No module named _sqlite3

Question

I am trying to run a Django app on my VPS running Debian 5. When I run a demo app, it comes back with this error:

 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.5/site-packages/django/utils/importlib.py", line 35, in import_module
 __import__(name)
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.5/site-packages/django/db/backends/sqlite3/base.py", line 30, in <module>
 raise ImproperlyConfigured, "Error loading %s: %s" % (module, exc)
ImproperlyConfigured: Error loading either pysqlite2 or sqlite3 modules (tried in that order): No module named _sqlite3

Looking at the Python install, it gives the same error:

Python 2.5.2 (r252:60911, May 12 2009, 07:46:31) 
[GCC 4.1.2 20061115 (prerelease) (Debian 4.1.1-21)] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> import sqlite3
Traceback (most recent call last):
 File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.5/sqlite3/__init__.py", line 24, in <module>
 from dbapi2 import *
 File "/usr/local/lib/python2.5/sqlite3/dbapi2.py", line 27, in <module>
 from _sqlite3 import *
ImportError: No module named _sqlite3
>>>

Reading on the web, I learn that Python 2.5 should come with all the necessary SQLite wrappers included. Do I need to reinstall Python, or is there another way to get this module up and running?

• Alex-Bogdanov: Same problem is for compiled python 3.5.5 from source
• Savitoj Cheema: I faced same issue recently, this github issue helped me, I basically had to go from Python version 3.12.6 to 3.11

Answer 1

It seems your makefile didn't include the appropriate .so file. You can correct this problem with the steps below:

1. Install sqlite-devel (or libsqlite3-dev on some Debian-based systems)
2. Re-configure and re-compiled Python with ./configure --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions && make && sudo make install

---

Note

The sudo make install part will set that python version to be the system-wide standard, which can have unforseen consequences. If you run this command on your workstation, you'll probably want to have it installed alongside the existing python, which can be done with sudo make altinstall.

• AntiMoron: How can I install sqlite-devel ? I'm on a customized linux system.I just downloaded sqlite-autoconf-3100200.tar.gz and run ./configure,make && make install. After I recompile python3 it's still not working.
• ticster: For anyone reading this, make sure to add the configure option in the answer. That's what saved me too. Otherwise it won't matter that you've installed libsqlite3-dev.
• Jenna Kwon: how do I check where the configure script is?
• botchniaque: I am using pyenv and after installing libsqlite3-dev I had to re-install your python version with pyenv install <python-version>.
• bgenchel: none of these solutions (ref: all on this page) work for amazon linux with python 3.8.0

Answer 2

I had the same problem with Python 3.5 on Ubuntu while using pyenv.

If you're installing the python using pyenv, it's listed as one of the common build problems. To solve it, remove the installed python version, install the requirements (for this particular case libsqlite3-dev), then reinstall the python version with

pyenv install <python-version> 

Then recreate virtualenv if needed.

• kap: It's not required to remove the installed version, pyenv install <python-version> will ask whether it should be overridden and re-compiles.
• Quang Hoàng Minh: I used pyenv too and this works for me. Have to reinstall the whole environment so that the change will take effect. Remember to install libsqlite3-dev before that.

Answer 3

I had the same problem (building python2.5 from source on Ubuntu Lucid), and import sqlite3 threw this same exception. I've installed libsqlite3-dev from the package manager, recompiled python2.5, and then the import worked.

• oxfn: Exactly! You don't have to manually manipulate with binary files and environment. In my case I had already Python 2.7 built from source, so, to minify compilation I've executed apt-get install libsqlite3-dev; ./configure; make libinstall; make sharedinstall

Answer 4

my python is build from source, the cause is missing options when exec configure python version:3.7.4

./configure --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions --enable-optimizations
make
make install

fixed

• Quang Hoàng Minh: Didn't work. bash: ./configure: No such file or directory
• Robin: i mean execute this command in the python source directory, like this:github.com/python/cpython
• Arco: You should cd to your python source directory and in the directory use the ./configure command @QuangHoàngMinh

Answer 5

1. Install the sqlite-devel package:

   yum install sqlite-devel -y

2. Recompile python from the source:

   ./configure
   make
   make altinstall
   

• jis0324: I did 1(yum install sqlite-devl -y) this was okay. in #2, I got this err bash: ./configure: No such file or directory. How can I fix.
• Raymond: Taking a lot of time on make command. What exactly this does? Is it recompiling the centOS kernel or what?
• aletelecomm: This worked for me, I'm using CENTOs 7, and Python 3.8.14. Thank you.

Answer 6

This is what I did to get it to work.

I am using pythonbrew(which is using pip) with python 2.7.5 installed.

