How to upgrade sqlite3 in python 2.7.3 inside a virtualenv?

Question

There is a sqlite3 library that comes with python 2.7.3, but it is hardly the latest version.

I would like to upgrade it within a virtualenv environment. In other words, the upgrade only applies to the version of python installed within this virtualenv.

What is the correct way to do so?

Answer 1

The below works for me, but please comment if there is any room for improvement:

1. Activate the virtualenv to which you are going to install the latest sqlite3

2. Get the latest source of pysqlite package from google code: wget http://pysqlite.googlecode.com/files/pysqlite-2.6.3.tar.gz

3. Compile pysqlite from source and together with the latest sqlite database: python setup.py build_static

4. Install it to the site-packages directory of the virtualenv: python setup.py install

5. The above will actually install the pysqlite into path-to-virtualenv/lib/python2.7/site-packages, which is where all other pip-installed libraries are.

Now, I have the latest version of sqlite (compiled into pysqlite) installed within a virtualenv, so I can do: from pysqlite2 import dbapi2 as sqlite

Answer 2

I checked setting something like this, works:

export export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$HOME/<your-sqlite-install-dir>/sqlite3/lib

I’ve added it next to the line export PATH in the activate file:

PATH="$VIRTUAL_ENV/bin:$PATH"
export PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$HOME/…/sqlite3/lib  # <- Here

One can check it in either one of two ways.

From Python in the virtualenv, first do:

>>> import _sqlite3
>>> _sqlite3.__file__
'/usr/lib/…/_sqlite3.cpython-35m-i386-linux-gnu.so'

Then exit Python and run ldd on the string returned:

$ ldd /usr/lib/…/_sqlite3.cpython-35m-i386-linux-gnu.so
> …
> libsqlite3.so.0 => /home/…/sqlite3/lib/libsqlite3.so.0
> …

Or alternatively, again in Python from the virtualenv:

>>> import sqlite3
>>> sqlite3.sqlite_version
'3.21.0'  # Was 3.11.8 before