# dbn-cli
[](https://github.com/databento/dbn/actions/workflows/build.yaml)
[](https://crates.io/crates/dbn-cli)
This crate provides a CLI tool `dbn` for converting [Databento](https://databento.com)
Binary Encoding (DBN) files to text formats, as well as updating legacy DBZ files to
DBN.
For more information about DBN, read our [introduction to DBN](https://databento.com/docs/standards-and-conventions/databento-binary-encoding).
## Installation
To install the latest version, run the following command:
```sh
cargo install dbn-cli
```
## Usage
`dbn` currently supports CSV and [JSON lines](https://jsonlines.org/) as output formats.
By default, `dbn` outputs the result to standard output for ease of use with
text-based command-line utilities.
Running
```sh
dbn some.dbn --csv --limit 5
```
will print the header row and the first 5 data rows in `some.dbn` in CSV format to the console.
Similarly, running
```sh
Will extract only the high prices from `ohlcv-1d.dbn.zst`.
`dbn` works with both uncompressed and Zstandard-compressed DBN files.
You can also save the results directly to another file by running
```sh
dbn some.dbn.zst --json --output some.json
```
`dbn` will create a new file `some.csv` with the data from `some.dbn.zst`
formatted as JSON.
When the file name passed `--output` or `-o` ends in `.json` or `.csv`, you
can omit the `--json` and `--csv` flags.
```sh
dbn another.dbn.zst -o data.csv
```
This writes the contents of `another.dbn.zst` to `data.json` in CSV format.
By default, `dbn` will not overwrite an existing file.
To replace the contents of an existing file and allow overwriting files, pass
the `-f` or `--force` flag.
### Merging DBN files
You can use `dbn` to merge several DBN files into one, including files of different schemas.
```sh
# Merge files split by symbols
dbn aapl.trades.dbn tsla.trades.dbn nvda.trades.dbn -o equities.trades.dbn
# Or by date
dbn equs-mini-20250331.dbn equs-mini-20250401.dbn equs-mini-20250402.dbn -o equs-mini-2025W14.dbn
```
The only limitation is they must be from the same dataset.
### Splitting DBN files
You can also split one DBN file into several by passing `--split-by`/`-S` with a split method and
`--output-pattern`/`-O` with a pattern for the output file names.
```sh
# By schema, such as from a live data capture
dbn opra-pillar-20260114.dbn.zst --split-by schema --output-pattern 'opra-pillar-2026114.{schema}.dbn.zst'
# By time
dbn opra-pillar-202512.ohlcv-1s.dbn.zst --split-by day --output-pattern 'opra-pillar-{date}.ohlcv-1s.dbn.zst'
# By symbol, with the short argument forms
dbn equs-mini-20260114.dbn.zst -S symbol -O 'equs-mini-2026014-{symbol}.dbn.zst'
```
### Compressing the output
In addition to reading Zstandard-compressed files, `dbn` can also write compressed JSON and CSV.
```sh
dbn ohlcv-1d.dbn -o ohclv-1d.json.zst
```
or explicitly
```
dbn ohlcv-1d.dbn --json --zstd -o ohlcv-1d.json.zst
```
### Converting DBZ files to DBN
DBN is an evolution of DBZ, which required Zstandard.
To update an old DBZ file to Zstandard-compressed DBN, run
```sh
dbn 20221212.mbo.dbz -o 20221212.dbn.zst
```
or pass `--dbn` to set the output encoding explicitly.
### Reading and writing fragments
`dbn` can also read and write DBN files without the metadata header, these are called "DBN fragments".
Pass the `--input-fragment` or `--input-zstd-fragment` flag to read a DBN file without a metadata header.
```
dbn 120000_121000.mbo.dbn.frag --input-fragment --json
```
You can also write DBN files without the metadata header with the `--fragment` or `-F` flag.
```sh
dbn ohlcv-1d.dbn -F -o ohlcv-1d.dbn.frag
```
## License
Distributed under the [Apache 2.0 License](https://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0.html).