# String Data Types - [BLOB and TEXT Data Types](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/blob-and-text-data-types.md): Overview of large object types. This page compares BLOB (binary) and TEXT (character) types, explaining their storage and usage differences. - [BINARY](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/binary.md): Fixed-length binary string type. This type stores a fixed number of bytes, padding with zero bytes if the data is shorter. - [BLOB](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/blob.md): Variable-length binary large object. BLOB columns can store binary data up to 65,535 bytes, suitable for images or other non-text files. - [CHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/char.md): Fixed-length character string type. CHAR columns store strings of a specified length (0 to 255), padding with spaces if necessary. - [CHARACTER](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character.md): Fixed-length character string type. CHARACTER columns store strings of a specified length (0 to 255), padding with spaces if necessary. - [CHAR BYTE](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/char-byte.md): Fixed-length binary string type. This type stores a fixed number of bytes, padding with zero bytes if the data is shorter. - [CHAR VARYING](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/char-varying.md) - [CLOB](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/clob.md): In Oracle mode, CLOB is an alias for the LONGTEXT data type used to store large text objects. - [ENUM](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/enum.md): Complete ENUM type reference: ENUM('v1','v2') syntax, CHARACTER SET/COLLATE options, NULL/empty string defaults, and numeric index sorting guidelines. - [INET4](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/inet4.md): IPv4 address data type. Stores IPv4 addresses as 4-byte binary strings for efficient storage and retrieval. - [INET6](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/inet6.md): IPv6 address data type. Stores IPv6 addresses as 16-byte binary strings, also supporting IPv4 addresses via mapping. - [JSON Data Type](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/json.md): Complete JSON Data Type data type guide for MariaDB. Complete reference for syntax, valid values, storage requirements, and range limits for production use. - [LONG and LONG VARCHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-and-long-varchar.md): LONG and LONG VARCHAR are compatibility synonyms for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type. - [LONG CHAR VARYING](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-char-varying.md): LONG CHAR VARYING is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type. - [LONG CHARACTER VARYING](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-character-varying.md): LONG CHARACTER VARYING is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type. - [LONG VARBINARY](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-varbinary.md): LONG VARBINARY is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMBLOB binary data type. - [LONG VARCHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-varchar.md): LONG VARCHAR is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type. - [LONG VARCHARACTER](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/long-varcharacter.md): LONG VARCHARACTER is a compatibility synonym for the MEDIUMTEXT string data type. - [LONGBLOB](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/longblob.md): Very large binary object. A LONGBLOB column can store up to 4GB of binary data. - [LONGTEXT](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/longtext.md): Complete LONGTEXT type reference: 4GB (2^32-1) storage limit, CHARACTER SET/COLLATE syntax, max\_allowed\_packet constraints, and JSON/CLOB aliases. - [MEDIUMBLOB](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/mediumblob.md): Medium-sized binary object. A MEDIUMBLOB column can store up to 16MB of binary data. - [MEDIUMTEXT](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/mediumtext.md): Medium-sized character string. A MEDIUMTEXT column can store up to 16MB of text data. - [NATIONAL CHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-char.md): NATIONAL CHAR is a synonym for the CHAR data type that uses the predefined utf8 character set. - [NATIONAL CHAR VARYING](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-char-varying.md): NATIONAL CHAR VARYING is a synonym for VARCHAR that uses the predefined utf8 character set. - [NATIONAL CHARACTER VARYING](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-character-varying.md): NATIONAL CHARACTER VARYING is a synonym for VARCHAR using the predefined utf8 character set. - [NATIONAL CHARACTER](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-character.md): NATIONAL CHARACTER is a synonym for the CHAR data type using the predefined utf8 character set. - [NATIONAL VARCHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-varchar.md): NATIONAL VARCHAR is a synonym for the VARCHAR data type using the predefined utf8 character set. - [NATIONAL VARCHARACTER](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/national-varcharacter.md): NATIONAL VARCHARACTER is a synonym for VARCHAR using the predefined utf8 character set. - [NCHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar.md): NCHAR is a synonym for the fixed-length CHAR string data type using the utf8 character set. - [NCHAR VARCHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar-varchar.md): NCHAR