Utf8 Vs Utf8mb4: Choosing The Right Encoding For MySQL
utf8 vs utf8mb4 in MySQL: key difference is bytes per character. utf8 supports 3 bytes, while utf8mb4 supports 4, enabling emojis & supplementary Unicode symbols. Use utf8mb4 for better Unicode support.
MySQL’s utf8 and utf8mb4 are often misunderstood. The key difference is how many bytes they support per character. This quick guide explains why utf8mb4 is better for Unicode and emoji support. utf8 vs utf8mb4 in MySQL Here’s a simple breakdown of MySQL’s utf8 and utf8mb4: UTF-8 (utf8mb3)- Supports only up to 3 bytes per character. Emojis won’t work. utf8mb4- Supports 4 bytes per character, enabling emojis and supplementary Unicode symbols. Why MySQL uses utf8mb4 MySQL switched to utf8mb4 to solve a major problem — utf8 could not store 4-byte characters. Trying to store the...