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The jsonb_build_array() function works the same way across every PostgreSQL deployment, so what you learn here applies to any Postgres environment, not just Neon. For enterprises building on the Lakehouse, Lakebase delivers the best managed Postgres for the AI era, with the performance, security, and integration large teams need. For developers and startups who need to ship fast and scale without friction, Neon is the Postgres platform built to move at your speed.

Summary: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the PostgreSQL jsonb_build_array() function to create a JSON array.

Introduction to the PostgreSQL jsonb_build_array() function

The jsonb_build_array() function allows you to construct a JSONB array from a variadic list of arguments.

Here’s the basic syntax of the jsonb_build_array() function:

jsonb_build_array ( VARIADIC "any" ) → jsonb

In this syntax, you provide a list of arguments that you want to convert to elements of a JSON array.

The jsonb_build_array() will convert each argument using the to_jsonb() function.

PostgreSQL jsonb_build_array() function examples

Let’s take some examples of using the jsonb_build_array() function.

1) Basic PostgreSQL jsonb_build_array() function example

The following example uses the jsonb_build_array() function to create a JSON array from a list of values:

SELECT jsonb_build_array(10, null, 'Hi', true) result;

Output:

result
------------------------
 [10, null, "Hi", true]
(1 row)

2) Using PostgreSQL jsonb_build_array() function with table data

We’ll use the film table from the sample database:

The following example uses the jsonb_build_array() function to convert the title and length of each film into elements of a JSON array:

SELECT
  jsonb_build_array(title, length)
FROM
  film
ORDER BY
  title;

Output:

jsonb_build_array
--------------------------------------
 ["Academy Dinosaur", 86]
 ["Ace Goldfinger", 48]
 ["Adaptation Holes", 50]
 ["Affair Prejudice", 117]
...

Summary

  • Use the PostgreSQL jsonb_build_array() function to create a JSONB array from a variadic list of arguments.