How can I optimize disk usage when archiving old casino game discussion threads?

first compress ancient threads using something like 7zip or WinRAR, which will save much disk space; we should be able to automate that with scripts. Next, move the archived threads to one of the cloud storage providers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) Glacier or Google Cloud Storage, where it belongs – and which is far less expensive than just adding more hard disks to the server. Then create a redirect mechanism or archive search page to let users access the material easily. Also, perform a regular “pruning” of spam and useless posts before archiving them – I’m not kidding, this will save you both space and effort. Finally, slice the archive into individual years – it’s much easier to handle an archive file that contains only the content from 2013 than one that contains everything from 2008 through 2013.

- Please use .zip or .7z archives for all old threads, particularly inactive ones. This will reduce file size considerably.

- Create a “read-only” archive forum, perhaps on a subdomain. Dump the old threads there.

- Store your data in a cloud-based, long-term storage service such as Amazon Web Services’ Glacier or the Google Cloud Archive – these are very inexpensive if you do not need to access your data frequently.

- Delete all unnecessary posts (spam, etc.) before archiving. You will save a lot of space.

- Schedule backups, and perhaps run a de-duping program.

Zip or rar your old threads, file them away in another directory, and keep the most recent 6-12 months active on your server; add a search function that retrieves archived threads dynamically when users search through old data; if you’re desperate for a savings, use cloud storage for the archive – cheap, reliable, and easy to scale; just make sure you have good backups before you do so. Done right, you’ll reduce hardware and maintenance expenses, and keep things clean.

gzip or zstd any old threads. They don’t change much and will compress nicely. Move any stale threads to a read-only database (SQLite or even json) to remove them from the main database and keep them around. Add an archive page that then fetches them via ajax calls. If you’re feeling adventurous you could even gzip old threads and serve them out as downloadable files. Your users can still go back in time without making your site fat,