Question for you DBA types...

[Whooter]

I'm on another forum where for the longest time, they didn't allow images to be embedded in postings. Then a short while ago, they lifted the embargo. Now, they've been disallowed again, with the Admin citing Database Bloat as the reason.

 

I had always been under the impression that unless the pictures were being hosted directly on the same server as the forum software, that the database would see something in IMG tags exactly the same as something in URL tags, ie. simply an internet address. What the forum software chooses to do with that address (either access the address and display the picture, or turn it into a hotlink) shouldn't affect the size of the DB, should it?

 

Am I completely wrong?

[iainl]

Nope, the only way to cause database bloat is to add them as attachments, at which point (I'd imagine) they get stored as BLOb entries in the DB. If it's just an IMG tag, then it's just an IMG tag.

[Romier S]

Even then you can change where the attachments save so as to not cause DB bloat. It's a concern we had here when we started posting attachment pictures (instead of straight files), but Kelley changed that for us.

[Buck]

Even then you can change where the attachments save so as to not cause DB bloat. It's a concern we had here when we started posting attachment pictures (instead of straight [img'] files), but Kelley changed that for us.

 

This will cause the host to take a bandwidth hit, doesn't matter to us as we're swimming in it, but for other forums it can be a problem.