Free online GDB.ZIP to GEOJSON converter

GDB.ZIP files usually contain an Esri file geodatabase, while mapping applications, web APIs, and JavaScript libraries commonly require GeoJSON. Converting the archive makes its feature layers usable in browser maps, GIS editors, and systems that accept a single .geojson file.

What the GDB.ZIP format is

.gdb.zip is normally a ZIP archive containing an Esri File Geodatabase directory ending in .gdb. The geodatabase can contain multiple feature classes, tables, spatial indexes, coordinate-system definitions, and attribute fields; the ZIP compression is used to package the directory for transfer or storage.

Esri ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Desktop create file geodatabases, and government agencies, surveying tools, GPS workflows, and data portals often distribute them as ZIP archives. The archive is not usually a single spatial file, so extracting it is required before most conversion programs can read its layers.

What the GEOJSON format is

GeoJSON is a JSON-based format for geographic features such as points, lines, polygons, and collections of those features. Each feature can include an attribute object, allowing geometry and properties to be transferred together.

GeoJSON is supported by web mapping libraries including Leaflet, MapLibre GL JS, and OpenLayers, as well as QGIS, ArcGIS, Python GIS libraries, and many spatial APIs. It is easier to inspect and edit than a file geodatabase, but it is generally less compact and less suitable for large datasets or geodatabase-specific behavior such as domains, subtypes, relationship classes, and topology.

How to actually convert GDB.ZIP to GEOJSON

Using GDAL from the command line

GDAL is the most direct desktop conversion tool because its OpenFileGDB driver reads Esri file geodatabases and its GeoJSON driver writes the target format.

1. Extract data.gdb.zip so that the complete data.gdb folder remains intact. Do not extract only individual files from inside the folder.
2. List the feature classes inside the geodatabase:

ogrinfo data.gdb

Use the layer name returned by that command in the export command. For example:

ogr2ogr -f GeoJSON roads.geojson data.gdb roads -t_srs EPSG:4326 -lco RFC7946=YES

-t_srs EPSG:4326 converts the layer to WGS 84, the coordinate reference system expected by RFC 7946 GeoJSON. -lco RFC7946=YES writes standards-compliant GeoJSON coordinates and omits the obsolete crs member.

Export each feature class separately when the geodatabase contains multiple layers:

ogr2ogr -f GeoJSON parcels.geojson data.gdb parcels -t_srs EPSG:4326 -lco RFC7946=YES

To export all compatible layers into one GeoJSON file, use:

ogr2ogr -f GeoJSON all_layers.geojson data.gdb -t_srs EPSG:4326 -lco RFC7946=YES

Separate files are usually safer because GeoJSON consumers often expect one geometry type and one schema per file. GDAL installation packages commonly include both ogrinfo and ogr2ogr.

Using QGIS

1. Extract the ZIP archive.
2. Open QGIS and add the extracted .gdb folder through the Data Source Manager or by dragging it into the map.
3. Select the required feature class in the Browser or Layers panel.
4. Choose Layer → Export → Save Features As….
5. Set Format to GeoJSON, select EPSG:4326 - WGS 84 as the CRS when web-compatible coordinates are required, choose an output filename ending in .geojson, and save.

Using the online converter

You can convert the file on 101convert.com for free without installing software: upload the GDB.ZIP file, select GEOJSON as the output format, start the conversion, and download the resulting file. If the archive contains several feature classes, check whether the converter exposes layer selection or produces a separate result for each layer.

Quality and compatibility limitations

A geodatabase may contain several layers, but a GeoJSON export normally represents one selected feature collection. Confirm that every required feature class was exported rather than converting only the first layer shown by the source program.

GeoJSON supports common geometry and attribute types, but geodatabase rules and metadata are not preserved. Domains may become coded values, subtypes and relationship classes may be lost, raster data is not represented, and unsupported field types can be converted to strings or omitted.

Check the source CRS before exporting. Using EPSG:4326 prevents most web-map alignment problems, but it changes coordinate values from the source projection. Large layers can produce very large JSON files; simplify geometry only when reduced spatial detail is acceptable, and validate the output in QGIS or with the receiving application.