ESRI File Geodatabase

.gdb

Supported

ESRI File Geodatabase is a file-based geodatabase format from ESRI using proprietary binary storage. It overcomes many Shapefile limitations, supporting massive data storage (single table exceeding 1TB), advanced data modeling (topology networks, subtypes, domains), and spatial indexing. GDB is the preferred data format for the ArcGIS platform, widely used in enterprise and government GIS systems.

Specifications

Standard: ESRI

MIME: application/octet-stream

Key Features

Supports very large datasets, single table can exceed 1TB
Supports advanced GIS data models including topology, networks, and subtypes
Built-in spatial indexing for excellent query performance

Advantages

Preferred format for ArcGIS platform with the most complete functionality
Single file directory structure, easy to manage

Limitations

ESRI proprietary format, limited support in non-ESRI software
Directory structure (multiple files) not suitable for single-file distribution

Common Use Cases

Core data storage for enterprise and government GIS systems
Archiving and managing large-scale geographic data

Related Tools

GDB → GEOJSON