# Chris van Eijk: json vs jsonb in PostgreSQL: size and speed, measured

Source: [Planet PostgreSQL](https://postgr.es/p/9Bl) · 2026-11-08 · Backend
Page: https://themorning.dev/story/chris-van-eijk-json-vs-jsonb-in-postgresql-size-and-speed-measured-f4cbabdc289329d7
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- Chris van Eijk measures json and jsonb in PostgreSQL 17 and 18 across six document shapes.
- Reported size differences range from jsonb 23% smaller to jsonb 41% larger, depending on the document shape.
- The article also covers read speed and GIN indexing.

## Why it matters

Choosing json or jsonb affects storage size, read performance and indexing, so measured trade-offs help developers pick the right column type for their documents.

## Versions

- PostgreSQL 17
- PostgreSQL 18

## Timeline

- 2026-11-08: Measurements published on Planet PostgreSQL

## Coverage

- [Chris van Eijk: json vs jsonb in PostgreSQL: size and speed, measured](https://postgr.es/p/9Bl) — Planet PostgreSQL, 2026-11-08

Tags: postgresql, json, jsonb, performance, benchmark

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Dev – https://themorning.dev