What are the potential drawbacks of using a text file as a data storage method in PHP, as opposed to using a database?

One potential drawback of using a text file as a data storage method in PHP is that it can be slower and less efficient when handling large amounts of data compared to a database. Additionally, text files do not offer the same level of data querying and manipulation capabilities as databases. To address this issue, consider using a database system like MySQL or SQLite for more efficient data storage and retrieval. 

// Example of using SQLite for data storage in PHP
// Connect to SQLite database
$db = new SQLite3('database.db');

// Create a table
$db->exec('CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY, name TEXT, email TEXT)');

// Insert data into the table
$db->exec("INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES ('John Doe', 'john@example.com')");

// Query data from the table
$results = $db->query('SELECT * FROM users');

// Display the results
while ($row = $results->fetchArray()) {
    echo $row['name'] . ' - ' . $row['email'] . '<br>';
}

// Close the database connection
$db->close();

Keywords

text file data storage PHP database drawbacks

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