CovenantSQL is a decentralized SQL database management system derived from SQLite and built on top of a blockchain. It supports most of the SQL-92 features. Each party interacting with CovenantSQL is either a client, a block producer, or a miner:[04][05][06]

• Client: A client supplies queries and wait for responses, which contain result sets of the queries.
• Block Producer: A block producer matches clients with miners and maintains metadata about the clients (e.g. query history, digital signature, etc.) and the miners (e.g. availability, computing power, etc.).
• Miner: A miner is a single database engine that serves both as a storage system and an execution engine. Miners register themselves with the block producers to indicate their desire to server clients.

When a client sends a connection request, the request is directed to one node among a group of block producers. The block producers maintain a public blockchain (main chain). When a block producer receives a request, it allocates a number of miners. The miners self-organize and produce a separate block chain, called a shard chain. Each miner is an independent database engine running SQLite. CovenantSQL uses Go's driver for SQLite to interact with individual miners.

The main chain implements Delegated Proof-of-Stake, which provides eventual consistency among block producers. The block producers pack all SQL queries from clients along with the shard chain's signature into the main block chain. The shard chains themselves consist of database contents and query results. The miners pertaining a shard chain use Byzantine Fault-Toleranted Raft, which provides strong consistency among miners that serve the same client. The leader in each miner group uses two phase commit to support transactions.