go-lightning

A lightweight, high-performance database library for Go that prioritizes simplicity and speed.

Why go-lightning?

Easy to Use

Simple API with minimal learning curve. Define a struct, register it, and start querying. No complex configurations or setup required.

Cached Queries

INSERT and UPDATE statements are pre-computed at registration time. Zero runtime overhead for query generation—everything is ready when you need it.

SQL-First

Write your own SQL queries. No magic query builders or DSLs to learn. Full control over your database operations with raw SQL.

Insert/Update Out of the Box

Auto-generated INSERT and UPDATE statements from your struct definition. No boilerplate code for basic CRUD operations.

Lightweight

Minimal dependencies, small footprint. Only imports database/sql and github.com/google/uuid. No heavy ORM frameworks.

No Code Generation

Unlike sqlc or ent, there's no build step required. No generated files to maintain. Just import and use.

No Relationship Mapping

Explicit over implicit. No hidden JOINs or lazy loading. You control exactly what queries run against your database.

Parse to Any Struct

Project any query result to any DTO. Not limited to your registered models—query complex JOINs and map to custom structs.

Quick Example

package main
 
import (
    "database/sql"
    "github.com/tracewayapp/go-lightning/lit"
    _ "github.com/lib/pq"
)
 
// Define your model
type User struct {
    Id        int
    FirstName string
    LastName  string
    Email     string
}
 
func main() {
    // Register the model (happens once at startup)
    lit.RegisterModel[User](lit.PostgreSQL)
 
    // Connect to database
    db, _ := sql.Open("postgres", "postgres://localhost/mydb?sslmode=disable")
 
    // Create
    user := User{FirstName: "John", LastName: "Doe", Email: "john@example.com"}
    id, _ := lit.Insert(db, &user)
 
    // Read
    users, _ := lit.Select[User](db, "SELECT id, first_name, last_name, email FROM users")
 
    // Read single
    user, _ := lit.SelectSingle[User](db, "SELECT id, first_name, last_name, email FROM users WHERE id = $1", id)
 
    // Update
    user.FirstName = "Jane"
    lit.Update(db, &user, "id = $1", user.Id)
 
    // Delete
    lit.Delete(db, "DELETE FROM users WHERE id = $1", id)
}

Get Started

Ready to use go-lightning? Follow the installation guide or jump straight to the quick start.

Installation