cstack/db_tutorial
Db Tutorial
This project is an educational implementation of a relational database engine written in C. It functions as a SQLite clone, demonstrating the internal mechanics of a database system through a C-based systems project that focuses on manual memory management and file I/O.
The engine is distinguished by its use of a bytecode virtual machine, which executes database operations by compiling SQL statements into low-level instructions. It utilizes a B-tree database engine to organize records in a balanced tree structure, ensuring efficient insertion, search, and range scanning.
The system covers core database internals, including SQL compilation workflows, disk-based persistence, and B-tree indexing with recursive node traversal and node splitting. It also implements data cursor management for navigating result sets.
Features
- Relational Database Engines - Implements a complete relational database engine from scratch, including storage, indexing, and query execution.
- Disk-Persistent Data Structures - Implements disk-persistent data structures that map the B-Tree directly to a binary file for durability.
- Educational Database Systems - Designed as an educational project to demonstrate the internal mechanics of relational databases and storage engines.
- SQL-to-Bytecode Compilation - Translates SQL text into a custom bytecode format for execution by a virtual machine.
- SQLite Clones - Implements a relational database engine in C that clones the SQLite architecture from scratch.
- B-Tree - Implements a B-Tree storage system that maps data directly to a binary file for durable disk-based storage.
- C Systems Programming - Written in C with a focus on manual memory management and direct file I/O for database internals.
- Manual Memory Management - Employs explicit memory allocation and deallocation in C to precisely control on-disk data layout.
- Source-to-Bytecode Compilers - Translates structured SQL text into low-level executable bytecode for the virtual machine.
- Bytecode Virtual Machines - Provides a custom bytecode virtual machine to execute compiled SQL instructions.
- Database Implementations - Provides a step-by-step implementation of a database to demonstrate SQL compilation and disk persistence.
- Cursor-Based Iteration - Implements cursors for traversing and iterating through records within the storage engine.
- Single-File Persistence - Encapsulates the entire database system and its data within a single portable binary file.
- SQL Statement Parsing - Translates SQL text into an internal bytecode representation through a parsing phase.
- Node Splitting - Maintains B-Tree balance by dividing full nodes and updating parent pointers during data insertion.
- Recursive Search Traversals - Provides recursive tree traversal logic to navigate from the root node down to the leaf nodes for record lookup.
- Systems Implementation Projects - A low-level implementation focusing on manual memory management and file I/O to build database internals.
- B-Tree Traversals - Implements recursive traversal from root to leaf nodes to locate specific keys or ranges.
