Why is JSONB slower than JSON for data insertion?

JSONB is slower for insertion because PostgreSQL decomposes, processes, and converts data to binary format during write operations. JSONB removes whitespace, removes duplicate keys, reorders fields, and creates internal binary representation. JSON stores data as-is without processing, making inserts faster. JSONB must validate structure and normalize data. Duplicate key handling adds overhead as JSONB keeps only the last value. Binary encoding requires CPU cycles versus simple text storage. For large JSONB documents with deep nesting, processing time increases significantly. GIN indexes on JSONB further slow insertions as index updates require additional work. The performance difference is noticeable: JSONB insertion can be 20-30% slower than JSON. However, this one-time cost pays off through faster queries. For write-heavy applications with rare queries, the insertion overhead might matter. For typical applications with balanced read-write patterns, JSONB query benefits far exceed insertion costs. Test your data with our JSON Formatter at jsonconsole.com/json-formatter to ensure structure before bulk loading. Choose JSONB unless extreme write throughput is the sole priority.