diff --git a/docs/src/searx.sqlitedb.rst b/docs/src/searx.sqlitedb.rst
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+.. _sqlite db:
+
+=========
+SQLite DB
+=========
+
+.. automodule:: searx.sqlitedb
+   :members:
diff --git a/searx/sqlitedb.py b/searx/sqlitedb.py
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/searx/sqlitedb.py
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+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+"""Implementations to make access to SQLite databases a little more convenient.
+
+:py:obj:`SQLiteAppl`
+  Abstract class with which DB applications can be implemented.
+
+:py:obj:`SQLiteProperties`:
+  Class to manage properties stored in a database.
+
+----
+
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import sys
+import re
+import sqlite3
+import threading
+import abc
+
+from searx import logger
+
+logger = logger.getChild('sqlitedb')
+
+
+class SQLiteAppl(abc.ABC):
+    """Abstract base class for implementing convenient DB access in SQLite
+    applications.  In the constructor, a :py:obj:`SQLiteProperties` instance is
+    already aggregated under ``self.properties``."""
+
+    DDL_CREATE_TABLES: dict[str, str] = {}
+
+    DB_SCHEMA: int = 1
+    """As soon as changes are made to the DB schema, the version number must be
+    increased.  Changes to the version number require the DB to be recreated (or
+    migrated / if an migration path exists and is implemented)."""
+
+    SQLITE_THREADING_MODE = {
+        0: "single-thread",
+        1: "multi-thread",
+        3: "serialized"}[sqlite3.threadsafety]  # fmt:skip
+    """Threading mode of the SQLite library.  Depends on the options used at
+    compile time and is different for different distributions and architectures.
+
+    Possible values are 0:``single-thread``, 1:``multi-thread``,
+    3:``serialized`` (see :py:obj:`sqlite3.threadsafety`).  Pre- Python 3.11
+    this value was hard coded to 1.
+
+    Depending on this value, optimizations are made, e.g. in “serialized” mode
+    it is not necessary to create a separate DB connector for each thread.
+    """
+
+    SQLITE_JOURNAL_MODE = "WAL"
+    SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS = {
+        # "timeout": 5.0,
+        # "detect_types": 0,
+        "check_same_thread": bool(SQLITE_THREADING_MODE != "serialized"),
+        "cached_statements": 0,  # https://github.com/python/cpython/issues/118172
+        # "uri": False,
+        "autocommit": False,
+    }  # fmt:skip
+    """Connection arguments (:py:obj:`sqlite3.connect`)
+
+    ``check_same_thread``:
+      Is disabled by default when :py:obj:`SQLITE_THREADING_MODE` is
+      ``serialized``.  The check is more of a hindrance in this case because it
+      would prevent a DB connector from being used in multiple threads.
+
+    ``autocommit``:
+      Is disabled by default.  Note: autocommit option has been added in Python
+      3.12.
+
+    ``cached_statements``:
+      Is set to ``0`` by default.  Note: Python 3.12+ fetch result are not
+      consistent in multi-threading application and causing an API misuse error.
