Ghost 4.1.0 does not seem to work with an sqlite database without additional manual setup

Developer help Installation
1

If you’re looking for some help, it’s important to provide as much context as possible so that people are able to assist you. Try to always mention:

  • What’s your URL? https://hawkradius.com
  • What version of Ghost are you using? v4.1.0
  • What configuration? Using sqlite on Debian Bullseye
  • What browser? N/A
  • What errors or information do you see in the console?
root@hawkradius-host:/var/www/ghost# sudo -u ghost ghost run
The `ghost run` command is used by the configured Ghost process manager and for debugging. If you're not running this to debug something, you should run `ghost start` instead.
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] INFO Ghost is running in production...
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] INFO Your site is now available on https://hawkradius.com/
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] INFO Ctrl+C to shut down
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] INFO Ghost server started in 1.058s
Knex: run
$ npm install sqlite3 --save
Cannot find module 'sqlite3'
Require stack:
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/config-resolver.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/ghost.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/index.js
Error: Cannot find module 'sqlite3'
Require stack:
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/config-resolver.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/ghost.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/index.js
    at Function.Module._resolveFilename (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:880:15)
    at Function.Module._load (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:725:27)
    at Module.require (internal/modules/cjs/loader.js:952:19)
    at require (internal/modules/cjs/helpers.js:88:18)
    at Client_SQLite3._driver (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js:35:12)
    at Client_SQLite3.initializeDriver (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/client.js:231:26)
    at Client_SQLite3.Client (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/client.js:69:10)
    at new Client_SQLite3 (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js:17:10)
    at Knex (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js:14:28)
    at Object.connect (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js:27:12)
    at KnexMigrator.isDatabaseOK (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js:589:32)
    at DatabaseStateManager.getState (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js:39:37)
    at DatabaseStateManager.makeReady (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js:72:36)
    at initDatabase (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js:49:26)
    at bootGhost (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js:277:15)
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] ERROR Knex: run
$ npm install sqlite3 --save
Cannot find module 'sqlite3'
Require stack:
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/config-resolver.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/ghost.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/index.js

Knex: run
$ npm install sqlite3 --save
Cannot find module 'sqlite3'
Require stack:
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/config-resolver.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/ghost.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/index.js

Error ID:
    14d9d140-8a2e-11eb-85ab-5b746f132577

----------------------------------------

InternalServerError: Knex: run
$ npm install sqlite3 --save
Cannot find module 'sqlite3'
Require stack:
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/config-resolver.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/ghost.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/index.js
    at new GhostError (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/@tryghost/errors/lib/errors.js:10:26)
    at DatabaseStateManager.getState (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js:63:32)
    at DatabaseStateManager.makeReady (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js:72:36)
    at initDatabase (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js:49:26)
    at bootGhost (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js:277:15)

Error: Knex: run
$ npm install sqlite3 --save
Cannot find module 'sqlite3'
Require stack:
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/config-resolver.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/knex.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/ghost.js
- /var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/index.js
    at Client_SQLite3.initializeDriver (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/client.js:235:13)
    at Client_SQLite3.Client (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/client.js:69:10)
    at new Client_SQLite3 (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/dialects/sqlite3/index.js:17:10)
    at Knex (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex/lib/knex.js:14:28)
    at Object.connect (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/database.js:27:12)
    at KnexMigrator.isDatabaseOK (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/node_modules/knex-migrator/lib/index.js:589:32)
    at DatabaseStateManager.getState (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js:39:37)
    at DatabaseStateManager.makeReady (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/server/data/db/state-manager.js:72:36)
    at initDatabase (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js:49:26)
    at bootGhost (/var/www/ghost/versions/4.1.0/core/boot.js:277:15)

[2021-03-21 10:13:28] WARN Ghost is shutting down
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] WARN Ghost has shut down
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] WARN Your site is now offline
[2021-03-21 10:13:28] WARN Ghost was running for a few seconds
  • What steps could someone else take to reproduce the issue you’re having?

Install Ghost v4.1.0 with an sqlite database and then try to run ghost. Specifically I used the following command to install ghost: ghost install --db=sqlite3

I think this is because Ghost lists sqlite3 as an optional dependency, which is not installed automatically.

This can be fixed by running npm install sqlite3 --save at the root of your ghost website (/var/www/ghost in my case), but I think it should not be needed.