Why is using a database recommended over text files for storing chat messages in a PHP chat program, especially when considering concurrency and data integrity?

Using a database is recommended over text files for storing chat messages in a PHP chat program because databases provide better concurrency control and data integrity. Databases allow for simultaneous read and write operations without the risk of data corruption or loss. Additionally, databases offer features like transactions and indexing for faster and more efficient data retrieval. 

// Connect to the database
$servername = "localhost";
$username = "username";
$password = "password";
$dbname = "chat_db";

$conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);

// Check connection
if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

// Insert chat message into the database
$message = "Hello, how are you?";
$user_id = 1;

$sql = "INSERT INTO chat_messages (user_id, message) VALUES ('$user_id', '$message')";

if ($conn->query($sql) === TRUE) {
    echo "New record created successfully";
} else {
    echo "Error: " . $sql . "<br>" . $conn->error;
}

$conn->close();

Keywords

database text files chat messages concurrency data integrity

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