+
+      The multithreading use in SQLiteAppl is intended and supported if
+      threadsafety is set to 3 (aka "serialized"). CPython supports “serialized”
+      from version 3.12 on, but unfortunately only with errors:
+
+      - https://github.com/python/cpython/issues/118172
+      - https://github.com/python/cpython/issues/123873
+
+      The workaround for SQLite3 multithreading cache inconsistency ist to set
+      option ``cached_statements`` to ``0`` by default.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, db_url):
+
+        self.db_url = db_url
+        self.properties = SQLiteProperties(db_url)
+        self.thread_local = threading.local()
+        self._init_done = False
+        self._compatibility()
+
+    def _compatibility(self):
+
+        if self.SQLITE_THREADING_MODE == "serialized":
+            self._DB = None
+        else:
+            msg = (
+                f"SQLite library is compiled with {self.SQLITE_THREADING_MODE} mode,"
+                " read https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html#sqlite3.threadsafety"
+            )
+            if threading.active_count() > 1:
+                logger.error(msg)
+            else:
+                logger.warning(msg)
+
+        if sqlite3.sqlite_version_info <= (3, 35):
+            # See "Generalize UPSERT:" in https://sqlite.org/releaselog/3_35_0.html
+            logger.critical(
+                "SQLite runtime library version %s is not supported (require >= 3.35)", sqlite3.sqlite_version
+            )
+
+    def connect(self) -> sqlite3.Connection:
+        """Creates a new DB connection (:py:obj:`SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS`).  If not
+        already done, the DB schema is set up
+        """
+        if sys.version_info < (3, 12):
+            # Prior Python 3.12 there is no "autocommit" option
+            self.SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS.pop("autocommit", None)
+
+        self.init()
+        logger.debug("%s: connect to DB: %s // %s", self.__class__.__name__, self.db_url, self.SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS)
+        conn = sqlite3.Connection(self.db_url, **self.SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS)  # type: ignore
+        conn.execute(f"PRAGMA journal_mode={self.SQLITE_JOURNAL_MODE}")
+        self.register_functions(conn)
+        return conn
+
+    def register_functions(self, conn):
+        """Create user-defined_ SQL functions.
+
+        ``REGEXP(<pattern>, <field>)`` : 0 | 1
+           `re.search`_ returns (int) 1 for a match and 0 for none match of
+           ``<pattern>`` in ``<field>``.
+
+           .. code:: sql
+
+              SELECT '12' AS field WHERE REGEXP('^[0-9][0-9]$', field)
+              -- 12
+
+              SELECT REGEXP('[0-9][0-9]', 'X12Y')
+              -- 1
+              SELECT REGEXP('[0-9][0-9]', 'X1Y')
+              -- 0
+
+        .. _user-defined: https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html#sqlite3.Connection.create_function
+        .. _deterministic: https://sqlite.org/deterministic.html
+        .. _re.search: https://docs.python.org/3/library/re.html#re.search
+        """
+
+        conn.create_function('regexp', 2, lambda x, y: 1 if re.search(x, y) else 0, deterministic=True)
+
+    @property
+    def DB(self) -> sqlite3.Connection:
+        """Provides a DB connection.  The connection is a *singleton* and
+        therefore well suited for read access.  If
+        :py:obj:`SQLITE_THREADING_MODE` is ``serialized`` only one DB connection
+        is created for all threads.
+
+        .. note::
+
+           For dedicated `transaction control`_, it is recommended to create a
+           new connection (:py:obj:`SQLiteAppl.connect`).
+
+        .. _transaction control:
+            https://docs.python.org/3/library/sqlite3.html#sqlite3-controlling-transactions
+        """
+
+        if getattr(self.thread_local, 'DB', None) is None:
+            self.thread_local.DB = self.connect()
+
+        # Theoretically it is possible to reuse the DB cursor across threads as
+        # of Python 3.12, in practice the threading of the cursor seems to me to
+        # be so faulty that I prefer to establish one connection per thread
+
+        self.thread_local.DB.commit()
+        return self.thread_local.DB
+
+        # In "serialized" mode, SQLite can be safely used by multiple threads
+        # with no restriction.
+        #
+        # if self.SQLITE_THREADING_MODE != "serialized":
+        #     if getattr(self.thread_local, 'DB', None) is None:
+        #         self.thread_local.DB = self.connect()
+        #     return self.thread_local.DB
+        #
+        # if self._DB is None:
+        #     self._DB = self.connect()  # pylint: disable=attribute-defined-outside-init
+        # return self._DB
+
+    def init(self):
+        """Initializes the DB schema and properties, is only executed once even
+        if called several times."""
+
+        if self._init_done:
+            return
+        self._init_done = True
+
+        logger.debug("init DB: %s", self.db_url)
+        self.properties.init()
+        ver = self.properties("DB_SCHEMA")
+        if ver is None:
+            with self.properties.DB:
+                self.create_schema(self.properties.DB)
+        else:
+            ver = int(ver)
+            if ver != self.DB_SCHEMA:
+                raise sqlite3.DatabaseError("Expected DB schema v%s, DB schema is v%s" % (self.DB_SCHEMA, ver))
+            logger.debug("DB_SCHEMA = %s", ver)
+
+    def create_schema(self, conn):
+
+        logger.debug("create schema ..")
