What is a .DB-JOURNAL file?
A .DB-JOURNAL file is a special kind of temporary file used by SQLite, which is a way for computers and apps to organize and store data. Think of SQLite like a digital filing cabinet where information is neatly stored in different drawers (databases). When an app wants to change something in one of these drawers, it creates a .DB-JOURNAL file. This file is like a safety net. It remembers the current state of the drawer before any changes are made. Why is this important? Imagine you're rearranging your room and halfway through, you have to leave everything and run out. If you've taken a before photo, you'll know exactly how to put everything back the way it was. That's what the .DB-JOURNAL file does for the database. If the app crashes or stops working while it's making changes, this file helps put everything back to how it was, preventing loss of data.
You might be curious about opening a .DB-JOURNAL file to see what's inside. However, these files aren't meant to be opened by us. They're just for the SQLite system to use as part of its internal workings. Once the changes to the database are successfully made, the .DB-JOURNAL file has done its job and gets deleted, as it's no longer needed.
The creation of .DB-JOURNAL files is part of what's called the atomic commit feature in SQLite. This fancy term just means that all the changes the app wants to make to the database are done in one go. If anything goes wrong during this process, the .DB-JOURNAL file steps in to undo the changes, keeping the database safe and sound.
These files are always found in the same place as the main database file (.DB) they are associated with and share the same name, just with "-journal" added at the end. So, if you have a database file named "shoppinglist.db," the .DB-JOURNAL file would be named "shoppinglist.db-journal" while changes are being made. Remember, seeing a .DB-JOURNAL file is a sign that changes are currently happening or something didn't go as planned, and it should disappear on its own once everything is back to normal.
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