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# PostgreSQL row_to_json() Function

**Summary**: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the PostgreSQL `row_to_json()` function to convert an SQL composite value to a JSON object.

## Introduction to the PostgreSQL row_to_json() function

The `row_to_json()` function allows you to convert an SQL composite value into a JSON object.

Here's the syntax of the `row_to_json()` function:

```sql
row_to_json ( record [, boolean ] ) → json
```

In this syntax:

- `record` is an SQL composite value that you want to convert into a JSON object.
- `boolean` if true, the function will add a line feed between top-level elements.

The `row_to_json()` function will return a JSON object.

## PostgreSQL row_to_json() function examples

Let's take some examples of using the `row_to_json()` function.

### 1) Basic row_to_json() function example

The following example uses the `row_to_json()` function to convert a row into a JSON object:

```sql
SELECT row_to_json(row('John',20));
```

Output:

```text
      row_to_json
-----------------------
 {"f1":"John","f2":20}
(1 row)
```

In this example, we use the `row()` function to create a composite value made up of multiple columns.

The `row_to_json()` function returns an object whose keys are automatically generated f1 and f2 with the values from the composite values.

### 2) Using the row_to_json() function with table data

We'll use the `film` table from the [sample database](../postgresql-getting-started/postgresql-sample-database):

![](https://neon.com/postgresqltutorial/film.png)The following example uses the `row_to_json()` function to convert the `title` and `length` of each film in the `film` table into a JSON object:

```sql
SELECT
  row_to_json(t) film
FROM
  (
    SELECT
      title,
      length
    FROM
      film
    ORDER BY
      title
  ) t;
```

Output:

```text
                         film
------------------------------------------------------
 {"title":"Academy Dinosaur","length":86}
 {"title":"Ace Goldfinger","length":48}
 {"title":"Adaptation Holes","length":50}
 {"title":"Affair Prejudice","length":117}
 {"title":"African Egg","length":130}
 {"title":"Agent Truman","length":169}
...
```

How it works.

- The subquery retrieves the `title` and `length` from the `film` table.
- The outer query uses the `row_to_json()` to convert each row returned by the subquery into a JSON object.

Note that you can use a [common table expression](../postgresql-tutorial/postgresql-cte) (`CTE`) instead of a subquery to achieve the same result:

```sql
WITH film_cte AS (
  SELECT
    title,
    length
  FROM
    film
  ORDER BY
    title
)
SELECT
  row_to_json(film_cte)
FROM
  film_cte;
```

## Summary

- Use the `row_to_json()` function to convert an SQL composite value to a JSON object.

---

## Related docs (JSON Functions)

- [Extracting JSON Data](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-json-extract)
- [JSONB Operators](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb-operators)
- [jsonb_agg](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_agg)
- [jsonb_array_elements](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_array_elements)
- [jsonb_array_elements_text](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_array_elements_text)
- [jsonb_array_length](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_array_length)
- [jsonb_build_array](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_build_array)
- [jsonb_build_object](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_build_object)
- [jsonb_each](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_each)
- [jsonb_each_text](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_each_text)
- [jsonb_extract_path](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_extract_path)
- [jsonb_extract_path_text](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_extract_path_text)
- [jsonb_insert](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_insert)
- [jsonb_object](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_object)
- [jsonb_object_agg](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_object_agg)
- [jsonb_object_keys](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_object_keys)
- [JSON Path](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-json-path)
- [jsonb_path_exists](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_path_exists)
- [jsonb_path_query](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_path_query)
- [jsonb_path_query_array](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_path_query_array)
- [jsonb_path_query_first](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_path_query_first)
- [jsonb_pretty](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_pretty)
- [jsonb_set](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_set)
- [jsonb_strip_nulls](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_strip_nulls)
- [jsonb_to_record](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_to_record)
- [jsonb_populate_record](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_populate_record)
- [jsonb_populate_recordset](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_populate_recordset)
- [jsonb_typeof](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-jsonb_typeof)
- [to_jsonb](https://neon.com/postgresql/postgresql-json-functions/postgresql-to_jsonb)