What is the purpose of utf8mb4 in MySQL?

utf8mb4 is a character set in MySQL that extends utf8, supporting more character encodings, especially emoji and some less common characters.

The main functions of utf8mb4 are as follows:

1. Support for more characters: utf8mb4 can store any Unicode character, including emoji expressions and some special symbols, while utf8 can only store some Unicode characters.
2. Solving the storage length limit issue: utf8mb4 can store more characters, resolving the problem of utf8 potentially exceeding storage length when storing certain characters.
3. Compatibility with other systems: Some applications or systems use the utf8mb4 character set. If the database does not support utf8mb4, it may result in garbled characters or display issues.
4. Support for multiple languages: utf8mb4 is more suitable for storing text in multiple languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc.
5. Support for more sorting rules: utf8mb4 supports a wider range of sorting rules, allowing for more accurate sorting and comparisons.

In conclusion, the utf8mb4 character set in MySQL expands the functionality of the utf8 character set by supporting a wider range of character encodings, including emoji and less common characters, providing improved support for multilingual data storage.