Open BSON files in your browser
MongoDB's own way of storing documents, in binary. Open a BSON file or a mongodump export right here as a tree you can fold. Nothing leaves your device.
Or drop it anywhere on this page
What you'll see
Your file opens as a tree, its first levels unfolded on a page as wide as a book.
- Fold and unfold • Files of any size
- Search keys and values • Every match counted
- Tree, Table or Text • Show shape
- Export • Save in another form, or just a part
About BSON
MongoDB made BSON in 2009 to store and send its documents: the same objects and lists as JSON, written in binary with the length of each document first so a program can skip past it. mongodump writes each collection as a .bson file of documents one after another.
BSON has types JSON lacks: ObjectIds, whose first bytes are the time they were made, dates, 64-bit integers, Decimal128 for exact amounts of money, binary data and UUIDs, regular expressions and timestamps. Extended JSON writes them as JSON with keys like $oid and $date, which mongoimport reads back.
Filepeek reads the file with its own BSON reader and lists its documents as a tree, each value with its type. ObjectIds show when they were made, decimals keep every digit, binary data opens in its own viewer when it holds a picture or a file it knows, and Save as JSON writes Extended JSON.
Binary JSON
.bson
Format
- MIME type
- application/bson
- Made by
- MongoDB
- Released
- 2009
Inside the file
- Documents
- One after another, each with its length
- Types
- ObjectIds, dates, Decimal128, binary and UUIDs
- Byte order
- Little-endian
- Written by
- mongodump and the MongoDB drivers
Opens in every browser
Browsers download BSON files. Filepeek opens them as a tree in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, with no MongoDB to install.
- YouChromeOpens through Filepeek
- YouEdgeOpens through Filepeek
- YouFirefoxOpens through Filepeek
- YouSafariOpens through Filepeek
Questions
How do I open a BSON file without MongoDB?
Drop it on this page or choose Peek a BSON. Its documents open at once as a tree you can unfold, with nothing to install.
Can I turn BSON into JSON?
Yes. Choose Export, then Save as JSON. Values JSON has no type for are written as Extended JSON, like {"$oid": …} and {"$date": …}, which mongoimport reads back.
Does it open mongodump files?
Yes. A .bson file from mongodump holds a collection's documents one after another, and each opens as a record to unfold, search or see in a table.
Is my file uploaded?
No. The file opens inside your browser and never leaves your device.