+        with conn:
+            for table_name, sql in self.DDL_CREATE_TABLES.items():
+                conn.execute(sql)
+                self.properties.set(f"Table {table_name} created", table_name)
+                self.properties.set("DB_SCHEMA", self.DB_SCHEMA)
+                self.properties.set("LAST_MAINTENANCE", "")
+
+
+class SQLiteProperties(SQLiteAppl):
+    """Simple class to manage properties of a DB application in the DB.  The
+    object has its own DB connection and transaction area.
+
+    .. code:: sql
+
+       CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS properties (
+         name       TEXT,
+         value      TEXT,
+         m_time     INTEGER DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now')),
+         PRIMARY KEY (name))
+
+    """
+
+    SQLITE_JOURNAL_MODE = "WAL"
+
+    DDL_PROPERTIES = """\
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS properties (
+  name       TEXT,
+  value      TEXT,
+  m_time     INTEGER DEFAULT (strftime('%s', 'now')),  -- last modified (unix epoch) time in sec.
+  PRIMARY KEY (name))"""
+
+    """Table to store properties of the DB application"""
+
+    SQL_GET = "SELECT value FROM properties WHERE name = ?"
+    SQL_M_TIME = "SELECT m_time FROM properties WHERE name = ?"
+    SQL_SET = (
+        "INSERT INTO properties (name, value) VALUES (?, ?)"
+        "    ON CONFLICT(name) DO UPDATE"
+        "   SET value=excluded.value, m_time=strftime('%s', 'now')"
+    )
+    SQL_TABLE_EXISTS = (
+        "SELECT name FROM sqlite_master"
+        " WHERE type='table' AND name='properties'"
+    )  # fmt:skip
+    SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS = dict(SQLiteAppl.SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS)
+    SQLITE_CONNECT_ARGS["autocommit"] = True  # This option has no effect before Python 3.12
+
+    def __init__(self, db_url: str):  # pylint: disable=super-init-not-called
+
+        self.db_url = db_url
+        self.thread_local = threading.local()
+        self._init_done = False
+        self._compatibility()
+
+    def init(self):
+        """Initializes DB schema of the properties in the DB."""
+
+        if self._init_done:
+            return
+        self._init_done = True
+        logger.debug("init properties of DB: %s", self.db_url)
+        with self.DB as conn:
+            res = conn.execute(self.SQL_TABLE_EXISTS)
+            if res.fetchone() is None:  # DB schema needs to be be created
+                self.create_schema(conn)
+
+    def __call__(self, name, default=None):
+        """Returns the value of the property ``name`` or ``default`` if property
+        not exists in DB."""
+
+        res = self.DB.execute(self.SQL_GET, (name,)).fetchone()
+        if res is None:
+            return default
+        return res[0]
+
+    def set(self, name, value):
+        """Set ``value`` of property ``name`` in DB.  If property already
+        exists, update the ``m_time`` (and the value)."""
+
+        self.DB.execute(self.SQL_SET, (name, value))
+
+        if sys.version_info <= (3, 12):
+            # Prior Python 3.12 there is no "autocommit" option / lets commit
+            # explicitely.
+            self.DB.commit()
+
+    def row(self, name, default=None):
+        """Returns the DB row of property ``name`` or ``default`` if property
+        not exists in DB."""
+
+        cur = self.DB.cursor()
+        cur.execute("SELECT * FROM properties WHERE name = ?", (name,))
+        res = cur.fetchone()
+        if res is None:
+            return default
+        col_names = [column[0] for column in cur.description]
+        return dict(zip(col_names, res))
+
+    def m_time(self, name, default: int = 0) -> int:
+        """Last modification time of this property."""
+        res = self.DB.execute(self.SQL_M_TIME, (name,)).fetchone()
+        if res is None:
+            return default
+        return int(res[0])
+
+    def create_schema(self, conn):
+        with conn:
+            conn.execute(self.DDL_PROPERTIES)