Start a temporary database that lives only for the session.
Section: Open and inspect databases
Open an in-memory database
bash
bash
sqlite3 :memory:Explanation
Useful for quick experiments, demos, and throwaway SQL tests.
Learn the surrounding workflow
Compare similar commands or jump into common fixes when this command is part of a bigger troubleshooting path.
Related commands
Same sheet · prioritizing Open and inspect databases
Open a database file
Start the sqlite3 shell with a file-backed database.
Show schema for one table
Print the CREATE statement for a specific object.
Show schema plus sqlite_stat tables
Include internal objects useful for advanced debugging.