK
To update the PowerSync SDK, runcargo update powersync or manually update to the
latest version.