[wp-hackers] SQLite support for WP

[Doug Stewart]

So Matt's earlier contributions to the "Alt DB" thread got me to
thinking - I think there's quite a bit of merit to supporting SQLite,
EVEN in situations where the background DB is MySQL.

Here's how I see it:

SQLite allows for "real" relational DB features in what is essentially
a file-based format.  For smaller sites, the performance gains
realized by hosting the DB on the same server as the WP install itself
could be considerable (much of the slowdown for my site on Dreamhost
seems to originate in slow-to-the-DB-server performance, for
instance).  SQLite _also_ allows for essentially on-the-fly backups
simply by saving the DB files themselves - no mysqldump, no
phpMyAdmin, no WP-to-XML export necessary.   If we could architect a
"write/read the entire contents of WP to/from SQLite" solution, we
could essentially work around all of the backup folderol we've seen
recently.  This would also allow for all plugin-created data to be
backed up easily.

Downsides: ALL plugins would have to use some sort of DB abstraction
layer in order to take advantage of said features, and we have enough
problems getting people to use $wpdb already (how many raw SQL queries
have you seen in plugins recently?).  SQLite isn't a given in all
hosting environments, although most people with command-line access to
their setup could potentially utilize a self-installed version.

I definitely think SQLite support (as opposed to ADOdb, Oracle,
Postgres, DB2, etc.) is worth looking into, if not actively pursuing.

-Doug

http://literalbarrage.org/blog/