Apple built iCloud to store billions of databases (read.engineerscodex.com)

Article summary

The article discusses Apple's iCloud and its ability to store billions of databases. However, the article's content is not available, and the discussion is based on the comments. The comments reveal that iCloud's architecture is similar to a database, and some engineers argue that there is no fundamental difference between a database and a file system. The discussion explores the implications of this idea and its potential applications.

Main themes

• database vs file system
• iCloud architecture
• WinFS and database-like file systems
• querying and indexing
• versioning and ordering
• distributed systems and scalability

What commenters say

• Some engineers believe that a file system and a database are essentially the same thing, with the main difference being the optimization for specific problem sets.
• Others argue that there are significant differences between databases and file systems, particularly in terms of querying and indexing capabilities.
• The idea of a file system as a database has been explored in the past, with projects like WinFS, which aimed to create a database-like file system but was ultimately cancelled.
• Some commenters suggest that the distinction between databases and file systems is not as clear-cut as it seems, and that different use cases may require different approaches.
• The use of databases to store file metadata and the potential for file systems to be built on top of databases are also discussed.
• There is disagreement about the importance of querying and indexing in file systems, with some arguing that these features are not essential for most use cases.
• The concept of versionstamps and vector clocks is also mentioned, with some commenters discussing the differences between these two approaches to ordering and versioning data.