The Difference Between CHAR and VARCHAR Data Types in PostgreSQL

In PostgreSQL, the main difference between the CHAR and VARCHAR data types lies in the way they store and handle data.

CHAR Data Type

The CHAR data type is used to store fixed-length character strings. When a CHAR column is defined, it will always allocate a specific amount of storage space regardless of the actual length of the data stored in it. This means that if you define a CHAR(10) column and only store 'hello' in it, it will still occupy 10 characters of storage.

VARCHAR Data Type

On the other hand, the VARCHAR data type is used to store variable-length character strings. Unlike CHAR, a VARCHAR column will only occupy storage space equal to the length of the data stored in it, plus a small overhead. This makes VARCHAR more efficient in terms of storage, especially when dealing with varying lengths of data.

Focus Keyword: PostgreSQL CHAR vs. VARCHAR

In summary, the key difference between CHAR and VARCHAR in PostgreSQL is that CHAR stores fixed-length strings, while VARCHAR stores variable-length strings, offering more flexibility and efficient storage utilization.