gdal-dataset-identify - Man Page

Name

gdal-dataset-identify — Identify driver opening dataset(s)

Added in version 3.12.

gdal manage-dataset identify reports the name of drivers that can open one or several dataset(s).

Synopsis

Usage: gdal dataset identify [OPTIONS] <FILENAME>

Identify driver opening dataset(s).

Positional arguments:
  --filename <FILENAME>                                File or directory name [may be repeated] [required]

Common Options:
  -h, --help                                           Display help message and exit
  --json-usage                                         Display usage as JSON document and exit
  --config <KEY>=<VALUE>                               Configuration option [may be repeated]
  -q, --quiet                                          Quiet mode (no progress bar)

Options:
  -f, --of, --format, --output-format <OUTPUT-FORMAT>  Output format. OUTPUT-FORMAT=json|text
  -r, --recursive                                      Recursively scan files/folders for datasets
  --force-recursive                                    Recursively scan folders for datasets, forcing recursion in folders recognized as valid formats
  --report-failures                                    Report failures if file type is unidentified

Options

--filename <FILENAME>

Any file name or directory name. Required. May be repeated

-f,  --of,  --format,  --output-format json|text

Which output format to use. Default is JSON, or text when invoked from command line.

-r,  --recursive

Recursively scan files/folders for datasets.

--force-recursive

Recursively scan folders for datasets, forcing recursion in folders recognized as valid formats.

--report-failures

Report failures if file type is unidentified.

Examples

Example 1: Identifying a single file

$ gdal dataset identify --of=text NE1_50M_SR_W.tif

NE1_50M_SR_W.tif: GTiff

Example 2: Identifying a single file with JSON output

$ gdal dataset identify NE1_50M_SR_W.tif
[
   {
     "name": "NE1_50M_SR_W.tif",
     "driver": "GTiff"
   }
]

Example 3: Recursive mode will scan subfolders and report the data format

$ gdal dataset identify --of=text -r 50m_raster/

NE1_50M_SR_W/ne1_50m.jpg: JPEG
NE1_50M_SR_W/ne1_50m.png: PNG
NE1_50M_SR_W/ne1_50m_20pct.tif: GTiff
NE1_50M_SR_W/ne1_50m_band1.tif: GTiff
NE1_50M_SR_W/ne1_50m_print.png: PNG
NE1_50M_SR_W/NE1_50M_SR_W.aux: HFA
NE1_50M_SR_W/NE1_50M_SR_W.tif: GTiff
NE1_50M_SR_W/ne1_50m_sub.tif: GTiff
NE1_50M_SR_W/ne1_50m_sub2.tif: GTiff

Author

Even Rouault <even.rouault@spatialys.com>

Info

Nov 07, 2025 GDAL