MySQL Question (is this a general question? I don't know.

Hi, I am worried about exceeding the maximum size of a TEXT data type. Should I be worried and use something like a MEDIUMTEXT or LONGTEXT?

The project background is that it is a project that aims to give others ability to create projects and manage them. Kinda vague, but whatever.

So should I have any worries about exceeding the variable size of a TEXT (normal) and use something like MEDIUMTEXT or LONGTEXT data types?

And what effect (other than bigger variables) will MEDIUMTEXT and LONGTEXT have on my server?

Thank you.

The size limit of a TEXT field is 64k characters and MEDIUMTEXT is 16Mb, so depending on the OS and code you are using will likely both be held as a string type and therefore should make no difference in your code and little difference to the server.

LONGTEXT on the other hand can hold up to 4Gb so will need to be handled as a BLOB (Binary Large OBject) rather than a string so will make a difference to your coding.

If you are seriously concerned about exceeding the 64K limit use the mediumtext option from the start rather than have to change field types on a live database when problems occur.