I first did what Zubair(above) said and ran this command:

sudo apt-get install libsqlite3-dev

Then I ran this command:

pip install pysqlite

This fixed the database problem and I got confirmation of this when I ran:

python manager.py syncdb

• Ehsan88: in Centos 6.5 run yum install sqlite-devel instead of the first line.
• clabe45: That's good for Python 2, but pysqlite is now sqlite3 in Python 3, and you can't pip -m install that.
• tread: pysqlite is not supported on Python 3. When using Python 3, use the sqlite3 module from the standard library
• Vinay Kumar: @Joe I think it should be manage.py instead of manager.py

Answer 7

For Python 3.7.8 with Redhat 7 or Centos 7.

• Install sqlite-devel

$ yum install sqlite-devel

• Compile and install Python3 with sqllite extensions

$ ./configure --enable-optimizations --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions
$ make install

• vencaslac: can confirm this works with 3.10.8
• the-lay: This also worked on Amazon Linux 2 base image, thanks!
• uniquegino: life saver, works on Amazon Linux 2, python 3.9
• Manuel Lazo: Hey!, thanks I can confirm this is working on ubuntu latest versions and python3.8 manually installed :D

Answer 8

I found lots of people meet this problem because the Multi-version Python, on my own vps (cent os 7 x64), I solved it in this way:

1. Find the file "_sqlite3.so"

   find / -name _sqlite3.so
   

   out: /usr/lib64/python2.7/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.so

2. Find the dir of python Standard library you want to use,

   for me /usr/local/lib/python3.6/lib-dynload

3. Copy the file:

   cp /usr/lib64/python2.7/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.so /usr/local/lib/python3.6/lib-dynload
   

Finally, everything will be ok.

• xtluo: Didn't work for me. Got ImportError: dynamic module does not define module export function (PyInit__sqlite3) on CentOS 7.
• MeadowMuffins: same to me, is that py2 .so can't be used for py3.6.4? @xtluo
• bgenchel: I got this error instead - ImportError: libpython2.7.so.1.0: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory
• John Jiang: Seems to work for me: sudo cp /usr/lib64/python3.6/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.cpython-36m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so /usr/local/lib/python3.7/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.so. Now I can run tensorboard without the _sqlite3 error! Thx

Answer 9

My _sqlite3.so is in /usr/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.so. Judging from your paths, you should have the file /usr/local/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.so.

Try the following:

find /usr/local -name _sqlite3.so

If the file isn't found, something may be wrong with your Python installation. If it is, make sure the path it's installed to is in the Python path. In the Python shell,

import sys
print sys.path

In my case, /usr/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload is in the list, so it's able to find /usr/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.so.

• Alexander van Dijk: just checked. the path is in there, but _sqlite3.so is indeed missing. Any suggestions whether i can seperately install it or better to reinstall python? thx!
• Glenn Maynard: It looks like you built and installed Python manually (are the packages in your OS too old?), since it's in /usr/local. Make sure that the sqlite dev package is installed (libsqlite3-dev in current distros, maybe not in yours), or Python won't be able to build the module. If you install it, you'll need to rebuild Python so it includes that module.
• Alexander van Dijk: Hmm, I installed libsqlite3-dev and rebuild python, but now i get anothe error: ImportError: ./_sqlite3.so: undefined symbol: PyUnicodeUCS4_DecodeUTF8
• Glenn Maynard: I'm confused. Your distro has Python 2.5 already (packages.debian.org/lenny/python2.5). Why are you building it yourself?
• Glenn Maynard: But you're running Python out of /usr/local. It looks like you installed Python twice--once yourself and once with apt-get, and the one in /usr/local is broken.

Answer 10

I recently tried installing python 2.6.7 on my Ubuntu 11.04 desktop for some dev work. Came across similar problems to this thread. I mamaged to fix it by:

1. Adjusting the setup.py file to include the correct sqlite dev path. Code snippet from setup.py:

   def sqlite_incdir:
   sqlite_dirs_to_check = [
   os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', 'lib64'),
   os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', 'lib'),
   os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', '..', 'lib64'),
   os.path.join(sqlite_incdir, '..', '..', 'lib'),
   '/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/'
   ]
   

   With the bit that I added being '/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/'.

2. After running make I did not get any warnings saying the sqlite support was not built (i.e., it built correctly :P ), but after running make install, sqlite3 still did not import with the same "ImportError: No module named _sqlite3" whe running "import sqlite3".

   So, the library was compiled, but not moved to the correct installation path, so I copied the .so file (cp /usr/src/python/Python-2.6.7/build/lib.linux-x86_64-2.6/_sqlite3.so /usr/local/python-2.6.7/lib/python2.6/sqlite3/ — these are my build paths, you will probably need to adjust them to your setup).

Voila! SQLite3 support now works.

