Insert binary file into MySQL(BLOB) using PHPMyAdmin

Before you start this lesson, I assume that you finished reading the following tutorials:

1. install phpmyAdmin, mysql , php
2. Create Database by using phpMyAdmin
3. Working with forms
4. Insert Form Data into Database
5. Retrieve data from Database

This tutorial will show you how to insert binary files, such as PDF file, image files(JPG,GIF, etc), music files(MP3,mid,etc)..by using phpMyAdmin.

Create MySql Table

In order to shorten the tutorial, we just create a simple table with 2 columns: one is integer column, the other one is BLOB column to hold the binary file.

Note, there are 4 BLOB types. Each has different storage size:

1. TINYBLOB: 256bytes
2. BLOB: 64K bytes
3. MEDIUMBLOB: 16M bytes
4. LONGBLOB: 4G bytes

MEDIUMBLOB usually could meet most storage requirement.

Following this lesson Using phpMyAdmin Create Database to create the database,one column is no: int(auto increment) , the other one is image: MEDIUMBLOB. By select auto increment in "Extra" drop down menu like following for column no:

no column is auto increment so that we don't need insert any value about it.

Insert binary file(image, PDF,..) into MySQL

After you create the table, you will see its name on PHPMyAdmin left panel. Click on it, you will see the following image on the right panel:

Click on insert, you will see the following image:

The "Browse" button in the above image locate your binary file( such as PDF, images, .exe files, mp3 file, .mid files ... etc). Since column no is auto increment, we don't need insert value for it. Then click on the "GO" button, which is below the above image.

You just inerted an binary file into MySQL database.

There are other alternative ways to insert binary files into MySQL:

1. Using php programming insert binary files into MySQL
2. Using HTML Form and php progamming insert binary files into MySQL(local and remote)
3. Using PhpMyAdmin insert binary files.