> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.pranaypourkar.co.in/the-programmers-guide/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.pranaypourkar.co.in/the-programmers-guide/database/sql-databases/sql-fundamentals/sql-data-types/large-object-types.md).

# Large Object Types

## About

**Large Object (LOB) types** are used to store large volumes of data such as lengthy text, images, audio, video, or documents. LOBs are stored separately from regular row data, allowing efficient handling of very large data.

LOBs are divided into two broad categories:

* **Character LOBs (CLOBs)** – for large text
* **Binary LOBs (BLOBs)** – for binary data

## 1. **BLOB (Binary Large Object)**

* Stores binary data such as images, audio, video, PDFs, or any other unstructured binary content.
* Does **not support character encoding**.
* Cannot be searched or manipulated directly using text operations.

**Example use:** Store a JPEG image file.

## 2. **CLOB (Character Large Object)**

* Stores large amounts of character/text data.
* Supports **character encoding** (like UTF-8).
* Used when text content exceeds typical `VARCHAR` limits.

**Example use:** Store a full HTML document or a long article.

## 3. **NCLOB (National Character Large Object)**

* Same as `CLOB`, but stores **Unicode character data** (national character set).
* Useful for multilingual applications.

## Vendor Support Overview

<table data-header-hidden data-full-width="true"><thead><tr><th width="117.44921875"></th><th width="102.03125"></th><th width="101.734375"></th><th width="85.51953125"></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Database</td><td><code>BLOB</code></td><td><code>CLOB</code></td><td><code>NCLOB</code></td><td>Notes</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Oracle</strong></td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>Full LOB and external file support</td></tr><tr><td><strong>MySQL</strong></td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Uses <code>TINYTEXT</code>, <code>TEXT</code>, <code>MEDIUMTEXT</code>, <code>LONGTEXT</code> instead of <code>CLOB</code></td></tr><tr><td><strong>PostgreSQL</strong></td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Uses <code>TEXT</code> for large text; <code>BYTEA</code> as alternative to <code>BLOB</code></td></tr><tr><td><strong>SQL Server</strong></td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes (<code>VARCHAR(MAX)</code>)</td><td>No</td><td><code>TEXT</code>, <code>NTEXT</code>, <code>IMAGE</code> deprecated; use <code>VARBINARY(MAX)</code>, <code>VARCHAR(MAX)</code></td></tr><tr><td><strong>SQLite</strong></td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Very flexible typing; no strict separation</td></tr></tbody></table>


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter:

```
GET https://www.pranaypourkar.co.in/the-programmers-guide/database/sql-databases/sql-fundamentals/sql-data-types/large-object-types.md?ask=<question>&goal=<endgoal>
```

`ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
`goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal.

The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.