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The RANDOM_BYTES SQL Function in MySQL and MariaDB - Random bytes

RANDOM_BYTES	Syntax:	RANDOM_BYTES(Length)
	Return value:	BINARY
	Function type:	Encryption & Compression

Function Description

The RANDOM_BYTES() function generates a binary string of random bytes with the number "Length".

RANDOM_BYTES() uses the SSL library's random number generator.

An error occurs if the "Length" is not within the range from 1 to 1024 and is not NULL.

If the value of "Length" is NULL, the function returns NULL.

In MariaDB, the function is only available from version 10.10.

SQL Examples for the RANDOM_BYTES function


SELECT hex(RANDOM_BYTES(1));
SELECT hex(RANDOM_BYTES(5));
SELECT hex(RANDOM_BYTES(15));

SELECT RANDOM_BYTES(null);

hex(RANDOM_BYTES(1))
varchar(2048) BINARY
FD

hex(RANDOM_BYTES(5))
varchar(2048) BINARY
BBF65E7C99

hex(RANDOM_BYTES(15))
varchar(2048) BINARY
5F4A4032A89FE6F38D58DEF23D20D5

RANDOM_BYTES(null)
varchar(1024) BINARY
NULL

The examples were created with the MyWAY SQL manager: Download

How to use the RANDOM_BYTES() function in MySQL and MariaDB databases

The RANDOM_BYTES() function in MySQL and MariaDB is used to generate a specified number of random bytes. The function takes an integer parameter representing the number of bytes to generate and returns a binary string of random bytes that can be used in applications where random data needs to be generated, for example for random encryption keys, when creating random salts for password hashing, or to generate random tokens for session management or authentication purposes.

The function is available from MySQL version 8.0.13 and MariaDB version 10.10 or higher.

Further MySQL und MariaDB SQL Encryption & Compression

AES_DECRYPT	AES_DECRYPT(String, Key)
	More about AES_DECRYPT Function

AES_ENCRYPT	AES_ENCRYPT(String, Key)
	More about AES_ENCRYPT Function

COMPRESS	COMPRESS(String)
	More about COMPRESS Function

DECODE	DECODE(Binary string, Password)
	More about DECODE Function

DES_DECRYPT	DES_DECRYPT(Binary string [, Key])
	More about DES_DECRYPT Function

DES_ENCRYPT	DES_ENCRYPT(String [, Key])
	More about DES_ENCRYPT Function

ENCODE	ENCODE(String, Password)
	More about ENCODE Function

ENCRYPT	ENCRYPT(String [, Salt])
	More about ENCRYPT Function

FROM_BASE64	FROM_BASE64(String)
	More about FROM_BASE64 Function

MD5	MD5(String)
	More about MD5 Function

OLD_PASSWORD	OLD_PASSWORD(String)
	More about OLD_PASSWORD Function

PASSWORD	PASSWORD(String)
	More about PASSWORD Function

SHA	SHA(String)
	More about SHA Function

SHA1	SHA1(String)
	More about SHA1 Function

SHA2	SHA2(String, Length)
	More about SHA2 Function

TO_BASE64	TO_BASE64(String)
	More about TO_BASE64 Function

UNCOMPRESS	UNCOMPRESS(Binary string)
	More about UNCOMPRESS Function

Numeric functions	String functions	Regular Expressions	Date and Time functions
Comparison functions	Encryption & Compression	Conversion functions	NULL functions
Aggregate functions	Window functions	JSON functions	Geometric functions
Sequence functions	Information functions	Dynamic Columns	Miscellaneous functions

More information about the RANDOM_BYTES SQL function: mysql.com and mariadb.com

Updated: 2023-09-24

2020-2024 Heino Cunze-Fischer