---
title: "Serial data types"
url: "https://docs.yugabyte.com/stable/api/ysql/datatypes/type_serial/"
---

# Serial data types

YSQL serial data types include SMALLSERIAL (SMALLINT), SERIAL (INTEGER), and BIGSERIAL (BIGINT).

## Synopsis

SMALLSERIAL, SERIAL, and BIGSERIAL are short notation for sequences of `SMALLINT`, `INTEGER`, and `BIGINT`, respectively.

## Description

```ebnf
type_specification ::= SMALLSERIAL | SERIAL | BIGSERIAL
```

### Notes

- Columns of serial types are auto-incremented.
- `SERIAL` does not imply that an index is created on the column.
- Serial types are sequences under the hood, and its values can be cached on the YB-TServer using the `ysql_sequence_cache_method` flag. For more information, see [nextval](/stable/api/ysql/exprs/sequence_functions/func_nextval/ "nextval").