8.20. pg_lsn Type

The pg_lsn data type can be used to store LSN (Log Sequence Number) data which is a pointer to a location in the WAL. This type is a representation of XLogRecPtr and an internal system type of PostgreSQL.

Internally, an LSN is a 64-bit integer, representing a byte position in the write-ahead log stream. It is printed as two hexadecimal numbers of up to 8 digits each, separated by a slash; for example, 16/B374D848. The pg_lsn type supports the standard comparison operators, like = and >. Two LSNs can be subtracted using the - operator; the result is the number of bytes separating those write-ahead log locations.