SQLite has a fair number of compile-time options and build directives. Many of these are used to change default values, behaviors, or limits, while others are used to enable optional modules or disable existing features. One of the main reasons you may find yourself recompiling SQLite is to alter the compiler directives.

All of these directives are standard C #define flags. You can often define them in your IDE’s build environment, as environment variables (if you’re compiling from a command-line) or by passing one or more flags to your compiler.

The defaults are reasonable for most modern desktop systems. If you’re developing for a mobile system, you may want to pick and choose your configuration more carefully. Some of the advanced extensions can add a considerable amount of bulk to the SQLite library, as well as demand additional resources at runtime. While these changes may not be significant to a desktop system, they may cause problems in more restricted environments.