How to store a PDF file in MySQL database?

Question

How to store a PDF file in a MySQL database using PHP?

Answer 1

Using BLOB (Binary Large Object) (longblob datatype)

$fileHandle = fopen($fileUpload, "r");
$fileContent = fread($fileHandle, $fileUpload_size);
$fileContent = addslashes($fileContent);
$dbQuery = "INSERT INTO myBlobs VALUES ";
$dbQuery .= "('$fileContent')";

The full tutorial available here

but it's strongly recommended to store files on the file system, and just add a reference in the DB (a field with the file path and name). Several reasons:

• Faster
• Easier to access (don't need any special application)
• Faster backups
• Less space

Answer 2

Use a type BLOB.

Here's an example in PHP