TO_JSON

Returns the JSON representation of a complex-type argument, including mixed and nested complex types. This is the same format that queries of complex-type columns return.

Behavior

Syntax

TO_JSON(value)

Arguments

value

Column or literal of a complex type

Examples

These examples query the following table:

=> SELECT name, contact FROM customers;
        name        |                                                        contact
--------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Missy Cooper       | {"street":"911 San Marcos St","city":"Austin","zipcode":73344,"email":["missy@mit.edu","mcooper@cern.gov"]}
Sheldon Cooper     | {"street":"100 Main St Apt 4B","city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":["shelly@meemaw.name","cooper@caltech.edu"]}
Leonard Hofstadter | {"street":"100 Main St Apt 4A","city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":["hofstadter@caltech.edu"]}
Leslie Winkle      | {"street":"23 Fifth Ave Apt 8C","city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":[]}
Raj Koothrappali   | {"street":null,"city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":["raj@available.com"]}
Stuart Bloom       |
(6 rows)

You can call TO_JSON on a column or on specific fields or array elements:

=> SELECT TO_JSON(contact) FROM customers;
    to_json
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
{"street":"911 San Marcos St","city":"Austin","zipcode":73344,"email":["missy@mit.edu","mcooper@cern.gov"]}
{"street":"100 Main St Apt 4B","city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":["shelly@meemaw.name","cooper@caltech.edu"]}
{"street":"100 Main St Apt 4A","city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":["hofstadter@caltech.edu"]}
{"street":"23 Fifth Ave Apt 8C","city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":[]}
{"street":null,"city":"Pasadena","zipcode":91001,"email":["raj@available.com"]}

(6 rows)

=> SELECT TO_JSON(contact.email) FROM customers;
    to_json
---------------------------------------------
["missy@mit.edu","mcooper@cern.gov"]
["shelly@meemaw.name","cooper@caltech.edu"]
["hofstadter@caltech.edu"]
[]
["raj@available.com"]

(6 rows)

When calling TO_JSON with a SET, note that duplicates are removed and elements can be reordered:

=> SELECT TO_JSON(SET[1683,7867,76,76]);
    TO_JSON
----------------
[76,1683,7867]
(1 row)