diff --git a/waku/node.go b/waku/node.go
index 2f772ff5..3662623a 100644
--- a/waku/node.go
+++ b/waku/node.go
@@ -80,9 +80,9 @@ func freePort() (int, error) {
 }
 
 func validateDBUrl(val string) error {
-	matched, err := regexp.Match(`^[\w\+]+:\/\/[\w\/\\\.\:\@]+$`, []byte(val))
+	matched, err := regexp.Match(`^[\w\+]+:\/\/[\w\/\\\.\:\@]+\?.*$`, []byte(val))
 	if !matched || err != nil {
-		return errors.New("invalid 'db url' option format")
+		return errors.New("invalid db url option format")
 	}
 	return nil
 }
@@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ func Execute(options Options) {
 		dbEngine := dbURLParts[0]
 		dbParams := dbURLParts[1]
 		switch dbEngine {
-		case "sqlite":
+		case "sqlite3":
 			db, err = sqlite.NewDB(dbParams)
 			failOnErr(err, "Could not connect to DB")
 			logger.Info("using database: ", zap.String("path", dbParams))
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func Execute(options Options) {
 	if options.Metrics.Enable {
 		metricsServer = metrics.NewMetricsServer(options.Metrics.Address, options.Metrics.Port, logger)
 		go metricsServer.Start()
-		wmetrics.RecordVersion(context.Background(), node.Version, node.GitCommit)
+		wmetrics.RecordVersion(ctx, node.Version, node.GitCommit)
 	}
 
 	nodeOpts := []node.WakuNodeOption{
diff --git a/waku/persistence/sqlite/sqlite.go b/waku/persistence/sqlite/sqlite.go
index 3185defa..b80c59c4 100644
--- a/waku/persistence/sqlite/sqlite.go
+++ b/waku/persistence/sqlite/sqlite.go
@@ -87,7 +87,10 @@ func (q Queries) GetSize() string {
 
 // WithDB is a DBOption that lets you use a sqlite3 DBStore.
 func WithDB(path string) persistence.DBOption {
-	return persistence.WithDriver("sqlite3", path)
+	return persistence.WithDriver("sqlite3", path, persistence.ConnectionPoolOptions{
+		// Disable concurrent access as not supported by the driver
+		MaxOpenConnections: 1,
+	})
 }
 
 // NewDB creates a sqlite3 DB in the specified path
@@ -96,6 +99,10 @@ func NewDB(path string) (*sql.DB, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+
+	// Disable concurrent access as not supported by the driver
+	db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
+
 	return db, nil
 }
 
diff --git a/waku/persistence/store.go b/waku/persistence/store.go
index dc922cae..5958af85 100644
--- a/waku/persistence/store.go
+++ b/waku/persistence/store.go
@@ -64,13 +64,28 @@ func WithDB(db *sql.DB) DBOption {
 	}
 }
 
+type ConnectionPoolOptions struct {
+	MaxOpenConnections    int
+	MaxIdleConnections    int
+	ConnectionMaxLifetime time.Duration
+	ConnectionMaxIdleTime time.Duration
+}
+
 // WithDriver is a DBOption that will open a *sql.DB connection
-func WithDriver(driverName string, datasourceName string) DBOption {
+func WithDriver(driverName string, datasourceName string, connectionPoolOptions ...ConnectionPoolOptions) DBOption {
 	return func(d *DBStore) error {
 		db, err := sql.Open(driverName, datasourceName)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+
+		if len(connectionPoolOptions) != 0 {
+			db.SetConnMaxIdleTime(connectionPoolOptions[0].ConnectionMaxIdleTime)
+			db.SetConnMaxLifetime(connectionPoolOptions[0].ConnectionMaxLifetime)
+			db.SetMaxIdleConns(connectionPoolOptions[0].MaxIdleConnections)
+			db.SetMaxOpenConns(connectionPoolOptions[0].MaxOpenConnections)
+		}
+
 		d.db = db
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -119,31 +134,8 @@ func NewDBStore(log *zap.Logger, options ...DBOption) (*DBStore, error) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// Disable concurrent access as not supported by the driver
-	result.db.SetMaxOpenConns(1)
-
-	var seq string
-	var name string
-	var file string // file will be empty if DB is :memory"
-	err := result.db.QueryRow("PRAGMA database_list").Scan(&seq, &name, &file)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-
-	// readers do not block writers and faster i/o operations
-	// https://www.sqlite.org/draft/wal.html
-	// must be set after db is encrypted
-	var mode string
-	err = result.db.QueryRow("PRAGMA journal_mode=WAL").Scan(&mode)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	if mode != WALMode && file != "" {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to set journal_mode to WAL. actual mode %s", mode)
-	}
-
 	if result.enableMigrations {
-		err = migrations.Migrate(result.db)
+		err := migrations.Migrate(result.db)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}