Database Field Type for a URL in MySQL

MySQL is a very popular open-source and free database server that is ideal for small and large applications and is a relational database management system where SQL (Structured Query Language) queries or statements are used to manage and manipulate the data.

SQL queries can be used for tasks such as database querying, data editing, database and table creation and deletion, and granting user permissions.

Database Field Types

When working with MySQL, the creation of tables involves the insertion of data into rows and columns. Each column in a table represents a specific data type, such as character, integer, float, or decimal.

Defining the appropriate data type for a column is crucial as it determines the kind of values it can store and the allocated storage space. MySQL offers various data types to cater to different data patterns.

Datatype for a URL

Consider the scenario where you have student roll numbers to insert into a MySQL table. For numerical data like roll numbers, the INTEGER data type becomes the natural choice. Similarly, when dealing with characters or strings, MySQL provides options like CHAR, VARCHAR, and TEXT.

Now, a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is essentially a string of characters specifying the address of web pages, images, videos, files, etc., on the internet. The two most suitable data types for storing URLs in MySQL are VARCHAR and TEXT.

Both these data types accommodate strings of characters, and VARCHAR allows you to specify the range or length up to which characters can be stored.

Examining URL Data

Let’s consider a dataset with different URLs:

1. http://dummyimage.com/246×100.png/5fa2dd/ffffff
2. http://bravesites.com/arcu/sed/augue.xml?lectus=erat&pellentesque=quisque&at=erat&nulla=eros&suspendisse=viverra&potenti=eget&cras=congue&in=eget&purus=semper&eu=rutrum&magna=nulla&vulputate=nunc&luctus=purus&cum=phasellus&sociis=in&natoque=felis&penatibus=donec&et=semper
3. http://dailymail.co.uk/erat.js?ut=sollicitudin&erat=vitae&id=consectetuer&mauris=eget&vulputate=rutrum&elementum=at&nullam=lorem
4. https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/

As we can see from the above data, the lengths of the URLs are different and the length of the URL can be the same or different based on the web page or the type of the data like image, video, file,, etc.

Let us look at some examples,

Example of Best Database Field Type for a URL in MySQL

Example 1: Storing URLs in a PostgreSQL Table with VARCHAR Data Type

Create a table to store the above-specified data

CREATE TABLE url_data ( URL VARCHAR (100);

INSERT INTO url_data VALUES

(‘http://dummyimage.com/246×100.png/5fa2dd/ffffff’),

(‘http://bravesites.com/arcu/sed/augue.xml?lectus=erat&pellentesque=quisque&at=erat&nulla=eros&suspendisse=viverra&potenti=eget&cras=congue&in=eget&purus=semper&eu=rutrum&magna=nulla&vulputate=nunc&luctus=purus&cum=phasellus&sociis=in&natoque=felis&penatibus=donec&et=semper’),

(‘http://dailymail.co.uk/erat.js?ut=sollicitudin&erat=vitae&id=consectetuer&mauris=eget&vulputate=rutrum&elementum=at&nullam=lorem’),

(‘https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/’);

Output:

VARCHAR data type

Explanation: In the above result, we observe that the length specified in the create table statement for the URL column i.e., VARCHAR (100) is not sufficient to store the URL in the second row. The VARCHAR data type can be declared with a length that indicates the maximum number of characters that can be stored.

The length in VARCHAR can be specified as a value from 0 to 65,535( subject to the maximum row size) as the values in the Varchar column are variable length strings.

Example 2: Storing URLs in a PostgreSQL Table with TEXT Data Type

Create a table to store the above-specified data

CREATE TABLE url_data (url TEXT);

–Insert the same above data using the above INSERT statement

Output:

TEXT data type

Explanation: As you can see in the above result, we don’t need to specify the length for the text data type and the text data type accepts the long string of characters and it can be used for effectively and efficiently storing any length of strings in the column in the table.

Conclusion

Choosing the best data type for URLs involves considering factors like URL length, storage efficiency, and scalability. For shorter strings, VARCHAR with a specified length may be suitable. However, for URLs of varying lengths, the TEXT data type offers flexibility and scalability. The choice depends on specific data requirements and considerations. Opt for the data type that aligns with your data characteristics and accommodates future scalability needs.