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PowerSync SDK for Node.js

PowerSync is a sync engine for building local-first apps with instantly-responsive UI/UX and simplified state transfer. Syncs between SQLite on the client-side and Postgres, MongoDB or MySQL on the server-side.

This package (packages/node) is the PowerSync SDK for Node.js clients. It is an extension of packages/common. Using this package is not necessary for PowerSync on servers, see our documentation for more details on that.

See a summary of features here.

Alpha Release​

The @powersync/node package is currently in an Alpha release.

Installation

Install Package​

npm install @powersync/node

Both @powersync/node and the better-sqlite3 packages have install scripts that need to run to compile or download sqlite3 and PowerSync binaries.

Common Installation Issues​

The better-sqlite package requires native compilation, which depends on certain system tools. This compilation process is handled by node-gyp and may fail if required dependencies are missing or misconfigured.

Node-gyp Version Conflicts​

better-sqlite depends on node-gyp@^11, but some project configurations may introduce multiple versions of node-gyp, potentially causing build issues.

Python Dependency Issues​

node-gyp requires Python for compilation. If your project uses node-gyp below version 10 and your system has Python 3.12 or later, you may encounter the following error:

ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'distutils'

To resolve this, either:

  • Upgrade node-gyp to version 10 or later.
  • Install Python setuptools, which includes distutils.

Getting Started

The Node.js SDK reference contains everything you need to know to get started implementing PowerSync in your project.

Examples

A simple example using @powersync/node is available in the demos/example-node/ directory.

Found a bug or need help?

  • Join our Discord server where you can browse topics from our community, ask questions, share feedback, or just say hello :)
  • Please open a GitHub issue when you come across a bug.
  • Have feedback or an idea? Submit an idea via our public roadmap or schedule a chat with someone from our product team.

Thanks

The PowerSync Node.js SDK relies on the work contributors and maintainers have put into the upstream better-sqlite3 package. In particular, we'd like to thank @spinda for contributing support for update, commit and rollback hooks!