Why is it not recommended to store images as BLOB in a MySQL database, and what are the alternatives?

Storing images as BLOB in a MySQL database can lead to performance issues, as it increases the size of the database and can slow down queries. It is recommended to store images in a file system and store the file path in the database instead. This approach improves database performance and makes it easier to manage and retrieve images. 

// Example of storing image in file system and saving file path in database

// Save image to file system
$image = $_FILES['image']['tmp_name'];
$target_dir = "uploads/";
$target_file = $target_dir . basename($_FILES["image"]["name"]);
move_uploaded_file($image, $target_file);

// Save file path in database
$image_path = $target_file;
$query = "INSERT INTO images (image_path) VALUES ('$image_path')";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

Keywords

BLOB MySQL database images alternatives file system.

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