• spookylukey: Thank you! Just the first part was needed for Linux Mint Debian Edition, 2014

Answer 11

This worked for me in Redhat Centos 6.5:

yum install sqlite-devel
pip install pysqlite

• LayneSadler: just fyi I did not need to do the pip step
• Abhilash Singh Chauhan: pip install pysqlite3-binary worked instead of pip install pysqlite3

Answer 12

I had the same problem after installing Python 3.8.11 using asdf

To fix the issue:

I had to install libsqlite3-dev

sudo apt-get install libsqlite3-dev

Then uninstall Python via asdf

asdf uninstall python 3.8.11

And install Python again via asdf

asdf install python 3.8.11

Answer 13

i got the same problem, nothing worked for me from the above ans but now i fixed it by

just remove python.pip and sqlite3 and reinstall

1. sudo apt-get remove python.pip
2. sudo apt-get remove sqlite3

now install it again

3. sudo apt-get install python.pip
4. sudo apt-get install sqlite3

in my case while installing sqlite3 again it showed some error then i typed

5. sqlite3

on terminal to check if it was removed or not and it started unpacking it

once the sqlite3 is installed fireup terminal and write

6. sqlite3
7. database.db (to create a database) i'm sure this will definately help you

• Steve Gon: Does not work on Ubuntu, Python 3.7.10, Jupyter 6.1.5

Answer 14

sqlite3 ships with Python. I also had the same problem, I just uninstalled python3.6 and installed it again.

Uninstall existing python:

sudo apt-get remove --purge python3.6

Install python3.6:

sudo apt install build-essential checkinstall
sudo apt install libreadline-gplv2-dev libncursesw5-dev libssl-dev libsqlite3-dev tk-dev libgdbm-dev libc6-dev libbz2-dev
wget https://www.python.org/ftp/python/3.6.0/Python-3.6.0.tar.xz
tar xvf Python-3.6.0.tar.xz
cd Python-3.6.0/
./configure
sudo make altinstall

• emilie zawadzki: Works well on Debian Buster

Answer 15

Is the python-pysqlite2 package installed?

sudo apt-get install python-pysqlite2

• Glenn Maynard: sqlite is installed with Python; you don't need to install a separate package for it, and we can tell that he does already have the Python-supplied library. Installing python-sqlite would be confusing at best.
• bryan: Brain cramp. I meant the python-pysqlite2 package. I could not get Django/sqlite to work on lenny without this package. I've updated my answer.
• Alexander van Dijk: I have python-pysqlite2 installed.

Answer 16

Checking your settings.py file. Did you not just write "sqlite" instead of "sqlite3" for the database engine?

• mickmackusa: This "answer" is phrased like a comment seeking Debugging Details.

Answer 17

The following worked for Python 3.9 with a virtual environment:

1. Install the sqlite3 library.

   sudo apt-get install libsqlite3-dev
   

2. Activate the Python virtual environment.

   source env/bin/activate
   

3. Copy the sqlite3 file into the Python virtual environment and rename it to support Python 3.9.

   cp /usr/lib/python3.8/lib-dynload/_sqlite3.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so ./env/lib/python3.9/site-packages
   mv ./env/lib/python3.9/site-packages/_sqlite3.cpython-38-x86_64-linux-gnu.so ./env/lib/python3.9/site-packages/_sqlite3.cpython-39-x86_64-linux-gnu.so
   

Note, we're renaming 38 to 39 in the file name to support Python 3.9.

Answer 18

Putting answer for anyone who lands on this page searching for a solution for Windows OS:

You have to install pysqlite3 or db-sqlite3 if not already installed. you can use following to install.

• pip install pysqlite3
• pip install db-sqlite3

For me the issue was with DLL file of sqlite3.

Solution:

1. I took DLL file from sqlite site. This might vary based on your version of python installation.

2. I pasted it in the DLL directory of the env. for me it was "C:\Anaconda\Lib\DLLs", but check for yours. Before and After placing DLL file

Answer 19

I was disappointed this issue still exist till today. As I have recently been trying to install vCD CLI on CentOS 8.1 and I was welcomed with the same error when tried to run it. The way I had to resolve it in my case is as follow:

• Install SQLite3 from scratch with the proper prefix
• Make clean my Python Installation
• Run Make install to reinstall Python

As I have been doing this to create a different blogpost about how to install vCD CLI and VMware Container Service Extension. I have end up capturing the steps I used to fix the issue and put it in a separate blog post at:

http://www.virtualizationteam.com/cloud/running-vcd-cli-fail-with-the-following-error-modulenotfounderror-no-module-named-_sqlite3.html

I hope this helpful, as while the tips above had helped me get to a solution, I had to combine few of them and modify them a bit.

