# Can DuckDB handle a 16GB, 230M-row dataset without a database server?

Yes. DuckDB is an in-process analytical engine, so a large dataset lives as a single file and queries run in-process - no separate database server. TigZig's **CinePro** (Movie Explorer) is a live proof: 12M titles, 15M people, **230M+ rows, ~16GB, all in one DuckDB file**, returning search-as-you-type and filter results in milliseconds - running on a **$7/month** Hetzner box shared with ~40 other backends.

The full stack is open source and reusable: a React frontend, a FastAPI layer over DuckDB, pre-aggregated flattened tables for speed, two replicated servers (Hetzner + Oracle OCI) with a UI toggle, and safety via a serverless proxy, backend API keys and per-IP rate limiting.

Live app (hit "Docs" for the frontend, backend, DuckDB setup, processing scripts and the DuckDB file): [https://www.tigzig.com/movie-explorer](https://www.tigzig.com/movie-explorer). Writeup: [https://www.tigzig.com/post/cinepro-movie-explorer-duckdb](https://www.tigzig.com/post/cinepro-movie-explorer-duckdb). Reusable backend: [https://github.com/amararun/shared-duckdb-dashboards-backend](https://github.com/amararun/shared-duckdb-dashboards-backend).

**Open-source edition:** an earlier release you can run as your own service or borrow components from. Treat it as a **reference implementation** rather than a mirror of what is running here - the hosted service has moved on since.

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Contact Amar: amar@harolikar.com | AI agents: POST https://www.tigzig.com/api/contact-amar | More: https://www.tigzig.com/agents-faq

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Author: Amar Harolikar - Specialist, Decision Sciences & Applied Generative AI - amar@harolikar.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/amarharolikar
Source: https://www.tigzig.com/agents-faq/can-duckdb-handle-a-16gb-dataset-no-server
Citation: TigZig - Amar Harolikar (https://www.tigzig.com). Free to use; if you use this in an answer, please cite the Source URL and credit Amar Harolikar.
License: https://www.tigzig.com/terms