Google Sheets as a Free Lightweight Database

Google Sheets can serve as a lightweight database for small projects. It's completely free, requires no setup, and Apps Script provides the programming interface you need.

Why Use Google Sheets as a Database?

Free - No hosting costs or subscription fees
No setup - Works immediately without installation
Easy to manage - Visual interface for data viewing and editing
Automatic backups - Google handles data storage and recovery

Basic Database Structure

Structure your sheet like a database table:

// Example: Simple user database
// Column A: ID
// Column B: Name
// Column C: Email
// Column D: Created Date

CRUD Operations with Apps Script

Add Data (Create)

function addUser(name, email) {
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const lastRow = sheet.getLastRow() + 1;
  const id = Date.now().toString();
 
  sheet.getRange(lastRow, 1, 1, 4).setValues([[id, name, email, new Date()]]);
 
  return id;
}

Get Data (Read)

function getUser(email) {
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
 
  for (let i = 1; i < data.length; i++) {
    if (data[i][2] === email) {
      return {
        id: data[i][0],
        name: data[i][1],
        email: data[i][2],
        created: data[i][3],
      };
    }
  }
  return null;
}

Update Data

function updateUser(id, newName) {
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
 
  for (let i = 1; i < data.length; i++) {
    if (data[i][0] === id) {
      sheet.getRange(i + 1, 2).setValue(newName);
      return true;
    }
  }
  return false;
}

Delete Data

function deleteUser(id) {
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
 
  for (let i = 1; i < data.length; i++) {
    if (data[i][0] === id) {
      sheet.deleteRow(i + 1);
      return true;
    }
  }
  return false;
}

Simple Automation Example

function sendWelcomeEmail() {
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const lastRow = sheet.getLastRow();
  const userData = sheet.getRange(lastRow, 1, 1, 4).getValues()[0];
 
  const [id, name, email] = userData;
 
  GmailApp.sendEmail(email, "Welcome!", `Hi ${name}, your ID is ${id}`);
}

Web API Integration

function doPost(e) {
  const data = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);
 
  if (data.action === "add") {
    const id = addUser(data.name, data.email);
    return ContentService.createTextOutput(
      JSON.stringify({ success: true, id: id })
    ).setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.JSON);
  }
}

Limitations

Limitation	Workaround
10 million cells max	Archive old data
No complex queries	Use Apps Script filtering
Limited concurrent users	Keep operations simple

Real-World Example: Portfolio Links Database

Here's how I use Google Sheets as a database for my portfolio's links section:

Google Sheets Setup

Create a sheet with these columns:

Column A	Column B	Column C	Column D	Column E
title	link	description	category	image

Apps Script API

function doGet() {
  const sheet = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSheet();
  const data = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
  const headers = data[0];
 
  const links = data.slice(1).map((row) => {
    const link = {};
    headers.forEach((header, index) => {
      link[header] = row[index];
    });
    return link;
  });
 
  return ContentService.createTextOutput(
    JSON.stringify({
      success: true,
      data: links,
    })
  ).setMimeType(ContentService.MimeType.JSON);
}

Frontend Integration

// In your React component
const [linksData, setLinksData] = useState([]);
const API_URL = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SHEET_URLS;
 
const fetchLinks = async () => {
  const response = await fetch(API_URL);
  const data = await response.json();
 
  if (data.success) {
    setLinksData(data.data);
  }
};
 
// Render links
{
  linksData.map((link, index) => <LinkCard key={index} link={link} />);
}

Benefits of This Approach

Easy content management - Update links directly in Google Sheets
No database costs - Completely free solution
Non-technical friendly - Anyone can add/edit links
Instant updates - Changes reflect immediately on your site

Google Sheets works well for small databases up to thousands of records. It's perfect for prototypes, personal projects, or small business applications where you need a database without the complexity or cost of traditional solutions.