How do I open a .DB-WAL file?

Drop a .DB-WAL file onto Analyser at https://analyser.valjdakosta.com/ and it is identified directly in your browser - no upload, no account and no software to install. Open SQLite databases (.sqlite/.db/.sqlite3) and read their full schema in-browser - every table with its columns and row counts, views, indexes, triggers, the CREATE-statement DDL, and a sample of the largest table. Reads the WAL-mode sidecars too: the Write-Ahead Log (-wal) - page size, salts, frame and committed-transaction counts, and the pages it changed - and the shared-memory index (-shm) - valid frame count, database size and checkpoint progress. (.sql dumps are listed under Developer / data.) Microsoft Access (MDB, ACCDB) now opens in a full table viewer - see Access database above. Concordance .dcb databases from the LexisNexis litigation review suite are identified from their bytes, and told apart from the other formats that reuse the same extension (compiled game data, speech-recognition dictionaries).

Can I open a .DB-WAL file online for free?

Yes. Analyser is a free online .DB-WAL identifier that runs entirely in your browser - your .DB-WAL file never leaves your device, so there is nothing to upload and no software to install. It even works offline once installed.

.DB-WAL file - what it is and how to identify it online

Analyse a .DB-WAL file

Home › Formats › .DB-WALID

What is a .DB-WAL file?

A .db-wal file is the write-ahead log for a SQLite database stored as .db, holding committed changes that are waiting to be checkpointed into the main file. Same format as .sqlite-wal.

Did you know: The log is named after its database with a "-wal" suffix, so closing the database cleanly lets SQLite checkpoint and then remove it.
A .db-wal beside a .db is the clearest sign the database uses WAL journalling rather than the classic rollback journal.
Everything committed but not yet checkpointed lives in this log, so it is part of the database real state, not a disposable temp file.
Copying a .db without its -wal sidecar can drop the most recent changes, which is why backups should checkpoint first or copy both files together.
What Analyser reads: Open SQLite databases (.sqlite/.db/.sqlite3) and read their full schema in-browser - every table with its columns and row counts, views, indexes, triggers, the CREATE-statement DDL, and a sample of the largest table. Reads the WAL-mode sidecars too: the Write-Ahead Log (-wal) - page size, salts, frame and committed-transaction counts, and the pages it changed - and the shared-memory index (-shm) - valid frame count, database size and checkpoint progress. (.sql dumps are listed under Developer / data.) Microsoft Access (MDB, ACCDB) now opens in a full table viewer - see Access database above. Concordance .dcb databases from the LexisNexis litigation review suite are identified from their bytes, and told apart from the other formats that reuse the same extension (compiled game data, speech-recognition dictionaries).
Depth of analysis: .DB-WAL is an identification-grade format: Analyser recognises it from its bytes and decodes the header metadata it carries, rather than opening it in a full viewer. Formats that do get a full viewer are marked "Full" on the formats page.
Open a .DB-WAL file: Drag a .DB-WAL file onto the Analyser home page (or tap to pick one). It is identified entirely in your browser - nothing is uploaded, there is no account, and it works offline once installed.
Related formats: .SQLite · .SQLite3 · .DB · .DB3 · .SQLite-WAL · .SQLite-SHM · .DB-SHM · .DB3-WAL · .DB3-SHM · .SQLite3-WAL · .SQLite3-SHM · .DCB. See all supported file types.