> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://mariadb.com/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types.md).

# String Data Types

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/bXtsYn8vqCKJB69Pb58p" %}
[BLOB and TEXT Data Types](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/blob-and-text-data-types.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Overview of large object types. This page compares BLOB (binary) and TEXT (character) types, explaining their storage and usage differences.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/zX23viFzHayYHUhOLVBu" %}
[BINARY](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/binary.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Fixed-length binary string type. This type stores a fixed number of bytes, padding with zero bytes if the data is shorter.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/XITpxP2qZHwlZS92PiMZ" %}
[BLOB](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/blob.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Variable-length binary large object. BLOB columns can store binary data up to 65,535 bytes, suitable for images or other non-text files.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/pyTXulSvT8y5hbqF3KZN" %}
[CHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/char.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Fixed-length character string type. CHAR columns store strings of a specified length (0 to 255), padding with spaces if necessary.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/Wb7Oigq7nErWm8D5MeHZ" %}
[CHARACTER](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Fixed-length character string type. CHARACTER columns store strings of a specified length (0 to 255), padding with spaces if necessary.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/wavwgwAfGsgSI25SDBoU" %}
[CHAR BYTE](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/char-byte.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Fixed-length binary string type. This type stores a fixed number of bytes, padding with zero bytes if the data is shorter.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/brqTDaJHb1s9QM5bj7Yg" %}
[CHAR VARYING](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/char-varying.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
CHAR VARYING is a synonym for the VARCHAR string data type.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/hZFksPXpnLppD3K8hDEo" %}
[CLOB](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/clob.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
In Oracle mode, CLOB is an alias for the LONGTEXT data type used to store large text objects.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/IZFsQYXje76VjAILC5YJ" %}
[ENUM](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/enum.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Complete ENUM type reference: ENUM('v1','v2') syntax, CHARACTER SET/COLLATE options, NULL/empty string defaults, and numeric index sorting guidelines.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/wYjz5TuwDjOv1Y5HwJqQ" %}
[INET4](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/inet4.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
IPv4 address data type. Stores IPv4 addresses as 4-byte binary strings for efficient storage and retrieval.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/t0EnkVD7lPOITZUKC6r1" %}
[INET6](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/inet6.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
IPv6 address data type. Stores IPv6 addresses as 16-byte binary strings, also supporting IPv4 addresses via mapping.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/PTe7ELeJtXyk3vp6zNca" %}
[JSON Data Type](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/json.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Complete JSON Data Type data type guide for MariaDB. Complete reference for syntax, valid values, storage requirements, and range limits for production use.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/TNULB7QCSMiaYFCOjq30" %}
[LONG and LONG VARCHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-and-long-varchar.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
LONG and LONG VARCHAR are compatibility synonyms for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/7NK2w9UiBMeitpLJCzhW" %}
[LONG CHAR VARYING](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-char-varying.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
LONG CHAR VARYING is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/Va4wvOTayfTaghYEFoUS" %}
[LONG CHARACTER VARYING](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-character-varying.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
LONG CHARACTER VARYING is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/ZGlMMCL345Kmw4yxwkib" %}
[LONG VARBINARY](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-varbinary.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
LONG VARBINARY is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMBLOB binary data type.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/nyNCmMPXMTmZD5rzY1wU" %}
[LONG VARCHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-varchar.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
LONG VARCHAR is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/mm5FvOColWN7zasaUuen" %}
[LONG VARCHARACTER](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-varcharacter.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
LONG VARCHARACTER is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/xe0ToPfDfvgwmMKm9uw6" %}
[LONGBLOB](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/longblob.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Very large binary object. A LONGBLOB column can store up to 4GB of binary data.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/FVR37bS43nlJOVkOlYaz" %}
[LONGTEXT](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/longtext.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Complete LONGTEXT type reference: 4GB (2^32-1) storage limit, CHARACTER SET/COLLATE syntax, max\_allowed\_packet constraints, and JSON/CLOB aliases.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/kuEhvlE52AubbvvIJZnv" %}
[MEDIUMBLOB](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/mediumblob.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Medium-sized binary object. A MEDIUMBLOB column can store up to 16MB of binary data.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/Ljq1SlBkOq39iXrZ18Tr" %}
[MEDIUMTEXT](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/mediumtext.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Medium-sized character string. A MEDIUMTEXT column can store up to 16MB of text data.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/uI97g20d2zpc7kiPA4rV" %}
