<p>I’m curious,&nbsp;for lightweight projects, I love SQLite because it needs no configuration. But I know many developers still prefer MySQL for scalability. What do you use and why?</p>

<p data-start="34" data-end="255">I mostly stick with <strong data-start="54" data-end="96">SQLite for small to medium communities</strong>, especially when the goal is simplicity and fast deployment. No server setup, a single file database, easy to back up, perfect for lightweight installations.</p> <p data-start="257" data-end="480">But when the forum grows, traffic increases, or you need multiple concurrent connections, <strong data-start="347" data-end="391">MySQL becomes the safer long-term choice</strong>. It handles heavy loads better, supports replication, and scales horizontally if needed.</p> <p data-start="482" data-end="492">So for me:</p> <p> <ul><li><strong data-start="496" data-end="539">SQLite → quick, clean, minimal projects</strong></li></ul> </p> <p> <ul><li><strong data-start="542" data-end="590">MySQL → large communities &amp; high concurrency</strong></li></ul> </p> <p data-start="592" data-end="664" data-is-last-node="" data-is-only-node="">Both are great — just depends on the size and future goals of the forum.</p>

<p>Very interestig...<br>Thank you!</p>

<p>With the SQLite vs MySQL am I correct in thinking that since PHP is not multithreaded on the server there can only be one access to the database at any moment with&nbsp;SQLite,&nbsp; which means concurrent issues disappear? I am new to PHP, so the answer may be obvious?</p>

<p data-path-to-node="4"><span class="citation-9">You are correct that a </span><em><span class="citation-9">single</span></em><span class="citation-9 citation-end-9"> PHP script runs one instruction at a time (it is single-threaded).<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c3598499094=""><sup _ngcontent-ng-c3598499094="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="1"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> However, your <strong>Web Server</strong> (like Apache or Nginx) is not.<sources-carousel-inline ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c3209871512=""><!----><source-inline-chips _ngcontent-ng-c3209871512="" _nghost-ng-c2631690858="" class="ng-star-inserted"><source-inline-chip _ngcontent-ng-c2631690858="" _nghost-ng-c1127455517="" class="ng-star-inserted"></source-inline-chip></source-inline-chips></sources-carousel-inline></p><p data-path-to-node="5">Think of it like a supermarket:</p><ul data-path-to-node="6"><li><p data-path-to-node="6,0,0"><strong>PHP is the Cashier:</strong> A single cashier can only scan one item at a time. They cannot scan two customers' carts simultaneously.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="6,1,0"><strong>The Web Server is the Store Manager:</strong> The manager opens <strong>many lanes</strong> (processes) at once.</p></li></ul><p data-path-to-node="7"><span class="citation-8">If 10 people visit your forum at the same time, the server assigns </span><strong><span class="citation-8">10 different PHP processes</span></strong><span class="citation-8 citation-end-8"> to handle them simultaneously.<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c3598499094=""><sup _ngcontent-ng-c3598499094="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="2"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> They are all running at the exact same millisecond.</p><p data-path-to-node="13"><span class="citation-6">By default, SQLite uses a "Rollback Journal" which is very strict (if one person writes, </span><em><span class="citation-6">nobody</span></em><span class="citation-6 citation-end-6"> else can read or write).<source-footnote ng-version="0.0.0-PLACEHOLDER" _nghost-ng-c3598499094=""><sup _ngcontent-ng-c3598499094="" class="superscript" data-turn-source-index="4"><!----></sup></source-footnote></span> You should switch to <strong>WAL (Write-Ahead Logging) Mode</strong>.</p><!----><!----><!----><!----><!----><ul data-path-to-node="14"><li><p data-path-to-node="14,0,0"><strong>Default Mode:</strong> 1 Writer <strong>OR</strong> Many Readers. (Writer blocks everyone).</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="14,1,0"><strong>WAL Mode:</strong> 1 Writer <strong>AND</strong> Many Readers. (Writer only blocks other writers).</p></li></ul><p data-path-to-node="15">This allows your forum to be readable by hundreds of people even while someone else is posting a comment.</p>