Documentation

Format comparison

Choose the right GeoIP Locations file format for your workflow.

FormatBest forStrengthLimitation
CSVInspection and exchangeUniversal compatibilityNo native types; larger for analytics
ParquetAnalytics and data engineeringTyped, compressed, columnarRequires Parquet-aware tools
MMDBApplication lookupFast local IP-to-record lookupNot designed for table analytics

Recommended decision

Use CSV when you need maximum compatibility, Parquet when you need analytics, and MMDB when you need application lookup.