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.