How Can I Effectively Store and Retrieve Binary Data in MySQL?

Working with Binary Data in MySQL

Storing binary data in MySQL is a common requirement in various applications. The specific data type to use for this purpose is BLOB (Binary Large Object).

BLOB Data Type

BLOB is a special column type designed to handle binary data. It can store large volumes of binary data, including images, videos, documents, or any other type of non-textual content.

Creating a BLOB Column

To create a BLOB column in a MySQL table, use the following syntax:

CREATE TABLE table_name (
  column_name BLOB NOT NULL
);

The NOT NULL constraint ensures that the column cannot contain empty values.

Inserting Binary Data into BLOB

You can insert binary data into a BLOB column using the following methods:

• PHP: Use the mysqli_stmt_bind_param() function with the MYSQLI_TYPE_BLOB datatype.
• Python: Use the MySQLdb module with the set_binary() method.
• SQL: Use the INSERT statement with the LOAD_FILE() function.

Example

The following PHP code demonstrates how to insert a binary image into a BLOB column:

$con = mysqli_connect('host', 'username', 'password', 'dbname');
$stmt = mysqli_prepare($con, "INSERT INTO table_name (column_name) VALUES (?)");
$image = file_get_contents('image.png');
mysqli_stmt_bind_param($stmt, "b", $image);
mysqli_stmt_execute($stmt);

Retrieving Binary Data from BLOB

To retrieve binary data from a BLOB column, use the same methods as for inserting. Be sure to handle the data as binary, as it is not stored as text in MySQL.

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