File systems are just one approach to storage. Databases can use file systems, block devices, or object-based storage (such as distributed storage systems, e.g.

File systems are just one approach to storage. Databases can use file systems, block devices, or object-based storage (such as distributed storage systems, e.g. Ceph, Amazon S3). Traditional file systems are, by themselves, inadequate for many use case, as they don't provide things like versioning. The strength of the file system, is that much tooling already exists for it.