Storing Data

Each smallweb app has write access to a data directory at the root of the app dir. This is a good place to store data that your app needs to persist between requests.

Storing Files

You can use the Deno standard library to read and write files in the data directory.

Using a json file as a database

The lowdb library is a good choice for small apps. It allows you to use a json file as a database.

import { JSONFilePreset } from "npm:lowdb/node"

const db = await JSONFilePreset('data/db.json', { posts: [] })

// read existing posts
console.log(db.data.posts)

// add new post
const post = { id: 1, title: 'lowdb is awesome', views: 100 }

// In two steps
db.data.posts.push(post)
await db.write()

// Or in one
await db.update(({ posts }) => posts.push(post))

Sqlite

If you need a more robust database, you can use the node:sqlite package.

import { DatabaseSync } from 'node:sqlite';

// Open a database
const db = new DatabaseSync('data/test.db');

// Create table
db.exec(`
  CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS people (
    id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY AUTOINCREMENT,
    name TEXT
  ) STRICT
`);

// Insert data
const insert = db.prepare('INSERT INTO people (name) VALUES (?)');
for (const name of ["Peter Parker", "Clark Kent", "Bruce Wayne"]) {
  insert.run(name);
}

// Query and print data
const query = db.prepare('SELECT name FROM people');
const results = query.all();
for (const row of results) {
  console.log(row.name);
}

Using an external database

Of course, you can also use an external service to store your data. I personally recommend Turso, which has a generous free tier.