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PowerSync SDK on Maven Central

The PowerSync Kotlin SDK is distributed via Maven Central

Source Code

Refer to the powersync-kotlin repo on GitHub

API Reference

Full API reference for the SDK

Example Projects

Gallery of example projects/demo apps built with Kotlin and PowerSync.

Changelog

Changelog for the SDK

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.

Installation

Add the PowerSync SDK to your project by adding the following to your build.gradle.kts file:
gradle/libs.versions.toml
build.gradle.kts
On Kotlin SDK v1.12.0 and later, the PowerSync SQLite core extension is statically linked into com.powersync:core for Apple targets (iOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS), consistent with Android and JVM. Use the Gradle dependencies above only. When you upgrade from an older SDK, remove any Swift package dependency on powersync-sqlite-core-swift and any powersync-sqlite-core CocoaPod from your Xcode or CocoaPods setup.
Supported platforms
  • PowerSync supports Android, JVM and Apple (iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS) targets through Kotlin Multiplatform.
  • On the JVM, the following platforms are supported: Linux AArch64, Linux X64, macOS AArch64, macOS X64, Windows X64.
  • Web (JS and WebAssembly) targets have experimental support. See Experimental Web Support.

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.

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:
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. Example: a. Create a platform-specific DatabaseDriverFactory to be used by the PowerSyncBuilder to create the SQLite database driver.
b. Build a PowerSyncDatabase instance using the PowerSyncBuilder and the DatabaseDriverFactory. The schema you created in a previous step is provided as a parameter:
c. Connect the PowerSyncDatabase to sync data with your backend:
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.
Special case: Compose Multiplatform The artifact com.powersync:powersync-compose provides a simpler API:

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:
If you use Supabase, you can use SupabaseConnector.kt as a starting point.

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:

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).

Querying Items (PowerSync.getAll)

The getAll method executes a read-only (SELECT) query and returns a set of rows.

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 executes a write query (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) and returns the results (if any).

Configure Logging

You can supply your own logger. It must conform to the Kermit Logger:
If you do not supply a logger, the SDK creates a default Kermit Logger. It shows Warn and above in release builds and Verbose in debug builds:
You can use the logger anywhere in your code:

Custom HTTP Clients and Headers

PowerSync uses streaming HTTP responses or WebSockets to connect to the PowerSync Service. The SDK uses ktor as a cross-platform HTTP client. com.powersync:core depends on an OkHttp-based implementation on Android and JVM targets, and on the Darwin engine for native Apple targets. Configure how the PowerSync SDK sets up client engines by passing an instance of SyncClientConfiguration.ExtendedConfig in SyncOptions:
If you want to use a custom HTTP client engine instead, use SyncClientConfiguration.ExistingClient:

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 / SQL Library Support

You can use the Kotlin SDK with the SQLDelight and Room libraries to define and run SQL queries. For details, see the SQL Library Support page.

Experimental Web Support

Version 1.14.1 of the SDK adds initial support for web targets (JS and WebAssembly). Use WebConnectionFactory to open a PowerSync database on the web.
Web support is experimental and incomplete. We are sharing it for early testing and prototyping purposes, and it is not ready for production use. The main limitation is that multi-tab support is not functional in this version: tabs don’t coordinate sync connections or share update notifications, so use the database from a single tab only.If you try web support, test it thoroughly and report any issues on GitHub. Follow the tracking issue for progress on stabilizing web support.
For a working example, see the web target of the Supabase To-Do List demo.

Troubleshooting

See Troubleshooting for pointers to debug common issues.

Supported Platforms

See Supported Platforms -> Kotlin SDK.

Upgrading the SDK

Update your project’s Gradle file (build.gradle.kts) with the latest version of the SDK.