Databases vs Filesystem

The cluster centers on debates about whether to store data in databases (like SQLite or RDBMS) versus using the filesystem or flat files, weighing simplicity, performance, reliability, and overkill concerns.

📉 Falling 0.4x Databases
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#5784
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Keywords

MS e.g SQL XML RDBMS H5PY ACID JSON OP CRM database file files sqlite filesystem data databases store relational stored

Sample Comments

andix Feb 23, 2022 View on HN

Wouldn’t it be better to keep such files inside a database?

enriquto Mar 11, 2021 View on HN

Why "still" ? Is there anything wrong in using the filesystem as a database when it suits to do so ?

romeisendcoming Dec 27, 2018 View on HN

Why don't I just keep my data in a database then?

tuananh Sep 17, 2025 View on HN

but that big blob is a database. surely it's better than a json file right?

DoubleCluster May 22, 2013 View on HN

Couldn't you just use sqlite with blobs? Or, you know, use files?

LeoPanthera Sep 26, 2017 View on HN

How is NoSQL better than simply using the filesystem?

Derbasti Sep 12, 2017 View on HN

It seems like the OP really wants to use a database instead of a file system.

rafaelmn Sep 8, 2025 View on HN

Why even have a database - let's just keep the data in CSVs, we can grep it easily, it's all bytes on a disk.

djhn Aug 11, 2024 View on HN

Why not sqlite? put the json in a single column, maybe copy some parts of it or metadata to another two or three. Should be faster than the filesystem for reading multiple rows.

vbezhenar Jun 1, 2016 View on HN

I don't agree that it's easier to store them in filesystem. You'll have to deal with a lot of potential problems: consistency, backup, transactions, replication, corruption. Database solves those problems automatically and as long as you can store everything there, you better do that. Good databases are not that bad at storing blobs.