So, my hosting service has a limit of INODES on my server (index nodes). Each directory/file = 1 INODE. This might be a problem in the future as I want to implement file-sharing into my website. Couldn't I theoretically store the data of files into a MySQL database, then pull the data when a user requests a download? If this is possible, how would I do this in PHP?
A MySQL Skeleton:
TABLE: Files
ROWS: id, filename, data
Don't start storing stuff in the database just because of a restriction like this - there are serious downsides to the approach.
If you really expect your numbers to exceed what the provider allows anytime soon, change providers and/or rent a private server.
Most of the things discussed in this famous SO question:
Storing Images in DB - Yea or Nay?
apply to all file formats.