MySQL VARBINARY is a data type that stores variable-length binary data. It is similar to the VARCHAR data type, but while VARCHAR is used for storing variable-length character strings, VARBINARY is specifically designed for storing binary data. This can include images, audio, video, or any other type of binary information.
Here are some key features and characteristics of the MySQL VARBINARY data type:
Variable-length storage: VARBINARY allows you to store binary data of varying lengths, up to a maximum specified length. This is in contrast to the fixed-length BINARY data type, which requires a predefined length for each stored value.
Specifying maximum length: When defining a VARBINARY column, you need to specify the maximum length of the binary data that can be stored in that column. For example:
CREATE TABLE my_table (
binary_column VARBINARY(255)
);
In this example, binary_column can store binary data with a maximum length of 255 bytes.
Storage space: The storage space required for VARBINARY data is the actual length of the data plus one or two bytes to record the length of the data. This is more space-efficient than the fixed-length BINARY data type for variable-length binary data.
Binary comparison: VARBINARY data is compared in binary fashion, meaning that the comparison is case-sensitive and considers the binary representation of the data. This is in contrast to VARCHAR, which uses a character set for comparison.
Here’s an example of inserting data into a VARBINARY column:
INSERT INTO my_table (binary_column) VALUES ('0x546869732069732061207661726961626c652062696e6172792064617461');
In this example, ‘0x546869732069732061207661726961626c652062696e6172792064617461’ is a hexadecimal representation of the binary data.
It’s important to note that while VARBINARY is suitable for storing binary data, for textual data, it’s generally more appropriate to use VARCHAR with an appropriate character set.
In summary, the VARBINARY data type in MySQL is a versatile option for storing variable-length binary data, providing flexibility and efficiency in terms of storage space.