The error appears when a JSON or JSONB object contains more than 65,535 key–value pairs, exceeding PostgreSQL’s hard limit.
PostgreSQL error 2203E (too_many_json_object_members) is raised when a JSON/JSONB object exceeds 65,535 members. Break the payload into smaller objects, pivot wide data into relational tables, or add a CHECK constraint that caps jsonb_object_length() to fix the problem.
PostgreSQL Error 2203E
PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 2203E when a JSON or JSONB object holds more than 65,535 key-value pairs.
The parser enforces this ceiling to protect memory use and guarantee predictable planning.
The server cancels INSERT, UPDATE, COPY, or function calls that create such a large document and returns the error, leaving the transaction uncommitted.
Casting huge hstore or records to JSON can create objects that cross the limit.
Looping json_build_object() inside PL/pgSQL without bounds often appends tens of thousands of keys.
ETL jobs that flatten wide CSVs into a single JSON column are frequent offenders.
First, confirm the size with SELECT jsonb_object_length(col) FROM tbl WHERE id = ?;.
If it exceeds 65,535, refactor.
Break the document into several rows or store nested structures as arrays.
Alternatively, pivot stable attributes into relational columns.
Add application checks that stop adding keys once the count nears 65,000.
Bulk analytics exports: switch to NDJSON where each line is a compact object.
Upserts on denormalized data: split the data across multiple JSON columns or related tables.
Automated loops: accumulate objects in an array rather than one flat map.
Normalize core entities into tables; reserve JSON for sparse attributes.
Create a CHECK constraint: CHECK (jsonb_object_length(doc) <= 65535).
Monitor with pg_stat_statements and log_min_error_statement to spot oversized payloads early.
Galaxy’s AI copilot can preview row size and warn when a JSON build risks crossing the limit.
2203F too_many_json_array_elements fires on arrays larger than 65,535 elements; split the array.
22030 invalid_json_text reports malformed JSON input; validate with jsonb_pretty() or jsonb_validate().
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No. The member cap is hard-coded in PostgreSQL source. Lower limits can be enforced via CHECK constraints, but higher limits are impossible without patching the database.
Yes. The parser shares the same limit for JSON and JSONB types, so either format can raise error 2203E.
Nesting keys inside arrays reduces the number of top-level object members and can skirt the limit, but each array still faces its own 65,535 element ceiling.
Galaxy’s AI copilot previews result set sizes and can flag queries that build JSON objects nearing the limit, letting engineers refactor before execution.
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