diff --git a/common/basecomponent/base.go b/common/basecomponent/base.go
index f7a02a304..7d6ef9721 100644
--- a/common/basecomponent/base.go
+++ b/common/basecomponent/base.go
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import (
 	"database/sql"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
+	"net/url"
 
 	"golang.org/x/crypto/ed25519"
 
@@ -68,7 +69,13 @@ func NewBaseDendrite(cfg *config.Dendrite, componentName string) *BaseDendrite {
 		logrus.WithError(err).Panicf("failed to start opentracing")
 	}
 
-	kafkaConsumer, kafkaProducer := setupKafka(cfg)
+	var kafkaConsumer sarama.Consumer
+	var kafkaProducer sarama.SyncProducer
+	if cfg.Kafka.UseNaffka {
+		kafkaConsumer, kafkaProducer = setupNaffka(cfg)
+	} else {
+		kafkaConsumer, kafkaProducer = setupKafka(cfg)
+	}
 
 	return &BaseDendrite{
 		componentName: componentName,
@@ -186,28 +193,8 @@ func (b *BaseDendrite) SetupAndServeHTTP(bindaddr string, listenaddr string) {
 	logrus.Infof("Stopped %s server on %s", b.componentName, addr)
 }
 
-// setupKafka creates kafka consumer/producer pair from the config. Checks if
-// should use naffka.
+// setupKafka creates kafka consumer/producer pair from the config.
 func setupKafka(cfg *config.Dendrite) (sarama.Consumer, sarama.SyncProducer) {
-	if cfg.Kafka.UseNaffka {
-		db, err := sql.Open("postgres", string(cfg.Database.Naffka))
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to open naffka database")
-		}
-
-		naffkaDB, err := naffka.NewPostgresqlDatabase(db)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to setup naffka database")
-		}
-
-		naff, err := naffka.New(naffkaDB)
-		if err != nil {
-			logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to setup naffka")
-		}
-
-		return naff, naff
-	}
-
 	consumer, err := sarama.NewConsumer(cfg.Kafka.Addresses, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		logrus.WithError(err).Panic("failed to start kafka consumer")
@@ -220,3 +207,44 @@ func setupKafka(cfg *config.Dendrite) (sarama.Consumer, sarama.SyncProducer) {
 
 	return consumer, producer
 }
+
+// setupNaffka creates kafka consumer/producer pair from the config.
+func setupNaffka(cfg *config.Dendrite) (sarama.Consumer, sarama.SyncProducer) {
+	var err error
+	var db *sql.DB
+	var naffkaDB *naffka.DatabaseImpl
+
+	uri, err := url.Parse(string(cfg.Database.Naffka))
+	if err != nil || uri.Scheme == "postgres" {
+		db, err = sql.Open("postgres", string(cfg.Database.Naffka))
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to open naffka database")
+		}
+
+		naffkaDB, err = naffka.NewPostgresqlDatabase(db)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to setup naffka database")
+		}
+	} else if uri.Scheme == "file" {
+		db, err = sql.Open("sqlite3", string(cfg.Database.Naffka))
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to open naffka database")
+		}
+
+		naffkaDB, err = naffka.NewSqliteDatabase(db)
+		if err != nil {
+			logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to setup naffka database")
+		}
+	}
+
+	if naffkaDB == nil {
+		panic("naffka connection string not understood")
+	}
+
+	naff, err := naffka.New(naffkaDB)
+	if err != nil {
+		logrus.WithError(err).Panic("Failed to setup naffka")
+	}
+
+	return naff, naff
+}
diff --git a/go.mod b/go.mod
index f362819ef..2a45fc316 100644
--- a/go.mod
+++ b/go.mod
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/matrix-org/dugong v0.0.0-20171220115018-ea0a4690a0d5
 	github.com/matrix-org/gomatrix v0.0.0-20190528120928-7df988a63f26
 	github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib v0.0.0-20200124100636-0c2ec91d1df5
-	github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127181638-7bc0d2da4cbf
+	github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127193556-abd5119028e1
 	github.com/matrix-org/util v0.0.0-20171127121716-2e2df66af2f5
 	github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3 v2.0.2+incompatible
 	github.com/miekg/dns v1.1.12 // indirect
@@ -39,3 +39,5 @@ require (
 	gopkg.in/h2non/bimg.v1 v1.0.18
 	gopkg.in/yaml.v2 v2.2.2
 )
+
+go 1.13
diff --git a/go.sum b/go.sum
index 829066b85..c41e20720 100644
--- a/go.sum
+++ b/go.sum
@@ -73,6 +73,12 @@ github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib v0.0.0-20200124100636-0c2ec91d1df5 h1:km
 github.com/matrix-org/gomatrixserverlib v0.0.0-20200124100636-0c2ec91d1df5/go.mod h1:FsKa2pWE/bpQql9H7U4boOPXFoJX/QcqaZZ6ijLkaZI=
 github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127181638-7bc0d2da4cbf h1:yI/mCJkuBCNmYfTxrh65yMv1cZ1Sv3pRupBcQgawAOc=
 github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127181638-7bc0d2da4cbf/go.mod h1:cXoYQIENbdWIQHt1SyCo6Bl3C3raHwJ0wgVrXHSqf+A=
+github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127184217-922c1d71368e h1:/L+cpenI6bCYTo2Ljp/o+0027MfxQOm33OvxgX0uoCc=
+github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127184217-922c1d71368e/go.mod h1:cXoYQIENbdWIQHt1SyCo6Bl3C3raHwJ0wgVrXHSqf+A=
+github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127185919-42bbc99f1dae h1:UAZ91pICTaJKQCTEUeICHvZ1Ttfsi7+Pxx5mkB+1uwA=
+github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127185919-42bbc99f1dae/go.mod h1:cXoYQIENbdWIQHt1SyCo6Bl3C3raHwJ0wgVrXHSqf+A=
+github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127193556-abd5119028e1 h1:JgIX6fkFwEzVMWE8hf71blUeE67PBuv0M3gR7JqnYUY=
+github.com/matrix-org/naffka v0.0.0-20200127193556-abd5119028e1/go.mod h1:cXoYQIENbdWIQHt1SyCo6Bl3C3raHwJ0wgVrXHSqf+A=
 github.com/matrix-org/util v0.0.0-20171127121716-2e2df66af2f5 h1:W7l5CP4V7wPyPb4tYE11dbmeAOwtFQBTW0rf4OonOS8=
 github.com/matrix-org/util v0.0.0-20171127121716-2e2df66af2f5/go.mod h1:lePuOiXLNDott7NZfnQvJk0lAZ5HgvIuWGhel6J+RLA=
 github.com/mattn/go-sqlite3 v2.0.2+incompatible h1:qzw9c2GNT8UFrgWNDhCTqRqYUSmu/Dav/9Z58LGpk7U=