SQLite is often treated as a prototype database, but it is a very practical choice for many internal tools.

What it makes easy

• A single file is simple to back up.
• There is no database service to operate.
• SQL is still available.
• Local development matches production surprisingly well for small workloads.

Small systems do not need a huge monitoring stack to become easier to operate. They need a few consistent signals.

Logs

Logs should answer what happened, when it happened, and which request or job was involved.

Metrics

Start with request count, error count, latency, queue length, process memory, and disk usage.