[NATIONAL CHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-char.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NATIONAL CHAR is a synonym for the CHAR data type that uses the predefined utf8mb3 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/qUZbb6phh2H2SH6L7kQf" %}
[NATIONAL CHAR VARYING](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-char-varying.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NATIONAL CHAR VARYING is a synonym for VARCHAR that uses the predefined utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/8SeMB8bpRJzojnJLDTMk" %}
[NATIONAL CHARACTER VARYING](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-character-varying.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NATIONAL CHARACTER VARYING is a synonym for VARCHAR using the predefined utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/XOzthrFW9w42Z12U5sKX" %}
[NATIONAL CHARACTER](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-character.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NATIONAL CHARACTER is a synonym for the CHAR data type using the predefined utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/WYO8vU8UYIbNVLNKRdHg" %}
[NATIONAL VARCHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-varchar.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NATIONAL VARCHAR is a synonym for the VARCHAR data type using the predefined utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/N04Rb2UBqvRtUzmcTViq" %}
[NATIONAL VARCHARACTER](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-varcharacter.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NATIONAL VARCHARACTER is a synonym for VARCHAR using the predefined utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/eNpCr4kyA4DnAG5Mo5NV" %}
[NCHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NCHAR is a synonym for the fixed-length CHAR string data type using the utf8mb3 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/vuSbUIxvkkjDtQ9GmLww" %}
[NCHAR VARCHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar-varchar.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NCHAR VARCHAR is a synonym for the VARCHAR string data type using the utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/u6Jv4WGNuxqzmjdrALTp" %}
[NCHAR VARCHARACTER](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar-varcharacter.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NCHAR VARCHARACTER is a synonym for VARCHAR using the utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/47yQwwPUDNI8nXd5zmGs" %}
[NCHAR VARYING](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar-varying.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
NCHAR VARYING is a synonym for the VARCHAR string data type using the utf8 character set.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/VR46tR9QQoHeA2iBBlm0" %}
[RAW](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/raw.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
In Oracle mode, RAW is a variable-length binary data type synonymous with VARBINARY.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/sYtFbfMxEqCEtJJYHTwb" %}
[ROW](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/row.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
ROW is a data type used in stored programs to store a complete row of data from a cursor or table.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/JKixHyHX5PjMO1kHRRQ5" %}
[SET Data Type](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/set-data-type.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
String object with zero or more values from a predefined list. A SET column can store multiple values selected from a list of permitted strings.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/aLwKPtK9QvaJCnikFa3T" %}
[TEXT](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/text.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Complete TEXT type reference: TEXT(M) syntax, 65,535 byte maximum, 2-byte length prefix, DEFAULT value support, and indexing constraints rules.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/oOTdmUstLLoxljDBaSJR" %}
[TINYBLOB](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/tinyblob.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Very small binary object. A TINYBLOB column can store up to 255 bytes of binary data.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/r16mh5QQwc3Z5mqifpb7" %}
[TINYTEXT](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/tinytext.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Very small character string. A TINYTEXT column can store up to 255 characters.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/FqxxPzru8smuwQvqsuUw" %}
[UUID Data Type](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/uuid-data-type.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Official UUID data type reference: 128-bit storage optimization, CAST from CHAR/VARCHAR/BINARY types, RFC4122 string format, and UUIDv6/v7 support.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/Hxmk5EWP2WkqsLbzvlSO" %}
[VARBINARY](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varbinary.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Variable-length binary string type. VARBINARY columns store binary strings of variable length up to a specified maximum.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/6T4WaR8lzJsTSvIaZDIB" %}
[VARCHAR](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varchar.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Complete VARCHAR reference: VARCHAR(M) syntax, length limits (0-65532 per row), CHARACTER SET/COLLATE options, indexing rules, and trailing spaces.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/WImRJ0YUHcVObRocstVF" %}
[VARCHAR2](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varchar2.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Variable-length character string type. VARCHAR2 columns store strings of variable length up to a specified maximum (up to 65,535).
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/MxCccEX01xee2OiJFICd" %}
[VARCHARACTER](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varcharacter.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Variable-length character string type. VARCHARACTER columns store strings of variable length up to a specified maximum (up to 65,535).
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/IvQjJRPiMf2EHmGfev6x" %}
[XMLTYPE](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/xmltype.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
The XMLTYPE data type, available from MariaDB 12.3, for storing XML data.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}

{% columns %}
{% column %}
{% content-ref url="/pages/3fPKibGVGLRZCiej6OXV" %}
[Character Sets and Collations](/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}
{% endcolumn %}

{% column %}
Learn about character sets in MariaDB Server. This section details how different character sets and collations impact string storage, comparison, and sorting within your database.
{% endcolumn %}
{% endcolumns %}