Add your DBF file
Drop one or more .dbf files onto the converter above, or browse for them. They load into browser memory only — nothing is uploaded, so there is no size-based pricing and no server queue.
DBF to JSON
Converting a .dbf font to .json repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. Free, private, and validated — the file never leaves your browser.
Private for supported formats — processed in your browser
Runs on your deviceConvert supported files
Drop DBF files here
Batch files can each use a different output. Nothing uploads for local conversions.
Working inputs include camera RAW, browser-local audio/video, PDF, CBZ/CBR comics, office documents, ebooks, markup, 3D models, structured text, images, and archives.About converting dBASE table to JSON data
Converting a .dbf font to .json repackages the same glyphs and metrics for a different delivery target. A .dbf file is an xBase database table: a fixed-width binary table whose header describes every field's name, type, width and decimal places, followed by records of exactly that width. It is old, simple and still everywhere — most notably as the attribute half of an ESRI Shapefile.
A .json file holds JavaScript Object Notation: nested objects, arrays, strings, numbers, booleans, and null written in a strict text syntax. It is the default data language of the web — most APIs speak nothing else. For this route the practical draw is parsers ship in the standard library of essentially every language and readable by humans and machines alike — balanced against no comments — a perpetual annoyance for configuration files, which is worth knowing before you commit a large batch.
Why convert DBF to JSON?
The practical trigger for this conversion is usually a mismatch: with .dbf, field names are capped at ten characters, which mangles descriptive columns. Switching to .json buys you parsers ship in the standard library of essentially every language, which is why it is the better fit for rEST and HTTP API request and response payloads. Because the conversion runs locally, trying it costs nothing but a few seconds of compute on your own machine.
DBF vs JSON at a glance
| Aspect | dBASE table (.dbf) | JSON data (.json) |
|---|---|---|
| Format type | Lossless — every pixel or sample is preserved exactly | Text-based — characters and structure, so there is no visual quality loss |
| How it stores data | a 32-byte file header records the version byte, last-update date, record count, header length and record length | exactly six value types; no dates, no comments, no trailing commas — the strictness is deliberate |
| Strongest at | reading Shapefile attribute tables without GIS software | rEST and HTTP API request and response payloads |
| Weak spot | field names are capped at ten characters, which mangles descriptive columns | no comments — a perpetual annoyance for configuration files |
Pick JSON as the output
Select .json in the output menu next to each file. The menu only offers targets this engine can genuinely produce, so if JSON is selectable, the route is real and validated.
Convert on your device
Press Convert. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip.
Verify and download
Each result is signature-checked before the download unlocks, so a failed encode can never masquerade as a valid JSON file. Outputs keep the original filename with the .json extension.
DBF to JSON questions, answered
Will converting DBF to JSON lose quality?
There is no visual quality to lose — dbf is lossless-oriented and json is text-oriented, so the question is structural fidelity. Text, ordering, and basic structure are preserved; complex layout, embedded objects, and styling beyond the target's model are simplified.
Is it private to convert DBF files here?
Yes — the .dbf file is processed inside your browser tab and never uploaded. The font tables are parsed and rewritten locally with fonteditor-core; glyph outlines, hinting, and kerning survive the trip. Close the tab and the file is gone from memory.
Where will the JSON file work?
Browsers parse it natively through JSON.parse, every mainstream language bundles support, and most editors validate and highlight it out of the box. Viewing a raw .json file is possible in any text editor or browser tab.
Will the JSON file be bigger or smaller than my DBF?
It depends on the content: exactly six value types; no dates, no comments, no trailing commas — the strictness is deliberate. Convert one representative file first and compare before batch-processing a large set.
What happens to the metadata in my DBF file?
In .dbf, field names, types, widths and decimal counts are read from the header and reported; the last-update date and code page are surfaced as warnings where they matter. Re-encoding through the browser pipeline does not carry embedded metadata into the output, which doubles as a privacy scrub — check the exported file if you specifically need tags preserved.