which databases support storing image?

scorpioy

I have installed Apache and mysql, but I heared that image storing is not supported by mysql. So does someone know what other databases support image, easily work with Apache and program with PHP?

Thanks

Mordecai

MySQL supports it. No database should be used for it.

drawmack

Weather or not to store images in a database is a religious debate.

Here is when I store images in a database. If they are going to be uploaded by the user and I do not have access to directories that are outside the document root. Then for security reasons the database is the only safe place to put uploaded files. In this case the binary data should be given it's own database and not stored with the other database info.

scorpioy

Originally posted by drawmack
If they are going to be uploaded by the user and I do not have access to directories that are outside the document root. Then for security reasons the database is the only safe place to put uploaded files. In this case the binary data should be given it's own database and not stored with the other database info.

Could you tell me where is the 'document root'? Are you talking about the root directory of Apache? Could you specify why it is a security problem to store image with other database info?

Thanks.

drawmack

The document root is the root directory of your website.

For example if your domain is mysite.com then when I browse to http://www.mysite.com I will see a web page. The folder that contains this page is your document root. Any directory out side of this directory is outside of your document root.

The reason it is a security issue if you store images in the file system under the document root is that if php can store images to a directory then it can also store other things. If the directory is under the document root then a use could exploit your script and store a php file in a this directory, then use their browser to browse to that page and execute their php code.

suepahfly

MySQL supports storing binairy date (like images)

You have to set the colmn type too 'BLOB' if i'm not mistaken

scorpioy

I looked at some articles. They say it has a faster performance to just store images on hard disk and put image's location and infomation in the database rather than store the image in the database. Moreover, binary files always have some unpredictable strange symbols that need to be escaped, which may often cause file corruption after retrieving from the database. Are these correct?

Does someone know how to retrieve the image by looking at the image's path and information from the database and then show it onto the webpage?

Thanks.