What is the difference between CHAR and VARCHAR data types in MySQL?

Aryugyan May 10, 2025

They are both used to store text (like names, addresses, etc.) in a MySQL database.

But they work differently:

Feature	CHAR	VARCHAR
Storage	Fixed size	Variable size
Example	Always takes same space	Takes only as much as needed

CHAR(10) vs. VARCHAR(10)

CHAR(10): Like a rigid box that’s always 10 cm wide, no matter what’s inside.
- Example: Storing ‘Tom’ in CHAR(10)
- Stored as: ‘Tom ‘ (3 letters + 7 spaces to fill the 10-character length)
- Visual: [Tom_______] (fixed 10-character box)
VARCHAR(10): Like a flexible box that adjusts to the item’s size, up to a maximum of 10 cm.
- Example: Storing ‘Tom’ in VARCHAR(10)
- Stored as: ‘Tom’ (just the 3 letters, no extra spaces)
- Visual: [Tom] (box shrinks to fit content, max 10 characters)

✅ Difference Between `CHAR` and `VARCHAR` in MySQL

Feature	CHAR	VARCHAR
Length Type	Fixed-length	Variable-length
Storage	Always uses the specified length	Uses only as much as needed + 1 or 2 bytes overhead
Trailing Spaces	Removed when stored	Preserved when stored
Performance	Faster for fixed-length values	Slightly slower due to variable size

-- Create a table with CHAR and VARCHAR columns
CREATE TABLE name_example (
    char_name CHAR(10),
    varchar_name VARCHAR(10)
);

-- Insert data
INSERT INTO name_example (char_name, varchar_name) VALUES ('Tom', 'Tom');

-- Select data to show the difference
SELECT char_name, LENGTH(char_name) AS char_length, 
       varchar_name, LENGTH(varchar_name) AS varchar_length 
FROM name_example;