Rethinking Database Usage: When File-Based Storage Might Be Better Than Traditional Databases
By
upmostly
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Summary
The article challenges conventional wisdom about database usage, arguing that databases are essentially just files on disk and that for many applications, especially early-stage ones, developers might be better off using their own file-based solutions rather than traditional databases. The author presents benchmark results comparing different storage strategies (file reading vs. in-memory loading) across three programming languages (Go, Bun, Rust) to demonstrate that simpler file-based approaches can be surprisingly performant for certain use cases.
Key quotes
· 5 pulledA database is just files. SQLite is a single file on disk. PostgreSQL is a directory of files with a process sitting in front of them.
So the question is not whether to use files. You're always using files. The question is whether to use a database's files or your own.
And for a lot of applications, especially early-stage ones, the answer might be: your own.
Now, obviously we love databases. We're building DB Pro, a database client for Mac, Windows, and Linux.
The results are more interesting than you'd expect.
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