fix: use TursoDriver instead of InMemoryDriver, remove unnecessary better-sqlite3

- Replace InMemoryDriver with TursoDriver (remote mode for Vercel)
- Add @libsql/client and @objectstack/driver-turso dependencies
- Remove better-sqlite3 dependency (not needed for Turso remote mode)
- Remove better-sqlite3 from esbuild externals and vercel.json includeFiles
- Remove better-sqlite3 copy logic from build-vercel.sh
- Add .env.example with Turso configuration
- Update DEPLOYMENT.md with Turso environment variables and troubleshooting

Turso remote mode uses HTTP-only connection via @libsql/client, which
doesn't require native bindings like better-sqlite3. This makes the
deployment simpler and more suitable for serverless environments.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Co-authored-by: hotlong <50353452+hotlong@users.noreply.github.com>

Author: Claude

examples/app-host/.env.example

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+# Turso Database Configuration
+# Required for Vercel deployment
+TURSO_DATABASE_URL=libsql://your-database.turso.io
+TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN=your-auth-token-here

examples/app-host/DEPLOYMENT.md

@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@ This example demonstrates how to deploy the ObjectStack app-host to Vercel using
 Set the following environment variables in your Vercel project:
 
 - `AUTH_SECRET`: A secure random string (minimum 32 characters) for authentication
+- `TURSO_DATABASE_URL`: Your Turso database URL (e.g., `libsql://your-database.turso.io`)
+- `TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN`: Your Turso authentication token
+
+You can get these credentials from [Turso Dashboard](https://turso.tech/).
 
 ## Deployment Steps
 
@@ -35,6 +39,8 @@ Set the following environment variables in your Vercel project:
 4. Set environment variables:
    ```bash
    vercel env add AUTH_SECRET
+   vercel env add TURSO_DATABASE_URL
+   vercel env add TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN
    ```
 
 ### Option 2: Using Vercel Dashboard
@@ -50,14 +56,13 @@ The build is configured in `vercel.json`:
 
 - **Install Command**: `cd ../.. && pnpm install` (installs monorepo dependencies)
 - **Build Command**: `bash scripts/build-vercel.sh` (builds and bundles the application)
-- **Framework**: `null` (uses custom build setup)
+- **Framework**: `hono` (uses Vercel's Hono framework preset)
 
 ## How It Works
 
 1. **Build Process** (`scripts/build-vercel.sh`):
    - Builds the TypeScript project using Turbo
    - Bundles the server code using esbuild (`scripts/bundle-api.mjs`)
-   - Copies native dependencies (like better-sqlite3) to local node_modules
 
 2. **API Handler** (`api/[[...route]].js`):
    - Committed catch-all route handler that Vercel detects pre-build
@@ -66,6 +71,7 @@ The build is configured in `vercel.json`:
 3. **Server Entrypoint** (`server/index.ts`):
    - Boots ObjectStack kernel with Hono adapter
    - Uses `@hono/node-server`'s `getRequestListener()` for Vercel compatibility
+   - Connects to Turso database in remote mode (HTTP-only, no local SQLite)
    - Handles Vercel's pre-buffered request body properly
 
 4. **Hono Integration**:
@@ -125,14 +131,15 @@ After deployment, your API will be available at:
 ### Runtime Errors
 
 - Check function logs in Vercel dashboard
-- Verify environment variables are set correctly
+- Verify environment variables are set correctly (`TURSO_DATABASE_URL`, `TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN`, `AUTH_SECRET`)
 - Ensure `AUTH_SECRET` is at least 32 characters
+- Test Turso connection using the provided credentials
 
-### Module Not Found
+### Database Connection Issues
 
-- The build script copies native modules to local node_modules
-- Check that `better-sqlite3` is in dependencies
-- Verify `vercel.json` includeFiles pattern matches the module
+- Verify your Turso database URL and auth token are correct
+- Check that your Turso database is accessible (not paused)
+- The deployment uses TursoDriver in **remote mode** (HTTP-only), which doesn't require native modules like better-sqlite3
 
