[PHP-DB] Serve images from files, or db?
Assuming an image isn't necessarily graphical (i.e. it could be a downloadable file of any type), what are the considerations with regard to serving binary data out of BLOBs versus recording filenames or URLs in a table and serving them up by reference? I've got two slightly different projects that will need to do this. The first is a software download site whose users buy access that lets them download a single file. There will probably be only 40 or 50 files in the collection, updated every few weeks. Users will log in multiple times to get updates to the files to which they've got subscriptions. The second project has to provide more complex fraud screening -- i.e. stop a file from being downloaded by the same user account from too many different IP addresses in a given time -- but every user has equal access to all the files in the collection. What should I be considering when coming up with a strategy for these two projects? What are the strengths and weaknesses of storing files in a BLOB versus storing pointers to those files? Thanks. :) -- Paul Chvostek [EMAIL PROTECTED] Operations / Abuse / Whatever it.canada, hosting and development http://www.it.ca/ -- PHP Database Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
Re: [PHP-DB] Serve images from files, or db?
On Tuesday 31 December 2002 16:39, Paul Chvostek wrote: Assuming an image isn't necessarily graphical (i.e. it could be a downloadable file of any type), what are the considerations with regard to serving binary data out of BLOBs versus recording filenames or URLs in a table and serving them up by reference? I've got two slightly different projects that will need to do this. The first is a software download site whose users buy access that lets them download a single file. There will probably be only 40 or 50 files in the collection, updated every few weeks. Users will log in multiple times to get updates to the files to which they've got subscriptions. The second project has to provide more complex fraud screening -- i.e. stop a file from being downloaded by the same user account from too many different IP addresses in a given time -- but every user has equal access to all the files in the collection. What should I be considering when coming up with a strategy for these two projects? What are the strengths and weaknesses of storing files in a BLOB versus storing pointers to those files? The pros and cons have been covered many times before. Check out the archives. -- Jason Wong - Gremlins Associates - www.gremlins.biz Open Source Software Systems Integrators * Web Design Hosting * Internet Intranet Applications Development * /* Life is a concentration camp. You're stuck here and there's no way out and you can only rage impotently against your persecutors. -- Woody Allen */ -- PHP Database Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