Answer 20

I have the problem in FreeBSD 8.1:

- No module named _sqlite3 -

It is solved by stand the port ----------

/usr/ports/databases/py-sqlite3

after this one can see:

OK ----------
'>>>' import sqlite3 -----
'>>>' sqlite3.apilevel -----
'2.0'

• user50049: This answer makes very little sense. Can you revise it?
• Justin: I had same issue, FreeBSD 8.2 w/Py2.7.2. Resolved by just running through make/install again, for py-sqlite3.
• Kunthar: you have to make deinstall if it seems installed at first. freebsd 10.2

Answer 21

you must be in centos or redhat and compile python yourself, it is python‘s bug do this in your python source code dir and do this below

curl -sk https://gist.github.com/msabramo/2727063/raw/59ea097a1f4c6f114c32f7743308a061698b17fd/gistfile1.diff | patch -p1

Answer 22

Try installing sqlite like this if you are using FreeBSD.

pkg install py27-sqlite3-2.7.10_6

Answer 23

I am using Ubuntu with Python3.9 and a venv. I had the same issue. first I installed pysqlite

pip install pysqlite3

but it was installed in the /home/<user>/.local/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pysqlite3

then I moved it to the local dir

mv /home/<user>/.local/lib/python3.9/site-packages/pysqlite3 /usr/local/lib/python3.9/sqlite3

pay attention to the name change from pysqlite3 to sqlite3

Answer 24

I faced this issue with multiple python dependent package while setup in python virtual enironment in Ubuntu.It is because of sqlite binding for our python.

Error I got:

 from pysqlite2 import dbapi2 as sqlite3
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'pysqlite2'

I resolved it by --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions=yes 1.) First find your python or python version you used for creating virtual env. I have used python3.8 e.g

$ whereis python
python: /usr/bin/python3.6m /usr/bin/python /usr/bin/python3.8 /usr/bin/python2.7-config /usr/bin/python3.8-config python
$ cd /usr/bin
$ls
python3.8
python3.8-config

Note: there will be many package check for pytho. you will find configure file for each python version, now use specific python version

ox:/usr/bin$ ./python3.8-config --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions=yes

OR

ox:/usr/bin$ ./python3.8-config --enable-optimizations --enable-loadable-sqlite-extensions

Now, create your virtual env using that python version e.g Go the folder where you want to create the virtual env

$ python3.8 -m venv mlwen_jup_env
$ source mlwen_jup_env/bin/activate

Its done, now you can install packages

Answer 25

I ran into this same problem on a NetBSD server. A missing .so file needed to be installed using pkgin. To identify what package to install, I ran

pkgin search sqlite

which had lots of results, including

...
py38-aiosqlite-0.17.0nb1 Async bridge to the standard sqlite3 module
py38-apsw-3.37.0nb2 Python wrapper for SQLite
py38-peewee-3.15.0 Small, expressive ORM for PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite
py38-sqlite3-3.8.13nb22 Built-in sqlite support for Python 2.5 and up
py39-aiosqlite-0.17.0nb1 Async bridge to the standard sqlite3 module
py39-apsw-3.37.0nb2 Python wrapper for SQLite
py39-peewee-3.15.0 Small, expressive ORM for PostgreSQL, MySQL and SQLite
py39-sqlite3-3.9.13nb22 Built-in sqlite support for Python 2.5 and up
...

(and other python versions as well). I'm using python 3.9, so py39-sqlite3-3.9.13nb22 was the correct choice in my case. Running

sudo pkgin install py39-sqlite3-3.9.13nb22

fixed the issue for me.

• Quang Hoàng Minh: pkgin: command not found
• Alex Grounds: NetBSD does not necessarily come with pkgin preinstalled. This page has the official instructions for installing pkg_add and then pkgin: netbsd.org/docs/pkgsrc/using.html

Answer 26

I resolved reinstalling Python pyenv install <version> and then pyenv rehash. Without destroying any previously created virtualenv

Answer 27

Download sqlite3:

wget http://www.sqlite.org/2016/sqlite-autoconf-3150000.tar.gz

Follow these steps to install:

$tar xvfz sqlite-autoconf-3071502.tar.gz
$cd sqlite-autoconf-3071502
$./configure --prefix=/usr/local
$make install

• Jérôme: This question was asked in 2009 and was about Debian 5. sqlite3 is now available in the repos (since Wheezy) so there is no need to install it manually. I guess this is true for most distros as well.

Answer 28

if you use python3.10.0 you can change it to python3.10.13 and every thing will be ok.

Answer 29

This is a solution I would not actually recommend, but if you're in the situation i'm in, it might work:

~ dependency module I need appears to import sqlite3 without actually using it in the classes/functions i'm using

~ I'm running on an HPC where I don't have privileges to install things (aside from pip, or compiling stuff with gcc)

then you can create a "dummy" sqlite3.py file (it can be empty, depending on how it's being imported! "touch sqlite3.py") and put it in your working directory.

Answer 30

You need to install pysqlite in your python environment:

 $ pip install pysqlite