Re: storing binary data - Mailing list pgsql-general

From Tom Lane
Subject Re: storing binary data
Date
Msg-id 28942.971752960@sss.pgh.pa.us
Whole thread Raw
In response to storing binary data  (Neil Conway <nconway@klamath.dyndns.org>)
Responses Re: storing binary data  (Neil Conway <nconway@klamath.dyndns.org>)
List pgsql-general
Neil Conway <nconway@klamath.dyndns.org> writes:
> I want to store some binary data in Postgres. The data is an
> MD5 checksum of the user's password, in binary. It will be
> exactly 16 bytes (since it is a one-way hash).

> Can I store this safely in a CHAR column?

No.  CHAR and friends assume there are no null (zero) bytes.
In MULTIBYTE setups there are probably additional constraints.

You could use bytea, but I would recommend converting the checksum
to a hex digit string and then storing that in a char-type field.
Hex is the usual textual representation for MD5 values, no?

            regards, tom lane

pgsql-general by date:

Previous
From: Neil Conway
Date:
Subject: storing binary data
Next
From: Rick Roberts
Date:
Subject: Compiling JDBC Driver