 ## References
 

examples/app-host/package.json

@@ -17,15 +17,16 @@
     "@example/app-todo": "workspace:*",
     "@example/plugin-bi": "workspace:*",
     "@hono/node-server": "^1.19.14",
+    "@libsql/client": "^0.14.0",
     "@objectstack/driver-memory": "workspace:*",
+    "@objectstack/driver-turso": "workspace:*",
     "@objectstack/hono": "workspace:*",
     "@objectstack/metadata": "workspace:*",
     "@objectstack/objectql": "workspace:*",
     "@objectstack/plugin-auth": "workspace:*",
     "@objectstack/plugin-hono-server": "workspace:*",
     "@objectstack/runtime": "workspace:*",
     "@objectstack/spec": "workspace:*",
-    "better-sqlite3": "^12.9.0",
     "hono": "^4.12.12"
   },
   "devDependencies": {

examples/app-host/scripts/build-vercel.sh

@@ -23,27 +23,4 @@ cd examples/app-host
 # 2. Bundle API serverless function
 node scripts/bundle-api.mjs
 
-# 3. Copy native/external modules into local node_modules for Vercel packaging.
-#
-#    This monorepo uses pnpm's default strict node_modules structure. Transitive
-#    native dependencies like better-sqlite3 only exist in the monorepo root's
-#    node_modules/.pnpm/ virtual store — they're NOT symlinked into
-#    examples/app-host/node_modules/.
-#
-#    The vercel.json includeFiles pattern references node_modules/ relative to
-#    examples/app-host/, so we must copy the actual module files here for Vercel
-#    to include them in the serverless function's deployment package.
-echo "[build-vercel] Copying external native modules to local node_modules..."
-for mod in better-sqlite3; do
-  src="../../node_modules/$mod"
-  if [ -e "$src" ]; then
-    dest="node_modules/$mod"
-    mkdir -p "$(dirname "$dest")"
-    cp -rL "$src" "$dest"
-    echo "[build-vercel]   ✓ Copied $mod"
-  else
-    echo "[build-vercel]   ⚠ $mod not found at $src (skipped)"
-  fi
-done
-
 echo "[build-vercel] Done. Serverless function in api/[[...route]].js → api/_handler.js"

examples/app-host/scripts/bundle-api.mjs

@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import { build } from 'esbuild';
 
 // Packages that cannot be bundled (native bindings / optional drivers)
 const EXTERNAL = [
-  'better-sqlite3',
   // Optional knex database drivers — never used at runtime, but knex requires() them
   'pg',
   'pg-native',

examples/app-host/server/index.ts

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 import { ObjectKernel, DriverPlugin, AppPlugin } from '@objectstack/runtime';
 import { ObjectQLPlugin } from '@objectstack/objectql';
-import { InMemoryDriver } from '@objectstack/driver-memory';
+import { TursoDriver } from '@objectstack/driver-turso';
 import { createHonoApp } from '@objectstack/hono';
 import { AuthPlugin } from '@objectstack/plugin-auth';
 import { getRequestListener } from '@hono/node-server';
@@ -54,8 +54,21 @@ async function ensureKernel(): Promise<ObjectKernel> {
             // Register ObjectQL engine
             await kernel.use(new ObjectQLPlugin());
 
-            // Database driver (in-memory for demo)
-            await kernel.use(new DriverPlugin(new InMemoryDriver()));
+            // Database driver - Turso (remote mode for Vercel)
+            const tursoUrl = process.env.TURSO_DATABASE_URL;
+            const tursoToken = process.env.TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN;
+
+            if (!tursoUrl || !tursoToken) {
+                throw new Error('Missing required environment variables: TURSO_DATABASE_URL and TURSO_AUTH_TOKEN');
+            }
+
+            const tursoDriver = new TursoDriver({
+                url: tursoUrl,
+                authToken: tursoToken,
+                // Remote mode - no local sync needed for Vercel
+            });
+
+            await kernel.use(new DriverPlugin(tursoDriver));
 
             // Auth plugin — uses environment variables for configuration
             // Prefer VERCEL_PROJECT_PRODUCTION_URL (stable across deployments)

examples/app-host/vercel.json

@@ -6,8 +6,7 @@
   "functions": {
     "api/**/*.js": {
       "memory": 1024,
-      "maxDuration": 60,
-      "includeFiles": "node_modules/better-sqlite3/**"
+      "maxDuration": 60
     }
   },
   "rewrites": [