SQLite Can Replace Redis as a Job Queue for Most Apps, Developers Argue

A growing number of developers are questioning the default practice of adding Redis and a separate job queue library to handle background tasks in web applications. The core argument is that storing job queues as a table within the same SQLite or Postgres database eliminates the 'dual-write problem,' where a crash between writing business data and pushing a job to Redis can leave the two systems out of sync. By inserting both the business record and the job row within a single database transaction, either both writes succeed or neither does, removing the need for complex workarounds like transactional outboxes or change-data-capture pipelines. SQLite's UPDATE with RETURNING clause, available since version 3.35, allows a worker to atomically claim a single job, preventing duplicate processing across concurrent workers. Proponents acknowledge Redis still has merit for high-throughput or distributed workloads, but contend that for a large share of applications, a database-native queue is simpler, safer, and operationally lighter.