Difference between file system and database system with an example

"They're the same"

Yes, storing data is just storing data. At the end of the day, you have files. You can store lots of stuff in lots of files & folders, there are situations where this will be the way. There is a well-known versioning solution (svn) that finally ended up using a filesystem-based model to store data, ditching their BerkeleyDB. Rare but happens. More info.

"They're quite different"

In a database, you have options you don't have with files. Imagine a textfile (something like tsv/csv) with 99999 rows. Now try to:

• Insert a column. It's painful, you have to alter each row and read+write the whole file.
• Find a row. You either scan the whole file or build an index yourself.
• Delete a row. Find row, then read+write everything after it.
• Reorder columns. Again, full read+write.
• Sort rows. Full read, some kind of sort - then do it next time all over.

There are lots of other good points but these are the first mountains you're trying to climb when you think of a file based db alternative. Those guys programmed all this for you, it's yours to use; think of the likely (most frequent) scenarios, enumerate all possible actions you want to perform on your data, and decide which one works better for you. Think in benefits, not fashion.

Again, if you're storing JPG pictures and only ever look for them by one key (their id maybe?), a well-thought filesystem storage is better. Filesystems, btw, are close to databases today, as many of them use a balanced tree approach, so on a BTRFS you can just put all your pictures in one folder - and the OS will silently implement something like an early SQL query each time you access your files.

So, database or files?...
Let's see a few typical examples when one is better than the other. (These are no complete lists, surely you can stuff in a lot more on both sides.)

DB tables are much better when:

• You want to store many rows with the exact same structure (no block waste)
• You need lightning-fast lookup / sorting by more than one value (indexed tables)
• You need atomic transactions (data safety)
• Your users will read/write the same data all the time (better locking)

Filesystem is way better if:

• You like to use version control on your data (a nightmare with dbs)
• You have big chunks of data that grow frequently (typically, logfiles)
• You want other apps to access your data without API (like text editors)
• You want to store lots of binary content (pictures or mp3s)

TL;DR

Programming rarely says "never" or "always". Those who say "database always wins" or "files always win" probably just don't know enough. Think of the possible actions (now + future), consider both ways, and choose the fastest / most efficient for the case. That's it.

Difference Between File System and DBMS

The main difference between file system and DBMS is that the file system helps to store a collection of raw data files into the hard disk while the DBMS helps to easily store, retrieve and manipulate data in a database.

A file system is a software that manages the data files in a computer system. On the other hand, DBMS is a software to create and manage databases. Handling a file system is easier than DBMS, but the DBMS provides more advantages than a file system.

Difference Between File System and DBMS

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