Claude Code used for a large SQLite-to-Zig port
A developer with more than 30 years of app, web, and systems experience is using Claude Code to move SQLite 3.54.0 from C to Zig despite having only basic C and Zig knowledge. The work is not a single large rewrite. Already moved Zig code and not-yet-moved C code run together in one working program, and one file is replaced at a time.
This keeps the usable every day while each step is checked against SQLite’s own . So far, 90 of 102 active C translation units now run as Zig. About 169,000 lines of Zig have been produced from about 287,000 lines of C.
Real API use is about 919 million tokens, counting input, cache, and output, with one recent session using about 780 million tokens. The work has taken about 25 to 32 hours.
Key points
- Claude Code was used to move SQLite 3.54.0 from C to Zig in small steps.
- The project kept C and Zig code running together instead of doing one full rewrite at once.
- SQLite’s own was used to check each stage.
- 90 of 102 active C translation units now run as Zig.
- Real API use reached about 919 million tokens, which is a major cost signal.