BLOB and binary types in MySQL - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does BLOB stand for in MySQL?

BLOB stands for Binary Large Object. It is used to store large amounts of binary data like images or files.

intermediate

Name the four BLOB types in MySQL and their maximum storage sizes.

The four BLOB types are:<br>1. TINYBLOB - up to 255 bytes<br>2. BLOB - up to 65,535 bytes (64 KB)<br>3. MEDIUMBLOB - up to 16,777,215 bytes (16 MB)<br>4. LONGBLOB - up to 4,294,967,295 bytes (4 GB)

intermediate

What is the difference between BINARY and VARBINARY types in MySQL?

BINARY stores fixed-length binary data, padding with zeros if needed.<br>VARBINARY stores variable-length binary data without padding.

beginner

When should you use BLOB types instead of TEXT types in MySQL?

Use BLOB types when you need to store binary data like images or files.<br>Use TEXT types for storing text data.

intermediate

How does MySQL treat BLOB data differently from character data?

MySQL treats BLOB data as raw bytes without character set or collation.<br>Character data is stored with encoding and collation rules.

Which MySQL data type is best for storing a small image file?

A TEXT

B BLOB

C VARCHAR

D INT

BLOB is designed to store binary data like images, unlike VARCHAR or TEXT which store text.

What is the maximum size of a MEDIUMBLOB in MySQL?

A 4 GB

B 64 KB

C 255 bytes

D 16 MB

MEDIUMBLOB can store up to 16,777,215 bytes, which is about 16 MB.

Which binary type stores fixed-length data padded with zeros if needed?

A VARBINARY

B TEXT

C BINARY

D BLOB

BINARY stores fixed-length binary data and pads with zeros if the data is shorter.

How does MySQL treat BLOB data compared to TEXT data?

A BLOB stores raw bytes, TEXT stores encoded characters

B BLOB is case-insensitive, TEXT is case-sensitive

C BLOB stores text, TEXT stores binary

D Both are treated the same

BLOB stores raw binary data without encoding; TEXT stores character data with encoding.

Which BLOB type can store the largest amount of data?

A LONGBLOB

B BLOB

C MEDIUMBLOB

D TINYBLOB

LONGBLOB can store up to 4 GB of binary data, the largest among BLOB types.

Explain the differences between BINARY, VARBINARY, and BLOB types in MySQL.

Think about length and size differences and what kind of data each stores.

Describe when and why you would choose a BLOB type over a TEXT type in a MySQL database.

Consider the type of data you want to store and how MySQL treats it.