.SQLITE file signature
A SQLITE database file begins with the bytes 53 51 4C 69 74 65 20 66 6F 72 6D 61 74 20 33 00 (SQLite format 3\0 in ASCII) at the start of the file. The signature is the same whatever the file is named, which is why a renamed or extensionless SQLITE file is still recognisable.
Signature
| Offset | Hex | ASCII |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 53 51 4C 69 74 65 20 66 6F 72 6D 61 74 20 33 00 | SQLite format 3\0 |
MIME type: application/vnd.sqlite3 · usual extensions: .sqlite, .db
How to check a file's signature
Without installing anything: drop the file on our detector. It reads the bytes in your browser and shows the hex dump alongside the verdict; nothing is uploaded.
macOS and Linux (Terminal):
xxd -l 32 file.sqlite
file file.sqliteWindows (PowerShell):
Format-Hex -Path file.sqlite -Count 32If the bytes do not match
A file named .sqlite whose first bytes are something else is not a SQLITE file. The common explanations are a wrong or deliberately misleading extension, a download that saved an HTML error page instead of the file, or a container such as ZIP wrapping the real content. The detector reports what the bytes say; the SQLITE guide explains what a genuine file should contain.