VARCHAR is a synonym for the VARCHAR string data type using the utf8 character set. - [NCHAR VARCHARACTER](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar-varcharacter.md): NCHAR VARCHARACTER is a synonym for VARCHAR using the utf8 character set. - [NCHAR VARYING](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/nchar-varying.md): NCHAR VARYING is a synonym for the VARCHAR string data type using the utf8 character set. - [RAW](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/raw.md): In Oracle mode, RAW is a variable-length binary data type synonymous with VARBINARY. - [ROW](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/row.md): ROW is a data type used in stored programs to store a complete row of data from a cursor or table. - [SET Data Type](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/set-data-type.md): 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. - [TEXT](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/text.md): Complete TEXT type reference: TEXT(M) syntax, 65,535 byte maximum, 2-byte length prefix, DEFAULT value support, and indexing constraints rules. - [TINYBLOB](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/tinyblob.md): Very small binary object. A TINYBLOB column can store up to 255 bytes of binary data. - [TINYTEXT](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/tinytext.md): Very small character string. A TINYTEXT column can store up to 255 characters. - [UUID Data Type](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/uuid-data-type.md): Official UUID data type reference: 128-bit storage optimization, CAST from CHAR/VARCHAR/BINARY types, RFC4122 string format, and UUIDv6/v7 support. - [VARBINARY](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varbinary.md): Variable-length binary string type. VARBINARY columns store binary strings of variable length up to a specified maximum. - [VARCHAR](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varchar.md): Complete VARCHAR reference: VARCHAR(M) syntax, length limits (0-65532 per row), CHARACTER SET/COLLATE options, indexing rules, and trailing spaces. - [VARCHAR2](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varchar2.md): Variable-length character string type. VARCHAR2 columns store strings of variable length up to a specified maximum (up to 65,535). - [VARCHARACTER](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/varcharacter.md): Variable-length character string type. VARCHARACTER columns store strings of variable length up to a specified maximum (up to 65,535). - [XMLTYPE](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/xmltype.md) - [Character Sets and Collations](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets.md): 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. - [Character Set and Collation Overview](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/character-set-and-collation-overview.md): Learn the core concepts of character sets and collations in MariaDB, including how they define string storage and sorting rules. - [Setting Character Sets and Collations](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/setting-character-sets-and-collations.md): Complete Setting Character Sets and Collations data type guide for MariaDB. Complete reference for syntax, valid values, storage requirements, and range. - [Supported Character Sets and Collations](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/supported-character-sets-and-collations.md): Complete character sets reference: SHOW CHARACTER SET command, information\_schema.CHARACTER\_SETS/COLLATIONS tables, NO PAD queries, and ci/cs flags. - [Unicode](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/unicode.md): Explore MariaDB's support for Unicode, covering the differences between the utf8mb3 and utf8mb4 character sets for multi-byte storage. - [Internationalization and Localization](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/internationalization-and-localization.md): Discover how MariaDB supports internationalization and localization, enabling databases to store and process data in multiple languages. - [Coordinated Universal Time](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/internationalization-and-localization/coordinated-universal-time.md): Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time, and is the internal storage format for MariaDB timestamp values. - [Locales Plugin](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/internationalization-and-localization/locales-plugin.md): The LOCALES plugin enables the INFORMATION\_SCHEMA.LOCALES table and SHOW LOCALES statement, allowing users to view all locales compiled into the server. - [Server Locale](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/internationalization-and-localization/server-locale.md): Server locale settings control the language for date and time functions via lc\_time\_names and the language for error messages via lc\_messages. - [Setting the Language for Error Messages](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/internationalization-and-localization/setting-the-language-for-error-messages.md): Learn how to configure the lc\_messages and lc\_messages\_dir system variables to display server error messages in a supported local language. - [Time Zones](https://mariadb.com/docs/server/reference/data-types/string-data-types/character-sets/internationalization-and-localization/time-zones.md): Complete Time Zones data type guide for MariaDB. 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