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PowerSync SDK on pub.dev

The SDK is distributed via pub.dev

Source Code

Refer to the powersync.dart repo on GitHub

API Reference

Full API reference for the SDK

Example Projects

Gallery of example projects/demo apps built with Flutter and PowerSync

Changelog

Changelog for the SDK

Quickstart

To start from a template, use the self-hosted Flutter and Supabase template: flutter-powersync-supabase.

SDK Features

  • Real-time streaming of database changes: Changes made by one user are instantly streamed to all other users with access to that data. This keeps clients automatically in sync without manual polling or refresh logic.
  • Direct access to a local SQLite database: Data is stored locally, so apps can read and write instantly without network calls. This enables offline support and faster user interactions.
  • Asynchronous background execution: The SDK performs database operations in the background to avoid blocking the application’s main thread. This means that apps stay responsive, even during heavy data activity.
  • Query subscriptions for live updates: The SDK supports query subscriptions that automatically push real-time updates to client applications as data changes, keeping your UI reactive and up to date.
  • Automatic schema management: PowerSync syncs schemaless data and applies a client-defined schema using SQLite views. This architecture means that PowerSync SDKs handle schema changes without explicit migrations on the client side.
Web support is currently in a beta release. Refer to Flutter Web Support for more details.

Installation

Add the PowerSync pub.dev package to your project:

Getting Started

Prerequisites: Before you start, connect your source database to the PowerSync Service and deploy Sync Streams. These are steps 1-4 in the Setup Guide.
This reference assumes a Flutter project with the following directory structure:

1. Define the Client-Side Schema

The client-side schema defines the tables and columns of the SQLite database that the PowerSync client SDK manages and that your app reads from and writes to. It is usually derived from your backend database schema and your Sync Streams, and it can also include local-only tables. You apply the schema when you instantiate the database in the next step. Schema migrations are not required. The SDK syncs schemaless data and applies the schema to that data with SQLite views. The exception is raw tables, which you create and migrate yourself.
Generate schema automaticallyIn the PowerSync Dashboard, select your project and instance and click the Connect button in the top bar to generate the client-side schema in your preferred language. The schema is generated from your Sync Streams. The CLI offers the same function.The generated schema does not include an id column. The client SDK creates an id column of type text automatically, so you do not need to declare it. See Client ID for details.
The available column types are text, integer, and real. These should match the values produced by your Sync Streams. If a value does not match, it is cast automatically. For details on how source database types map to SQLite types, see Types. Example:
lib/models/schema.dart
You do not need to declare an id column. PowerSync creates it automatically.

2. Instantiate the PowerSync Database

Next, instantiate the PowerSync database. PowerSync streams changes from your backend source database into the client-side SQLite database, based on your Sync Streams. Your app reads from and writes to this local database whether the user is online or offline. To instantiate PowerSyncDatabase, pass the schema you defined in the previous step and a file path. Create only one PowerSyncDatabase instance per file. Example:
lib/powersync/powersync.dart
After you instantiate the PowerSync database, call the connect() method to sync data with your backend. This method requires the backend connector that you create in the next step.
This section assumes that you use PowerSync to sync your backend source database with SQLite in your app. To manage a local SQLite database without sync, instantiate the PowerSync database without calling connect() and see the Local-Only guide.
lib/main.dart

3. Integrate with Your Backend

The backend connector connects the PowerSync client SDK to your application backend. The SDK uses it to:
  1. Get an auth token to connect to the PowerSync instance.
  2. Upload client-side writes to your backend API. The SDK places every write to the SQLite database in an upload queue and uploads the queue to your backend when the user is connected. Your backend then applies the changes to the source database.
The connector must implement two methods:
  1. PowerSyncBackendConnector.fetchCredentials - The SDK calls this method to get authentication credentials. It caches the credentials and calls the method again only when needed, for example on the first connection or when the token is near expiry. See When fetchCredentials() is Called for details and Authentication Setup for how to generate credentials.
  2. PowerSyncBackendConnector.uploadData - The SDK calls this method whenever it has client-side writes to upload to your backend API. Implement how those writes are processed and uploaded. See When uploadData() is Called for triggers, throttling, and retry behavior, and Writing Client Changes for the app backend implementation.
Example:
lib/powersync/my_backend_connector.dart

4. Subscribe to Sync Streams

Streams defined with auto_subscribe: true start syncing as soon as the client connects. For all other streams, your app must subscribe before their data downloads. The basic pattern is: subscribe to a stream, wait for its data to sync, then unsubscribe when the data is no longer needed.
After you unsubscribe, the synced data stays in the local database for the stream’s time-to-live (TTL), which is 24 hours by default. If the app subscribes again within that time, the data is already available. See Client-Side Usage for framework hooks, per-subscription sync status, custom TTLs, priority overrides, and connection parameters.

Using PowerSync: CRUD Functions

Once the PowerSync database is connected and your streams have synced, the data is in the local SQLite database. The most commonly used CRUD functions to interact with your SQLite data are: The following examples use this TodoList model class:
lib/models/todolist.dart

Fetching a Single Item

The get method executes a read-only (SELECT) query and returns a single result. It throws an exception if no result is found. Use getOptional to return a single optional result (returns null if no result is found). The following example selects a list by ID:
lib/widgets/lists_widget.dart

Querying Items (PowerSync.getAll)

The getAll method returns a set of rows from a table.
lib/widgets/lists_widget.dart

Watching Queries (PowerSync.watch)

The watch method executes a read query whenever a change to a dependent table is made.

Mutations (PowerSync.execute)

The execute method can be used for executing single SQLite write statements.
lib/widgets/todos_widget.dart

Configure Logging

Logging is enabled by default and outputs logs from PowerSync to the console in debug mode. To disable this, or to configure logging in release-mode configurations, use the logger parameter on the PowerSyncDatabase constructor. PowerSync uses package:logging to emit logs. See that package for additional information.

Custom HTTP Clients and Headers

PowerSync uses a streaming HTTP response to connect to the PowerSync Service. The SDK uses the default Client() from the http package for that, which relies on HttpClient from dart:io on native platforms and fetch() on the web. You can also supply a custom HTTP client. This can be used to enable a faster HTTP implementation like cronet_http, or to add custom request headers that may be required if you run the PowerSync Service behind a reverse-proxy.
On the web, PowerSync uses a shared worker for the sync process. As Dart objects cannot be shared between tabs and workers, the worker uses a random tab as a proxy to send requests. This can slow down the sync process slightly.

Additional Usage Examples

For more usage examples including accessing connection status, monitoring sync progress, and waiting for initial sync, see the Usage Examples page.

ORM Support

See ORM Support for details.

Troubleshooting

Use the Dart & Flutter DevTools extension to inspect live databases, run SQL queries, and view sync status without leaving your IDE. Available from powersync v2.1.0 in debug builds. See Troubleshooting for pointers to debug common issues.

Supported Platforms

See Supported Platforms -> Dart SDK.

Upgrading the SDK

To upgrade the PowerSync package, run the following command in your project folder: